ANOTHERTWISTAFATE PROVES HE HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO COMPETE WITH TOP 3-YEAR-OLDS
El Camino Real Derby winner Anothertwistafate finished a head behind the Todd Pletcher trained Cutting Humor in a thrilling edition of the $800,000 Sunland Derby on Sunday at Sunland Park. Anothertwistafate earned 20 more Kentucky Derby points for his runner-up finish and exited the race in good shape, according to trainer Blaine Wright.
“He ran super,” said Wright on Wednesday morning. “He came out of [the race] with a clean bill of health. He has shown good energy since.”
Although Wright was very confident that Anothertwistafate could handle dirt and was not a “need-the-lead” type before the Sunland Derby, it was obviously a relief to see him show new dimensions in a race.
“I thought [jockey] Juan [Hernandez] did everything he could,” said Wright. “We discussed before the race that there was a good amount of speed signed on. I told Juan to sit just off the pace if a couple of horses decided to go out and set fast fractions, which they did, and our horse relaxed right behind them. I thought John Velazquez on [Cutting Humor] rode an outstanding race. He’s in the Hall of Fame for a reason.”
“Down the stretch, [Anothertwistafate] got down to business and went after the winner. He made up ground and finished strong. He handled the dirt no problem and was able to stalk the pace and run on. He didn’t quit when he was challenged on Sunday.”
Anothertwistafate currently sits in twelfth, with 30 points, on the Kentucky Derby Points Leaderboard. With nine Kentucky Derby points/prep races still to come, whether Anothertwistafate has an adequate amount of points to earn a spot in the ‘Derby starting gate remains questionable.
“Now our goal is to run in the Kentucky Derby,” said Wright. “We’ll wait and see. We may have to run in another Kentucky Derby points race if we want to secure a starting spot. We’ll wait a couple of weeks, see how the point’s leaderboard looks and go from there. If he has enough points to run in the Kentucky Derby after all these prep races are finished, then we’ll go straight to the ‘Derby.”
Also on Sunday, Wright saddled Anyportinastorm to a third place finish in the $100,000 Bill Thomas Memorial Stakes going six and a half furlongs. All Out Blitz, a Southern California invader from the Simon Callaghan barn, won the race by a half-length. Anyportinastorm finished a head behind the second place finisher. It was his first start since a flashy win in the Zia Park Sprint on November 21.
“[Anyportinastorm] was tired after the race but he was coming off a layoff and going six and a half furlongs, it’s a real battle, especially off a break,” said Wright. “He came out of the race well, though. He ran a really good race.”
Wright indicated that the $75,000 Lost in the Fog Stakes on April 27 could be next for the son of City Zip, but the connections were leaving their options open.
Going back to Anothertwistafate, Wright had one more thing to say.
“This isn’t about me,” Wright said. “This is about representing Golden Gate. This is about representing Washington State and Emerald Downs, where I’m from, and Hastings Racecourse in Canada, where [owner] Peter Redekop is from and also races horses. We want to make our home tracks and their communities proud.”
And that they have.
OROZCO BACK IN THE SADDLE; FIRST RIDE RESULTS IN A WINNER
On the morning of October 27, 2018, jockey Irving Orozco arose from his bed like any other morning. Little did he know, this was a day that would be engraved in his memory forever.
Fast forward to the afternoon of the 27th, when Irving was aboard maiden filly Pamplemiss in a maiden-claiming sprint. Approaching the quarter pole of the five and a half furlong contest, Orozco’s filly clipped heels and stumbled. Orozco went tumbling to the ground and was clipped by an oncoming horse. Although Pamplemiss emerged from the incident unscathed, 25-year-old Orozco suffered internal injuries as a result of the fall and was put to the sidelines for five months.
“It was a life changing experience,” said Orozco. “I feel really thankful and blessed that I was able to heal properly. I put a lot of time and effort into developing a healthy lifestyle, like eating right and exercising. I wanted to make sure I was 100% before coming back, though, and I feel great now.”
Fast forward to last Sunday. An upbeat and physically fit Orozco rode 3-year-old filly Kynance in his first mount back since the hiatus and was rewarded with a runaway victory aboard the Manny Badilla trainee. Kynance, making her career debut in the United States since being purchased in Europe by her current connections, sat off the pace before rallying on strongly to win the maiden event by 2 lengths.
“Words could not describe such an amazing moment,” said Orozco, when asked to reflect on the Sunday victory. “I definitely held back some tears…but they were happy tears. It was incredible.”
For Orozco, the future brings much excitement.
“I am beyond grateful to be back riding horses,” said Orozco. “I feel great. In fact, I feel even healthier now than I ever have. I can’t wait to make the most out of the opportunities presented to me. I’ve already gotten a lot of support from horsemen and I can’t thank them enough for giving me a shot now that I’m back riding.”
FINISH LINES: Santa Anita resumes live racing this Friday. On Saturday, “The Great Race Place” features five stakes races, led by the Grade I Beholder Mile for fillies and mares and the Grade I Frank E. Kilroe Mile for older turf stars…Gulfstream Park runs a whopping seven stakes’ on their Saturday card, headlined by the Grade I Florida Derby for 3-year-olds…Slated for the Gulfstream Park Friday program: the Grade 3 Appleton Stakes, a grass race for turf milers. The top three finishers in the Appleton receive a free nomination to the $250,000 Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on Saturday, April 27…Happy birthday to jockey Ferrin Peterson and trainer Leobardo Rivera, both whom celebrate birthday’s this week…A carryover in the Golden Pick Six jackpot pool has climbed to $126,654 heading into Thursday’s card…Leg D of the Stronach 5 wager is Friday’s fifth race at Golden Gate….The inaugural Gold Rush Weekend, scheduled for Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, features eight stakes races and a number of fun events for on-track fans. You can follow @GoldRushWeekend on Twitter, a new account that will be posting regularly on news, updates and all things Gold Rush Weekend…Speaking of Gold Rush Weekend, Champion Irish trainer Dermot Weld is finalizing his plans to run 2 starters on the aforementioned weekend. Weld is regarded as one of the top Irish trainers of all time and has an eye-popping resume, which includes four Irish Guineas’ victories, two Melbourne Cup wins and seven Irish St. Leger triumphs…Well-known English trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam has confirmed 7-year-old Circus Couture for the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile. Circus Couture has already raced once in America, having competed in last year’s Grade I Arlington Million….A detailed-story on all European invaders will be available in a future edition of the News and Notes.