Champion ROY H (More Than Ready) parlayed a win in last year's GI Santa Anita Sprint Championship into a victory in the GI Breeders's Cup Sprint and will head to the World Championships again this year after capturing Saturday's renewal of that “Win and You're In” event. Tracking from a two-wide third through an opening quarter in :22.45, the even-money favorite ranged up three wide alongside the leaders Distinctive B (With Distinction) and Horse Greedy (Horse Greeley) as the half went up in :45.45 and sailed clear in the lane for a facile victory. The winner's stablemate Distintive B held second and 3-2 shot Ransom the Moon (Malibu Moon) completed the trifecta.
“Ruben [Alvarado], my assistant, has done a phenomenal job with him up here for two years, but he just seemed stale to me,” said winning trainer Peter Miller. “I think he just needed a change of pace and a change of scenery, so we brought him back to San Luis Rey. I think it's picked his head up a bit. This is the Roy H I've been waiting to see all year. He's a great horse and I hope to springboard this to the Breeders' Cup.”
“I loved to get the chance to ride this horse again,” said winning rider Paco Lopez. “I won on him in New York [in last year's GII True North S.] and was second in California [in the 2017 Bing Crosby], so I know the horse very well. He was very light-footed today, but I didn't want to send him, so I waited a little bit. He's an easy horse to ride, you can place him pretty much anywhere.”
Winner of the GII Palos Verdes S. in February, Roy H completed an American trifecta behind Mind Your Biscuits (Posse) and X Y Jet (Kantharos) in Meydan's G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen Mar. 31. The Eclipse winner was second to Ransom the Moon last time for the second straight year in Del Mar's July 28 GI Bing Crosby S.
Pedigree Notes:
Roy H is out of MGSW & GISP Elusive Diva, a half-sister to Group 3 winner and G1SP Tropics (Speightstown), was purchased by Ramona Bass for $825,000 while in foal to Giant's Causeway at the 2009 Keeneland January Sale. She was sent back through the Keeneland ring in November of 2013, where she was picked up by Calumet Farm for $75,000 carrying a foal by Algorithms. The 17-year-old mare is responsible for the unraced 3-year-old colt Cal Me McLintock (Point Given) and the unraced juvenile filly Vinca (Oxbow). Her 2018 Oxbow foal was born dead and she was bred back to Mr. Z.
Saturday, Santa Anita
SANTA ANITA SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP S.-GI, $300,000, Santa Anita, 10-6, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:09.09, ft.
1–ROY H, 125, g, 6, by More Than Ready
1st Dam: Elusive Diva (MGSW & GISP, $484,510},
by Elusive Quality
2nd Dam: Taj Aire, by Taj Alriyadh
3rd Dam: Whimsical Aire, by Messenger of Song
($115,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP; $310,000 2yo '14 KEEAPR).
O-Rockingham Ranch and David A Bernsen LLC; B-Ramona S.
Bass, LLC (KY); T-Peter Miller; J-Paco Lopez. $180,000. Lifetime
Record: 21-8-5-2, $1,919,765. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”claiborne”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″][bullet ad=”select-sales-hip-462″]2–Distinctive B, 121, g, 7, With Distinction–Anythingispossible,
by Songandaprayer. ($7,000 Wlg '11 OBSOCT; $55,000 Ylg '12
OBSAUG; $55,000 RNA Ylg '12 ARZNOV; $69,000 2yo '13
BARJAN). O-Rockingham Ranch; B-Hartley/De Renzo
Thoroughbreds, Charlie Dobbs & Frank Berris (FL); T-Peter
Miller. $60,000.[bullet ad=”kaizensales-grad”][bullet ad=”florida-breds-ftboa”]3–Ransom the Moon, 125, h, 6, Malibu Moon–Count to Three,
by Red Ransom. O-Agave Racing Stable & Jeffry Wilke;
B-Sam-Son Farm (ON); T-Philip D'Amato. $36,000.[bullet ad=”ontario-bred”]Margins: 2 3/4, HF, 1 3/4. Odds: 1.00, 10.70, 1.50.
Also Ran: Edwards Going Left, Horse Greedy. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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