Peter Eurton

California Trio Breeze Towards Derby

Three Santa Anita-based sophomores headed to the GI Kentucky Derby tuned up Saturday morning over their home track. Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), who will have his fair share of backers off his front-running victory in the GII Louisiana Derby, went three-quarters of a mile in :1.14.20 for two-time Derby-winning conditioner Doug O'Neill. Flavien Prat, who was tabbed earlier this week for the ride, was aboard. "He looked solid. So far, so good," said O'Neill. Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}), who remained perfect in three starts with his front-running success...

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Twirling Candy Colt Rallies to Rising Stardom as Bezos Fails to Deliver

Exline-Border Racing LLC, SAF Racing & Richard Hausman's Dream Shake (Twirling Candy), completely ignored at 20-1 while facing an extremely tough-looking group of Santa Anita sophomores led by Bob Baffert hype horse Bezos (Empire Maker), whipped around the turn and ran up the score to snag 'TDN Rising Star' honors. The dark bay, who was a $32,000 KEESEP yearling turned $75,000 OBSAPR buy off a :10.1 breeze, sported an unassuming worktab on paper capped by a 1:01 flat (11/64) spin a week earlier (XBTV video) for a typically patient barn....

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Bernardini Filly Blossoms Around Two Turns at Santa Anita

2nd-Santa Anita, $59,780, Msw, 2-5, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:39.09, ft, 18 lengths. LADY MYSTIFY (f, 3, Bernardini--J. Quirk, by Unbridled's Song) took to two turns to say the least Saturday in Arcadia. A close second at 15-1 going 5 1/2 furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 5, the bay was third over an additional sixteenth here Jan. 10. Backed at 3-2 getting more ground to work with, the bay beat her three foes to the lead and zipped along through splits of :22.85 and :46.43. She blew the race apart around...

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MGSW Giant Expectations Retired

Dual graded stakes winner Giant Expectations (Frost Giant--Sarahisittrue, by Is It True) has been retired from racing and will stand the upcoming breeding season at a location still to be determined pending sale of the horse either privately or at auction. Giant Expectations was trained by Eurton for Exline-Border Racing, David Bernsen, Gatto Racing, and partners, who issued a release: "The current ownership group and management unanimously elected to retire Giant Expectations in the best interests of the horse, and are excited to follow his next career as a stallion."...

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'Court' Looks to Recapture GI Form in GI Ark Derby; 'Shooter' Out

In a Classic season blighted by the coronavirus pandemic, Oaklawn rounds out its winter meet with not one but two renewals of the GI Arkansas Derby. Facing a tough group of contenders in Saturday's second division of the Classic prep, including undefeated Nadal (Blame), winner of the GII San Vicente S. and GII Rebel S., and GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby hero King Guillermo (Uncle Mo), defending juvenile champion Storm the Court (Court Vision) will try to recover some of the sparkle from his 2-year-old season. This year, he...

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Storm the Court Gets Green Light for Arkansas Derby

Last year's champion juvenile colt Storm the Court (Court Vision) is on target for the May 2 GI Arkansas Derby following a five-furlong work in 1:13.60 (3/3) at Santa Anita Monday, trainer Peter Eurton confirmed. Eurton also plans to enter Shooters Shoot (Competitive Edge), winner of a one-mile allowance at Oaklawn Apr. 11, for the nine-furlong race. "Very pleased with his work," Eurton said of Storm the Court. "Very pleased with Shooters Shoot. I know it's going to be tough on both ends with Bob [Baffert]'s two horses, but we're...

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Promising 3YOs Breeze at Santa Anita

C R K Stable's Royal Act (American Pharoah), a gritty second to undefeated Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile) in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Feb. 1 and fellow Lee Searing colorbearer Honor A. P. (Honor Code), an exceptionally impressive maiden winner when last seen over a mile last October, were each out for Saturday morning breezes over the Santa Anita main track. A $500,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, Royal Act was making his dirt debut in the Lewis and sat a very wide trip, but plugged on gamely to...

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San Vicente A Starting Point for Storm the Court

In 2016, just a few months after completing a championship season with a victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Nyquist (Uncle Mo) made the first start of his 3-year-old season in the GII San Vicente S. before adding the GI Florida Derby and GI Kentucky Derby. Reigning Eclipse Award winner Storm the Court (Court Vision) will look to emulate that success by kicking off his season in the seven-furlong test Sunday afternoon at Santa Anita. The bay colt defeated 1-5 Garth (Into Mischief) in his Aug. 10 bow over...

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This Side Up: How a Pointless Race Can Have the Best of Purposes

Peter Eurton knows. He has been training since 1989, after all: the year of Sunday Silence and Easy Goer. One, on the West Coast, began his sophomore campaign in an allowance race at Santa Anita over 6 1/2 furlongs, before moving up in distance for the San Felipe 17 days later. The other started out in the Swale over seven furlongs at Gulfstream--the fourth running of a race that had already been won by Chief's Crown and Seeking The Gold--before going up a furlong for the Gotham, and again for...

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From Unknown to Champion, Storm the Court Readies for 3YO Encore

In the fall of 2016, trainer Peter Eurton saddled a big longshot in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita who rode a game upset to an improbable divisional championship. Three years later, he did the same thing, this time with an unheralded colt in the Juvenile, whose shocking and resolute victory propelled him to an unforeseeable Eclipse Award of his own. Eurton hopes the comparisons end there, however, as his Storm the Court (Court Vision) prepares to get his sophomore season underway while adding the weight of...

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British Idiom and Storm the Court Named Top Juveniles

Modestly bred, British Idiom (Flashback) brought only $40,000 as a Fasig-Tipton October yearling in 2018, but by the time she debuted at Saratoga in August, the chestnut had attracted powerhouse connections in Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables and trainer Brad Cox. Backed to narrow favoritism in that six-furlong career bow, she pressed the pace and drew off to a 3 1/2-length score. Adding Lasix and stretching out to two turns in the GI Darley Alcibiades S. Oct. 4 at Keeneland, she was a powerful victress,...

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