Brickyard Ride Puts Win Streak On the Line in Triple Bend

Alfred Pais’ brilliantly fast Brickyard Ride seeks his fifth consecutive stakes victory as he heads a field of six older horses going seven furlongs in the Grade 2, $200,000 Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita Park on May 29.

Trained by Craig Lewis, Brickyard Ride, a 5-year-old California-bred horse by Clubhouse Ride, has been nothing short of sensational at the current meet, winning four stakes in a row, his most recent triumph coming at 6 ½ furlongs in the Grade 3 Kona Gold, a race he took by 2 ¼ lengths while earning a 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

Accomplished in customary gate to wire fashion, his win in the Kona Gold also marked the fourth consecutive time that Brickyard Ride has been dispatched as the betting favorite, his last three wins as the odds-on choice.

Off at 2-5 in the Kona Gold with regular rider Juan Hernandez, Brickyard Ride carved out splits of 21.95, 44.10 and 1:08.45, finishing up 6 ½ furlongs in 1:15.07.

“He’s pretty fast,” said Lewis following the race. “Juan said he wanted to take it easy on him, but he wouldn’t let him. So, you saw the results and they ran fast…He was geared down so, no telling. He just keeps getting better and better.”

A two-time graded stakes winner, Brickyard Ride is one for two at seven panels, as he took the Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes here 10 starts back on March 6, 2021 and finished a close fifth in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien five starts back at Del Mar on Aug. 28.

Out of the Southern Image mare Brickyard Helen, Brickyard Ride is 22-12-1-2 overall with earnings of $740,977.

If anyone is going to challenge Brickyard Ride for early supremacy, it’ll likely be the John Sadler-trained Elector, a lightly raced 4-year-old who has a pair of impressive sprint victories to his credit at the current meet, both accomplished in gate to wire fashion.

A lights-out 4 ¾ length maiden winner going seven furlongs in his second career start Feb. 26, he came back to drill allowance foes by 1 ½ lengths going 6 ½ furlongs on April 16, earning a 95 Beyer, which followed up on 97 fig earned when breaking his maiden.

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Edwin Barker and William Sandbrook, Elector is by Constitution and is out of the Notional mare Oh Kay See. With two wins from three starts, he’ll be ridden for the third time in a row by Ricky Gonzalez.

A 6-year-old California-bred by Coil, trainer Librado Barocio’s Principe Carlo is in top form, with his most recent start resulting in a second place finish behind multiple graded stakes winner Cezanne in the San Carlos at seven furlongs on March 5.

Owned by Mia Familia Racing Stable, Principe Carlo, who earned a 92 Beyer in the San Carlos, will be seeking his first graded stakes win. With an overall mark of 25-8-8-0, he has earnings of $445,343.

Well beaten going a mile on turf in the Grade 1 San Francisco Mile April 30, owner Gary Barber’s Get Her Number, a winner of the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes on dirt at age two, will get the first-time services of Ramon Vazquez as he returns to dirt after racing on grass in his last three starts.

Trained by Ruben Alvarado, Get Her Number, who pressed the pace en route to a head victory going 6 ½ furlongs out of the turf chute two starts back on March 12, takes an unorthodox route to the Triple Bend but his connections are hoping his class will make him a contender.

By Dialed In out of the Bernstein mare Fancier, Get Her Number has three wins from nine starts and earnings of $319,817.

Bran Heads Up Daytona Stakes

An ungraded stakes winner out of Santa Anita’s turf chute on April 10, Hronis Racing’s French-bred Bran tried the deep waters of Grade 2 competition at Churchill Downs May 6 and returns to Santa Anita as the likely favorite going about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in Sunday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Daytona Stakes, a race that has attracted six older horses.

Trained by John Sadler, Bran, a 4-year-old gelding, rallied to finish second, beaten 1 ¾ lengths in a field of 13 at odds of 40-1 in the Grade 2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint going 5 ½ furlongs at Churchill, earning a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure, which followed a half-length score in the April 10 Siren Lure Stakes at Santa Anita.

Although he’s winless in two tries down Santa Anita’s unique hillside layout, Bran ran a solid second to multiple stakes winner Gregorian Chant over the course in a classified allowance three races back on March 25.

With leading man Juan Hernandez riding for the first time, Bran, who is 18-5-4-3 overall with earnings of $286,392, will be seeking his first graded stakes win in the Daytona.

Cairo Memories Rates Top Billing in Honeymoon Stakes

Fresh off the best race of her career, the Bob Hess, Jr.-trained Cairo Memories rates top billing as she bids for her second consecutive stakes win in Sunday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita. For 3-year-old fillies at a mile and one eighth on turf, the Honeymoon has attracted a field of seven, including recent Grade 3 winner Island of Love.

Distanced in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel on dirt March 6, Cairo Memories was completely dominant at 1 1/8-miles on turf April 9, taking the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes when ridden by Mike Smith, who will be back aboard on Sunday.

A one-mile turf maiden winner in her first start Sept. 5 at Del Mar, Cairo Memories then took the ungraded Surfer Girl at the same trip here at Santa Anita on Oct. 3. Owned by David Bernsen and Schroeder Farms, LLC, Cairo Memories earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure in the Providencia and will hope to replicate that performance in the Honeymoon.

With all three of her wins coming on turf, Cairo Memories, a Kentucky-bred filly by Cairo Prince out of the Indian Charlie mare Incarnate Memories, has earnings of $292,500 from six starts.