NEWS
Furthest Land rides momentum into San Pasqual
Posted: Wednesday, January 06, 2010 5:21 PM
FURTHEST LAND
Benoit & Associates photo
by Steve Bailey
Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Furthest Land capped his four-year-old campaign with a bang, capturing the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) by three-quarters of a length at odds of 21.30-to-1, the third-largest price in the field of ten.
The Smart Strike gelding will open his five-year-old season off a short break as the 121-pound highweight in the $150,000 San Pasqual Handicap (G2) on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
Furthest Land will have a chance to win his third consecutive start for trainer Mike Maker following his neck victory in the Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes (G2) on September 26 at Turfway Park and his unlikely Breeders’ Cup triumph.
Grade 2 winner and 2007 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Nownownow and multiple stakes winner Bold Chieftain could serve as Furthest Land’s primary challengers on Saturday.
Bold Chieftain, a seven-year-old Chief Seattle horse, enters off three straight victories in California, most recently scoring by three lengths in the San Quentin Stakes on November 27 at Golden Gate Fields.
Nownownow has not raced since a third-place finish in the Mervin Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap (G2) on March 14 at Fair Grounds. The five-year-old Whywhywhy horse captured last year’s San Fernando Stakes (G2) by 2¾ lengths on January 17 at the same 1 1/16-mile distance on Santa Anita’s synthetic Pro-Ride surface.
Steve Bailey is deputy news editor for Thoroughbred Times
January 09, $150,000, 4yo & up, 1 1/16M, Santa Anita Park, 4:07 PM PT
| Post |
Horse |
Sire |
Weight |
Jockey |
Trainer |
| 1 |
Cherokee Artist 5, h. |
Cherokee Run |
115 |
Rafael Bejarano |
H. Motion |
| 2 |
Bold Chieftain 7, h. |
Chief Seattle |
119 |
Russell Baze |
William Morey, Jr. |
| 3 |
Nownownow 5, h. |
Whywhywhy |
116 |
Joseph Talamo |
Patrick Biancone |
| 4 |
Goldsville 5, h. |
Successful Appeal |
113 |
Alex Solis |
Peter Eurton |
| 5 |
Neko Bay 7, h. |
Giant's Causeway |
115 |
Mike Smith |
John Shirreffs |
| 6 |
Spurrier 5, h. |
Dixieland Band |
113 |
Joel Rosario |
Bob Baffert |
| 7 |
Furthest Land 5, g. |
Smart Strike |
121 |
Garrett Gomez |
Michael Maker |
