NEWS
City to City in top form entering Robert Frankel
Posted: Friday, December 30, 2011 3:14 PM
CITY TO CITY
Benoit & Associates photo
by Tim Nichols
Multiple Grade 2 winner City to City appears to be in sharp form for the $150,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes (G2) on New Year’s Day at Santa Anita Park.
The five-year-old City Zip mare most recently finished fifth in the Bayakoa Handicap (G2) on December 4, but is in peak condition, according to Dan Ward, a former assistant to late trainer Bobby Frankel and now part of trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s crew.
“She’s coming into the race perfect,” Ward said. “She likes this turf, it’s a good distance, and we’re even in Frankel’s old barn [at Santa Anita, No. 48,] so we’re going to give it a try.”
City Zip has four of her six career wins on the turf. Her last victory came in September on the Del Mar turf in the Palomar Handicap (G2). She will be part of a field of six in the 1 1/8-mile turf race.
Also entered is recent stakes winner Celestial Kitten, a four-year-old Kitten’s Joy filly owned by Triple B Farms. She snapped a six-race winless skid on December 8 in the one-mile Spearfish Stakes on the Hollywood Park Turf.
Celestial Kitten has placed three times in graded stakes but has yet to break through.
Michael Tabor’s Grade 3 winner Turning Top (Ire) has been competitive but is winless in ten starts since taking the 2010 Beverly Hills Handicap (G3). She has placed three graded stakes since then, including the 2010 Yellow Ribbon Stakes (G1). The five-year-old Pivotal mare enters off a fourth-place finish in the 2011 Yellow Ribbon on October 1.
Tim Nichols is Internet content editor of Thoroughbred Times
Robert J Frankel S.
January 01, $150,000, 4yo & up, f&m, 1 1/8M, Santa Anita Park, 4:07 PM PT
| 1 |
Bauble Queen 3, f. |
Arch |
118 |
Garrett Gomez |
J. Kruljac |
| 2 |
Celestial Kitten 3, f. |
Kitten's Joy |
118 |
Mike Smith |
Ben Cecil |
| 3 |
City to City 4, f. |
City Zip |
123 |
Rafael Bejarano |
Jerry Hollendorfer |
| 4 |
Turning Top (IRE) 5, m. |
Pivotal (GB) |
118 |
David Flores |
Simon Callaghan |
| 5 |
Whisper Louise (IRE) 3, f. |
Chevalier (IRE) |
118 |
Victor Espinoza |
James Cassidy |
| 6 |
Miss Mittagong 4, f. |
Pleasantly Perfect |
118 |
Joel Rosario |
Ben Cecil |
