Top California-bred mare Grand Slam Smile looms as a heavy favorite Saturday when she goes for a ninth stakes win in the $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes for statebred fillies and mares going about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita.
Trained by Sean McCarthy, Grand Slam Smile is back in with statebreds after testing the GII Buena Vista on Feb. 28 at Santa Anita. In the Buena Vista going one mile on turf, Grand Slam Smile set the pace and led into the stretch before being overtaken late to finish third. It was the second graded-stakes placing for the ultra-consistent 5-year-old Smiling Tiger mare. Owned and bred by Larry D. Williams and Marianne Williams, Grand Slam Smile is 18: 10-6-2 with $852,120 in earnings. Returning to Santa Anita to ride Grand Slam Smile on Saturday is William Antongeorgi III, who earlier this year relocated to Turfway Park.
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Prior to the Buena Vista try, Grand Slam Smile won the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint for statebreds on the hillside turf course in January. The respective second- and third-place finisher that day, Take Another Card and Prancingthruparis, both get another crack at Grand Slam Smile in the Irish O’Brien.
Take Another Card is trained by Simon Callaghan for owner-breeder Reddam Racing. In the Sunshine Millions turf sprint, Take Another Card finished 1 ½ lengths back of Grand Slam Smile. She then failed to fire last month when finishing fifth as the favorite in a first-level allowance for open company on the hillside course on Feb. 15. Take Another Card, a 4-year-old I’ll Have Another filly, will be ridden Saturday by Antonio Fresu for the first time.
Prancingthruparis won last year’s Irish O’Brien, but has finished behind Grand Slam Smile in all three of her most recent outings including the Sunshine Millions when beaten by 2 ¼ lengths. A 5-year-old mare by Sir Prancelot, Prancingthruparis is trained by Peter Eurton and owned by Ciaglia Racing, SAF Racing and Harry A. Crusberg. She’ll have Juan Hernandez aboard.
The Irish O’Brien Stakes Field
Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT
1. Grand Slam Smile—William Antongeorgi III—124
2. Moment’s Pleasure—Emisael Jaramillo—124
3. Young Love—Ricky Gonzalez—122
4. Take Another Card—Antonio Fresu—124
5. Prancingthruparis—Juan Hernandez—124
6. Miss Practical—Hector Berrios—120
San Luis Rey Stakes Draws Competitive Field of Eight
Millionaire stablemates Gold Phoenix and Balnikhov, both trained by Phil D’Amato, and newly minted graded stakes winner Mondego are among a competitive group of older horses signed on for Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 San Luis Rey Stakes going 1 ½ miles on turf Saturday at Santa Anita.
Gold Phoenix will be seeking a bounce-back effort after failing to fire in the 1 ¼-mile San Marcos on Feb. 14, which came after a three-plus month layoff. Sent off the even-money favorite for his 8-year-old debut, Gold Phoenix settled in mid-pack in the San Marcos and then never got untracked late, finishing seventh in a field of eight. Hector Berrios, who previously guided the gelding to victory in the 2023 edition of the GII Eddie Read stakes at Del Mar, jumps back aboard.
Gold Phoenix is 30: 10-3-5 with $2,303,087 in earnings. He is owned by Agave Racing Stable, Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables and Marsha Naify.
Balnikhov kicked off his 7-year-old campaign on Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park in the GIII William L. McKnight, also at 1 ½ miles. Balnikhov raced near the rear of the field in the McKnight before rallying to be third. The gelding, who races for owner Old Bones Racing Stable, has a record of 38: 8-6-7 and $1,187,993 in earnings. Balnikhov will have Juan Hernandez aboard in the San Luis Rey.
Mondego, trained by Michael McCarthy, won the San Marco at 9-1 under Emisael Jaramillo for his first stakes win of any kind. A 6-year-old gelding by Lope de Vega, Mondego previously was third in the GIII San Gabriel at 1 1/8 miles on turf on Dec. 28 at Santa Anita. He is owned by Cheyenne Stables and has a record of 19: 4-1-3 with $407,047 in earnings. Jaramillo will again be aboard Mondego.
San Luis Rey Stakes Field
Race 9 of 9 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT
- Flashiest—Armando Ayuso—122
- Truly Quality—Antonio Fresu—124
- Balnikhov—Juan Hernandez—124
- Gold Phoenix—Hector Berrios—124
- Mondego—Emisael Jaramillo—124
- City Exile—Tiago Pereira—120
- Living Life—Tyler Baze—120
- Watsonville—Mike Smth—124
