Brickyard Ride and jockey Juan Hernandez cruise to front-running win in the Kona Gold
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 Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.
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 G3 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 G2 San Carlos Stakes here 10 starts back on March 6, 2021 and finished a close fifth in the G2 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 G2 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 G1 San Francisco Mile April 30, owner Gary Barber’s Get Her Number, a winner of the G1 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.
THE GRADE 2 TRIPLE BEND WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 4 of 9 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT
- Get Her Number—Ramon Vazquez—120
- Exaulted—Edwin Maldonado—120
- American Theorem—Joe Bravo—120
- Brickyard Ride—Juan Hernandez—122
- Principe Carlo—Kyle Frey–120
- Elector—Ricardo Gonzalez—120
First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m.
