American Oaks (Grade 1)

THE Awtaad filly Anisette easily handled four rivals to win the Grade 1 American Oaks on December 26th at Santa Anita, notching her second Grade 1 success this season.

The victory backs up her win in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks in August. Since then, she was second in the Grade 2 Rodeo Drive Stakes and the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes, both at Santa Anita.

Anisette got away cleanly and raced comfortably behind a slow pace. She held that position around the clubhouse turn and down the backstretch and started to close the gap when asked entering the stretch turn.

Straightening for home, she was pulled out and easily went by pacesetter Be Your Best and ran on to win by length and three quarters. Musical Mischief was another two lengths back in third.

“Today was a tactical race again. We were just a couple of lengths behind the speed and she does the rest. It’s a pleasure to be on a filly like that. She has given me two Grade 1s this year.” Rispoli said.

Anisette’s races have been well-spaced and she had not raced since early November.

“She has run well fresh before, so we hope she can do that again,” trainer Leonard Powell said. “The winner that day was a very, very nice filly. There was no disgrace in running second to her.”

Powell was delighted that Anisette she has been able to maintain her form until the final week of the year.

“You need a horse to do that and she’s the goods, as I’ve said before. We’ve chosen to give her plenty of time between races and that’s the key of keeping her on top of the game.”

Anisette, bred by Morera Partnership in England, is by Awtaad out of the Teofilo mare Tutti Frutti. She carries the colours of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

Malibu Stakes

The Grade 1 Malibu Stakes for three-year-olds over seven furlongs, it came down to a battle between two Bob Baffert runners and it was favourite Speed Boat Beach and Flavien Plat who prevailed by a length and a half from Hejazi.

Making his third start off a layoff at seven furlongs, Speed Boat Beach led through much of the Malibu to post a very smart victory in in 1m 21.70 on a fast track.

“I think seven-eighths is better for him because they’re not going to be going :21 3/5,” Baffert said.

The two Baffert runners battled through the stretch, leading Baffert to say, “Turning for home I knew I was going to win it - I wasn’t sure which one it was going to be.”

Speed Boat Beach had set the pace in the six-furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint where he ran a creditable fourth behind champion Elite Power..

The other Grade 1 on the card, the La Brea Stakes over seven furlongs for fillies went to the Peter Miller-trained Daddysruby who pipped Frankie Dettori on the Tim Yakteen-trained Big Pond by a nose.

Daddysruby, after setting quick fractions of 22.21sec, :44.49sec, and 1m 9.60sec in the seven-furlong dirt race, was just able to outlast Big Pond, who had tracked the pace under Frankie Dettori. Big Pond appeared to poke her nose in front just before the finish, and was in front on the gallop out, but Daddysruby had the advantage when it counted - right at the finish line.

Phil D’Amato won the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at a mile and half a furlong with the four-year-old Newgrange, once a classic contender for Baffert.

Santa Anita Park’s December 26th saw an on-track crowd of 37,143 contributed to all-sources handle of $18.3 million, which rates as the best handle ever among a total of 17 opening dates on a Tuesday.