Newgrange, the third betting choice at 5-2, passed the important two-turn test at Santa Anita on Saturday in the $100,000 Grade III Sham Stakes and stamped himself as a horse to watch along the early road to the Kentucky Derby.

Handled by Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez, Newgrange took the field gate to wire while carving out soft fractions of 24.46, 48.94 and 1:12.84. The 3-year-old son of Violence followed up his 1 1/2-length maiden victory at Del Mar on Nov. 28 with an even more impressive victory in only his second career start.

The 2 3/4-length victory increased trainer Bob Baffert’s record number of Sham Stakes victories to eight, including three consecutive and four of the past five in the race named for the 1973 Santa Anita Derby winner.

Newgrange’s stablemate and 3-2 favorite, Rockefeller, went into the race off an impressive 2 3/4-length victory in the Grade III Nashua Stakes at Belmont Park on Nov. 7, but he could do no better than hold off a fast-closing Oviatt Class by a nose for second under Flavein Prat in the Sham.

Baffert horses are not currently eligible for Kentucky Derby qualifying points, but the conditions of the race state that the winner receives 10 points, the runner-up four, third-place two and the fourth-place finisher, MacKinnon, one.

“He looked good,” Baffert said of the winner. “He had been training really well and working together with Rockefeller. The quality is there. I’m happy we have a great team and we are moving forward.

“I thought Rockefeller would be a little closer. We’ll have to figure things out on where the two go from here.”

Velazquez, who has won 10 races during the first four days of Santa Anita’s winter-spring meet, wasn’t surprised to find himself on the lead. He was in front by a half-length through the opening quarter-mile, maintained that advantage through the opening half and had opened the lead to 2 1/2 lengths by the top of the stretch.

“There was one speed, the other Bob Baffert horse, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t want them in a head to head,” Velazquez said. “He told me to put my horse on the lead. Once my horse got to the lead he waited. I took a little hold of him and he kind of started waiting for the horses, so I started waiting for the horses to come to him. By the time we got to the backside, I kind of let him do his own thing. I let him get in a comfortable rhythm. After that, it was pretty easy.”

Velazquez said he believes there’s more in the tank.

“He’s so green,” he said. “He feels like he got on by himself, he was waiting for horses, so I had to give him a little reminder to keep his mind on running. His gallop out was pretty good so it still seems like he’s learning.”

Big day for Prat

Prat joined Laffit Pincay Jr., Sandy Hawley and Darrel McHargue as the only jockeys to win six races in one day at Santa Anita when he capped his big afternoon by winning the final three races.

Nine jockeys have enjoyed six-victory days at Santa Anita, with Prat the last to accomplish the feat March 12. Pincay holds the record with seven victories in one day, set March 14, 1987.

Prat’s memorable day included victories aboard As Time Goes By in the $200,000 Grade III La Canada Stakes for Baffert and Luck in the $100,000 Grade III Robert J. Frankel Stakes for trainer Richard Baltas.

Velazquez holds a 10-9 lead in the jockey standings over Prat through the first four days of the meet.

Related Articles