Oaklawn star Santana wins 3 at Saratoga

The Sentinel-Record/Mara Kuhn FROM SPA TO SPA: Ricardo Santana Jr., aboard Creator, high-fives assistant trainer Darren Fleming after winning the Grade 1 $1 million Arkansas Derby April 16 at Oaklawn Park. Santana, Oaklawn's riding champion the last four years, won three races Sunday at Saratoga in upstate New York.
The Sentinel-Record/Mara Kuhn FROM SPA TO SPA: Ricardo Santana Jr., aboard Creator, high-fives assistant trainer Darren Fleming after winning the Grade 1 $1 million Arkansas Derby April 16 at Oaklawn Park. Santana, Oaklawn's riding champion the last four years, won three races Sunday at Saratoga in upstate New York.

Oaklawn Park's leading rider the last four years is testing his skills this summer at horse racing's other, older Spa. So far, Ricardo Santana Jr. is enjoying his first full-time Saratoga meet.

The Panamanian jockey won three races on opening Sunday in upstate New York. Riding against the likes of Javier Castellano, Hall of Famer John Velazquez and Irad Ortiz Jr., Santana booted home three longshot winners after finishing second by a nose at 50-1 on Friday's first-day card.

"Fantastic start to the Saratoga meet for RSantana_Jr. Welcome to the Spa!" tweeted New York Racing Association announcer Larry Collmus, the racecaller at Saratoga.

Perhaps significantly, none of Santana's three winners Sunday was for August Hall of Fame inductee Steve Asmussen, his main client at Oaklawn, where the Texan has been leading trainer seven times. Santana won the first race aboard Comandante ($28.60) for New York-based trainer David Cannizzo, the ninth race aboard Gap Year ($42.80) for nationally promiment Kiaran McLaughlin and the 11th race aboard Derby Champagne ($60) for Kentucky veteran Rusty Arnold.

With a 3-2-0 record from 14 mounts and purse earnings of $140,065, Santana is named on a combined four horses today and Thursday at Saratoga, which races on all days but Tuesday. One of his mounts today is the Asmussen-trained Justa Lady in the ninth race, an allowance/optional claiming turf sprint. Justa Lady's maiden victory came Jan. 17 at Oaklawn with Santana abiard.

Santana, 23, is riding at Saratoga after Asmussen moved several horses from Indiana Grand, said the jockey's agent, Ruben Munoz. Santana's 2-for-10 record at Saratoga last year included a victory aboard the Asmussen-trained Holy Boss in the Grade 2 Amsterdam. Holy Boss, as a 3-year-old, also won the Bachelor at Oaklawn.

Derby Champagne represented Santana's 750th career victory in North America, according to Equibase, racing's official data organization. His first North American winner coming in 2009, Saratoga has riding titles at Delaware Park, Churchill Downs and Oaklawn.

Santana set personal Oaklawn highs of 80 victories and $4,064,073 in purse earnings this year. His biggest victory of the season came aboard Creator in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. Creator, trained by Asmussen, won the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes in June with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard.

Big figs: California Chrome earned a 111 Beyer Speed Figure for his stirring victory in Saturday's Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar in Southern California. The 5-year-old, Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner when Horse of the Year in 2014, edged the Bob Baffert-trained Dortmund by a half-length going a mile and a sixteenth. Dortmund, third in American Pharoah's Kentucky Derby triumph last year, set the pace and came back at California Chrome after being passed on the far turn. California Chrome, ridden by Victor Espinoza, spotted Dortmund and Gary Stevens five pounds (126-121) in the latter horse's first start since November

Trained by Art Sherman, California Chrome made his first start in the San Diego since becoming horse racing's all-time money winner with his March victory in the $10 million Dubai World Cup overseas. With 13 wins from 22 starts, California Chrome is pointing to the Grade 1 $1 million Pacific Classic Aug. 20 at Del Mar.

Champion filly Songbird, unbeaten in nine starts, received a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for her 5 1/4-length triumph Sunday in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga going nine furlongs. It was the first triple-digit Beyer figure for the Fox Hill Farm star, who scored her fifth Grade 1 victory in her New York debut.

"This is where we needed to go," owner Rick Porter was quoted afterward. "I love Saratoga, number one, and, number two, we needed to face the best fillies in the country."

Bill Mott, Hall of Fame trainer of Oaks runner-up Carina Mia, called Songbird "one of the best we've seen in a long time."

Songbird, whose only previous race outside California came in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland (Lexington, Ky.), is scheduled to return in Saratoga's Grade 1 Alabama Aug. 20. The Alabama, like the Pacific Classic on the same day, is a mile and a quarter.

Sports on 07/27/2016

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