Sadler Sees 'Mental Freshness' in Super Corredora

After things went sideways this winter for last year's champion 2-year-old filly Super Corredora, trainer John Sadler in March sent her to a Kentucky farm for three months to regroup. The daughter of Gun Runner returned to training in July at Del Mar and Sadler is pleased with what he's seen. "We're obviously excited to have her back," Sadler said Saturday morning. "She had kind of a screwed-up winter. Missed the break a couple of times and so forth. What I see in her is a mental freshness. Her brain seems happier having had some time off from the grind. She's really training with a lot of enthusiasm. Now we just need to go out there and show it." Super Corredora makes her return Sunday in the Grade II Zenyatta Stakes, a "Win and You're In" for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff. She is 10-1 on the morning line and will have Hall of Famer Joel Rosario aboard for the first time. Installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite in the 1 1/16-mile Zenyatta is Om N Joy, who returns to the distaff division after testing males in the Grade I Pacific Classic on Aug. 22 at Del Mar. In the 1 ¼-mile Pacific Classic, Om N Joy rallied from second-to-last in a field of 11 to finish a solid fourth behind winner Knightsbridge. "Nobody was going to beat the winner that day," said Om N Joy's trainer, Aggie Ordonez. "Everyone was running for second and we nearly did. I thought she ran really respectably and beat some tremendous horses." This spring at Santa Anita, Om N Joy earned her biggest career win in the GII Santa Margarita at 1 1/8 miles when benefiting from a hot pace. She then was beat just a half-length when second in the GI Clement L. Hirsch at 11/8 miles at Del Mar. While Ordonez acknowledged she prefers longer distances for Om N Joy, she does not foresee the cutback from 10 furlongs in the Pacific Classic to 1 1/16 miles Sunday to be a major concern. "Seems like everyone's forgetting she's won at 6 1/2 (furlongs) and seven (furlongs) on the engine," Ordonez said. "She sat just off a pace of 44 (seconds). I do like her going long, the longer the better, and I do love her at a mile-and-a-quarter. But she can sit up close. She's not void of speed in any sense and has a tremendous turn of foot." Ordonez added, "I think if she runs her best race, they're going to have their hands full. I have a lot of respect for the field and if Majestic Oops also runs her race, it's going to be a horse race." Majestic Oops is trained by Phil D'Amato and is the 7-2 third choice on the morning line. In her most recent start in the Clement L. Hirsch, the 6-year-old mare by Majestic Harbor encountered no shortage of trouble when finishing fourth by just one length with Rosario aboard. In the Zenyatta, as Rosario takes the call on Super Corredora, Majestic Oops will be ridden by Umberto Rispoli. "I don't think the tale of the tape really tells the whole story as far as how much trouble she got into," D'Amato said of the Hirsch. "From about the five-eighths pole to the quarter pole she was checked about six or seven times. It seemed like every time Joel wanted to run, she had a 100-1 shot running on his heels. He never really had a clean trip until he got to the quarter pole and then she had a nice, modest run. I think if she had gotten out a sixteenth or furlong earlier like Joel wanted to, she would have been right there if not win. Hopefully a cleaner trip gives us a chance to be the winner on Saturday." Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella sends out Magnificat (4-1) in the Zenyatta. Magnificat, a stakes winner sprinting, stretched out to one mile for the first time in the restricted Tranquility Lake at Del Mar last month and promptly won by 2 ¼ lengths after stumbling badly at the start. "She ran really well there and we're hoping for another good race from her," Mandella said. Last Saturday, Magnificat--a 4-year-old filly by Omaha Beach--worked fast when clocking four furlongs in 46.1 seconds. "It was more than I wanted. But when they do that, it's better than when they don't work as good as you want them to," Mandella said. Magnificat, who Rosario rode in the Tranquility Lake, will have Hall of Famer Mike Smith aboard for the first time in the Zenyatta. The Zenyatta goes as the eighth race on a nine-race card Sunday. Post time is at 4:35 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Majestic Oops, Umberto Rispolil (7-2); She's No Quant, Hector Berrios (15-1); Super Corredora, Joel Rosario (10-1); Om N Joy, Kent Desormeaux (2-1); Howin, Emisael Jaramillo (12-1); Rabeeba, Juan Hernandez (5-2); Magnificat, Mike Smith (4-1). Maximum Bourbon Looks to Punch Breeders' Cup Ticket In the Grade I Bing Crosby going six furlongs at Del Mar this summer, a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Sprint, Listsenupshance narrowly edged Maximum Bourbon by a nose to earn a fees-paid berth to the world championships at Keeneland on Oct. 31. That pair will meet again on Sunday in the Grade II Santa Anita Sprint Championship, also at six furlongs and also an automatic qualifier to the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Trainer Phil D'Amato hopes this time it's Maximum Bourbon who can punch his ticket to the Breeders' Cup Sprint. "I thought it was a huge effort from him in the Bing Crosby, especially given he had the rail that day," D'Amato said. "The rail at Del Mar with a full field of good sprinters is pretty much impossible I think to win and he nearly did it. I think with a nice outside post here it should only help his cause. He's been training great. Our plan has always been this race after the Bing to keep him fresh and happy. Hopefully it gets us to the Breeders' Cup." A 4-year-old gelding by Maximum Security, Maximum Bourbon, made his first five starts for trainer Joe Sharp in the east before selling for $400,000 at the Fasig-Tipton March Digital Sale to co-owner Agave Racing and transferred to D'Amato. In his only start prior to the Bing Crosby for his new connections, Maximum Bourbon in April won the St. Mathews Overnight Stakes going six furlongs at Churchill Downs. In the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, it will be Listenupshance who this time breaks from the rail. A 4-year-old gelding by Shancelot, Listenupshance is trained by Doug O'Neill for owners Run Fast Racing and Great Friends Stable. He'll be ridden by Emisael Jaramillo, who was also aboard in the Bing Crosby. "It's not ideal," O'Neill said of the rail draw. "But Emisael is a really good gate rider and he knows this horse well. I guess no matter what post you're in you're looking for a nice clean break. We just know if he's there at the head of the lane, he'll be there at the wire. He's a fighter." In three stakes tries prior to the Bing Crosby, Listenupshance was second in both the GIII Palos Verdes and San Carlos at Santa Anita and third in the GIII True North sprinting at Saratoga. A mere $10,000 auction purchase as a yearling, Listenupshance had two different trainers in his first three starts. He graduated in a $20,000 maiden-claimer at Del Mar last summer for trainer Ken Sweezey, then was solid privately and moved to the O'Neill barn. "We've been really fortunate with this horse," O'Neill said. "Prior to getting him, he was a horse that at whatever level he ran he tried hard. Then when he was asked against tougher horses, he was able to dance with them. He's just a really strong competitor." Listenupshance and Maximum Bourbon will both be trying to knock off last year's Santa Anita Sprint winner Imagination, who returns for trainer Bob Baffert. Imagination is the 5-2 second choice on the morning line behind Listenupshance (2-1). Since winning the GII Riyadh Dirt Sprint in February, Imagination has finished fourth in both the GI Churchill Downs Stakes and True North and most recently was ninth in the GIII Hanshin Stakes when going a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs on June 28. Trainer John Sadler Saturday morning reported Ahrens, who was 8-1 on the morning line, will be scratched after spiking a fever. The Santa Anita Sprint Championship goes as Sunday's fourth race at 2:35 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Listenupshance, Emisael Jaramillo (2-1); Imagination, Juan Hernandez (5-2); Ahrens, Joel Rosario (8-1); March of Time, Kazushi Kimura (12-1); Maximum Bourbon, Umberto Rispoli (12-1).