ARCADIA — Many fans here had to look up the name Aggie Ordonez when the trainer from Northern California came south and won her first stakes race and then her first graded stakes race last year with the filly Om N Joy. They’re less confused about who Ordonez is now that she continues to win big races this year with the gelding Vodka Vodka.
“I feel like a mini-celebrity within the walls of Santa Anita,” Ordonez said with seeming astonishment in the Santa Anita winner’s circle after 5-year-old Vodka Vodka and jockey Kent Desormeaux won by a half-length in the $175,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic, one of several popular victories by veteran horses on the annual California Cup card.
The win in the 1-1/8-mile race was the first at the stakes level for Vodka Vodka in an 11-race career. It was the continuation of a moment for Ordonez, 58.
“This has been a dream come true, everything I’ve worked for my whole life,” Ordonez said in the winner’s circle. “Thinking of coming to a place like Santa Anita and winning a race like this, there’s nothing in the world I’d rather be doing.”
Both of Ordonez’s stakes winners were bred and are partly owned by Jerry and Connie Baker of Glendora and are out of the mare Margie’s Minute, Om N Joy sired by Om and Vodka Vodka by Stay Thirsty.
Making it more special to Ordonez is her teaming up with Desormeaux, the 55-year-old Hall of Fame jockey who rides both Om N Joy and Vodka Vodka. In Ordonez’s mind, the connection goes back 40 years to something said by her father, the late jockey and trainer Pete Anderson. Aggie was 18 when Pete pointed out a teenage jockey setting records in Maryland – Desormeaux.
“That always stuck in my head,” Ordonez said, and she jumped at the chance to have Desormeaux ride horses of hers when she was at now-shuttered Golden Gate Fields in the San Francisco Bay Area and he visited.
Desormeaux gave Vodka Vodka (who paid $3.80) a perfect trip Saturday, sitting second before passing pacesetter Stamp My Passport in the upper stretch and holding off Hey Jessie.
Connie Baker said the horse gets his name from an incident at The Derby restaurant in Arcadia. Her husband ordered his usual vodka, and the server asked what he’d like in it. He said, “Vodka,” leading the server to reply, “So you want vodka vodka.”
Ordonez has high ambitions for Vodka Vodka.
“I would love to take a swing at the Big ’Cap,” Ordonez said, noting that trainer Bob Baffert may be sending Nysos and Nevada Beach to the Feb. 14 Saudi Cup instead of the March 7 Santa Anita Handicap.
The five stakes races on California Cup day, Santa Anita’s winter showcase for the best horses bred in the state, featured wins by trusty veterans Man O Rose and Grand Slam Smile and a stakes double for trainer Dan Blaker with Start the Ride and Cee Drew.
Man O Rose and jockey Edwin Maldonado led from the start and pulled away from a small field in the Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint by such a margin that the 6-year-old horse seemed to be sprinting into a higher division.
Winning by nine lengths over 29-1 long shot Drop Um and covering 6 furlongs in 1:08.68, the fastest time in a decade for the $125,000 race, Man O Rose looked ready to follow recent winners Brickyard Ride, The Chosen Vron and Big City Lights into competing for bigger purses and prestige in open company.
Owner Dr. Bruce Zietz said he thinks Man O Rose, whose 11 wins in 18 starts include five in Cal-bred stakes, on dirt and turf and from 6 furlongs to 1 mile, could take on open company and go as long as 1-1/8 miles.
But trainer Jeff Mullins said his plan for Man O Rose is “a lot of Cal-bred races – long, short, dirt, turf.”
Grand Slam Smile and jockey William Antongeorgi III led from start to finish to win by 1-1/2 lengths over Take Another Card and pay $3.60 in the $125,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint on the downhill grass course.
It was the 5-year-old mare’s 10th victory in 17 starts, her only finish as bad as third coming in her only try at the graded stakes level.
“Today was a thrill,” said trainer Sean McCarthy, who won his first Cal Cup race.
Start the Ride and jockey Armando Ayuso paid $29.20 in upsetting Sammy Davis in the $175,000 California Chrome Cal Cup Derby for 3-year-olds, and Cee Drew and Ricardo Gonzalez paid $6.60 in edging favorite Cashed in the $175,000 Cal Cup Oaks for 3-year-old fillies.
Related Articles
UCLA’s Jordan Chiles earns 1st career perfect 10 in vault Broncos advance to AFC title game after overtime win over Bills USC men fight to final minute in loss to No. 5 Purdue Alexander: Rams will battle both the Bears and the elements UCLA men drop opportunity vs. Ohio StateHence then, the article about horse racing vodka vodka s cal cup win is trainer s latest sip of success was published today ( ) and is available on Los Angeles Daily News ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Horse racing: Vodka Vodka’s Cal Cup win is trainer’s latest sip of success )
Also on site :