ARCADIA, Calif. - What a difference a week made for Air Force Red, the winner of Saturday’s Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes for turf sprinters at Santa Anita.
Last Saturday, Air Force Red finished last of seven by 4 3/4 lengths in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile, chasing a slow pace while racing on the inside. Air Force Red did not pose a threat in the final furlongs of the $301,000 Kilroe Mile.
The prize money was considerably lower in the $101,000 San Simeon Stakes on the hillside turf course, but Air Force Red gave a much brighter performance.
Ridden for the second time by Armando Ayuso, Air Force Red ($11.80) stalked the pace until the field reached the main turf course. Air Force Red rallied between 13-10 favorite Mucho Del Oro and 7-1 Anarchist to take lead in the final sixteenth, winning by a length.
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“When he split horses, he did it with a powerful move,” Ayuso said.
Air Force Red ran about 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:12.99 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 94.
Lovesick Blues, the longest shot in the field at 27-1, finished second under jockey Geovanni Franco after disputing the early pace with Mucho Del Oro through an opening quarter-mile in 21.64 seconds. Lovesick Blues took a clear lead at the bottom of the hill through a half-mile in 43.78.
“I knew he’d be tough down the lane even though he was on the lead,” Franco said. “It was a great effort by my horse. I loved the way he ran.”
Sorrento Sky (2-1) closed from sixth to finish third, beaten 3 3/4 lengths, and was followed by St Anthony, Anarchist, Mucho Del Oro and Charge for Gold in a field of seven.
Air Force Red, a 7-year-old ridgling by Air Force Blue, races for the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Holly Golightly and trainer Leonard Powell.
Ayuso rode Air Force Red to a game second in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on turf at Golden Gate Fields last April. Air Force Red set the pace in that race. In the San Simeon, Air Force Red gave Ayuso confidence with a different running style.
“When he was going down the hill, he didn’t need the lead,” Ayuso said. “He was in a comfortable spot.”
Air Force Red, a three-time stakes winner, has won 7 of 25 starts and earned $711,074. The win on Saturday ended a four-race losing streak since an allowance race at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Del Mar last August, and was Air Force Red’s first stakes win since the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez Stakes on the hillside turf course in December 2022.
Eagles Flight wins allowance
Eagles Flight, a half-brother to 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline, won for the second time in three starts in an allowance race at a mile on dirt on Saturday.
Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Eagles Flight ($4) was always prominent in a field of seven. He took the lead on the backstretch and won by 4 1/2 lengths over 8-5 Santarena, finishing in 1:35.14.
Eagles Flight, a 4-year-old colt by Curlin, races for the partnership of Hronis Racing, Summer Wind Equine and W.S. Farish and trainer John Sadler.
Sadler trained Eagles Flight for a partnership that included Hronis Racing and Summer Wind Equine.
Eagles Flight won his lone start in a maiden race for sprinters last May. He was second in his 2025 debut in an allowance race in January.
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