A fourth-place finish by Vodka Vodka in the Grade 2 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes on Dec. 28 at Santa Anita was worth a gamble.
“I wanted to see what the limit was,” trainer and co-owner Aggie Ordonez said.
In his stakes debut, Vodka Vodka finished seven lengths behind the star older horse Nysos in the Pincay at 1 1/16 miles on dirt. There is nothing similar to Nysos in Saturday’s $175,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic for California-breds at Santa Anita, Vodka Vodka’s next assignment.
Vodka Vodka, a 5-year-old gelding by Stay Thirsty, will be favored to win for the fourth time in his 11th start in the Unusual Heat Turf Classic at 1 1/8 miles.
“I’m looking forward to the Cal-breds,” Ordonez said.
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A switch to turf should be no issue for Vodka Vodka, who has won twice on the surface, including a one-mile allowance race for California-breds on Oct. 10 at Santa Anita. Three weeks later, Vodka Vodka scored a 12-1 upset in an allowance against open company on Oct. 31 at Del Mar– the first race on the first day of the Breeders’ Cup races.
The win justified a start in the Pincay, in which Vodka Vodka set the pace before fading in the stretch. Nysos and Nevada Beach, who was second in the Pincay, are scheduled to start in the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 14 in Saudi Arabia.
“There is no shame in getting beat by the first two,” Ordonez said. “We thought maybe we should have cut him loose and tried to steal it on the lead. It could be as simple as we got beat by better horses.”
Since the Pincay, Vodka Vodka has worked once, going a half-mile in 47.60 seconds last Sunday under jockey Kent Desormeaux, who has the mount Saturday. Desormeaux “didn’t let him do too much,” Ordonez said.
Vodka Vodka, who races for a partnership that includes Ordonez and breeders Jerry and Connie Baker, drew the outside post in a field of eight in the Unusual Heat. None of the runners were stakes winners in 2025, though Mr. Disrespectful was second in the Bertrando Stakes for statebred milers on dirt at Los Alamitos last June and Stamp My Passport was second in the E.B. Johnston Stakes for statebred milers on dirt at Los Alamitos in September.
The filly Hey Jessie was eighth by four lengths in the Grade 3 Red Carpet Stakes at Del Mar in November, and the veteran geldings Freeport Joe and None Above the Law were stakes winners earlier in their careers.
Mr. Disrespectful has won his last two starts in statebred allowances – at 1 1/16 miles on turf on Nov. 30 at Del Mar and at a mile on dirt on Dec. 29 at Santa Anita. In both wins, Mr. Disrespectful closed from slightly off the pace.
In the Unusual Heat, Mr. Disrespectful could pose a threat in the stretch to Vodka Vodka, who is likely to have a forward position in the opening furlongs.
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