Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s Usha (Tiz the Law- Animal Appeal, by Leroidesanimaux) uncorked a powerful performance under jockey Juan Hernandez to prevail in her Gr. 1 debut in the $300,000 La Brea Stakes on opening day at Santa Anita Park, leading the slate of stakes-winning OBS graduates for the week.

    Usha raced in mid-pack down the backstretch, split horses near the quarter pole and then drew off in the stretch to romp by 5 ¼ lengths for trainer Bob Baffert, becoming the first Gr. 1 winner for her sire, Tiz the Law.

    “Usha showed up today,” Baffert said. “She came back here and that worked well. We expected this when I shipped her to Kentucky, and didn't win a race, but today she showed up.”

    Usha was purchased by her owners for $600,000 at the 2024 OBS April Sale from the On Point Training & Sales consignment after breezing in :9 4/5.

    The opening day card at Santa Anita also saw Nysos (Nyquist – Zetta Z, by Bernardini) edge stablemate and fellow Gr. 1 winner Nevada Beach by a head in the Gr. II, $200,000 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes going 1 1/16 miles on dirt. Both are trained by Baffert.

    The victory added to a banner year for Nysos, who prevailed in last month’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar and now has won seven of eight career starts with $1,238,500 in earnings. He was purchased for $550,000 out of the Best A Luck Farm consignment by Donato Lanni, agent for owner Baoma Corp, at the 2023 OBS April Sale after breezing in :9 4/5. Also listed on the owner’s line for Nysos as lessee’s are Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael B. Tabor.

    Also on the Santa Anita card, Kretz Racing’s veteran gelding Cabo Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile-Fancy Day (IRE), by Shamardal) earned the sixth stakes win of his career when rolling to a front-running victory in the Gr. III, $100,000 San Gabriel Stakes.

    Trained by George Papaprodromou, Cabo Spirit has earned five wins at the graded level and improved his career bankroll to $1,356,836. Cabo Spirit was consigned to the 2021 OBS April Sale by Eddie Woods, Agent, and purchased for $575,000 by Gayle Van Leer, Agent, after breezing in :20 4/5.

    At Aqueduct, Tristar Farm’s Doc Sullivan (Solomini-Queen Frostine, by Giant’s Causeway) earned a determined win over fellow OBS grad Quick to Accuse in the $125,000 Alex M. Robb Stakes for New York-breds.

    Trained by John Ortiz, the 4-year-old son of Solomini won the rubber match with multiple stakes-winner and fellow OBS grad Bank Frenzy, who finished third. Doc Sullivan has now won 3-of-5 matchups between him and Bank Frenzy, including last out in the seven-furlong NYSSS Thunder Rumble.

    Doc Sullivan was a $59,000 purchase by Glen Lostritto from the consignment of Omar Ramirez Bloodstock at the 2023 OBS June Sale after breezing in :21 1/5.

    At Oaklawn Park, West Point Thoroughbreds’ Counting Stars (Honor A.P.- Paynterbynumbers, by Paynter) wheeled back on short rest to score an eye-catching victory in the $150,000 Year’s End Stakes.

    Trained by dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, Counting Stars was running back in 13 days after earning a four-length win in the $135,000 Astral Spa Stakes at six furlongs. She was purchased by her owners at the 2025 OBS April Sale for $150,000 from the Wildheart Thoroughbreds consignment after breezing in :10 flat.

    OLDSMAR - The majority of bettors who came to Tampa Bay Downs yesterday to focus on the mandatory Ultimate 6 jackpot payout saw their hopes evaporate in the fourth race (the first race of the wager) when Noble Annie, the second-longest shot in the 10-horse field at 34-1, defeated 11-5 favorite Mistrial Wind by a nose in the 1-mile turf event.

    Those dreams out of the way, it is hoped investors got over their disappointment quickly enough to enjoy the latest in a series of picture-postcard afternoons that have postponed any signs of winter’s chill until at least next week.

    Others who used Noble Annie might not have paid as much attention to the weather. Things settled down for Ultimate 6 bettors sticking more closely to the form, with two of the remaining five races won by a betting favorite – Elusive d’Oro, who won the fifth race at odds of 9-5, and Real Savvy, who won the ninth at even-money – and two others by the second choice.

    Ultimately, 14 “survivors” selected the 2-1-1-5-4-4 combination on their tickets, earning $14,026 apiece.

    A pair of longshot winners made the early Pick-5 wager highly profitable for four bettors, including one on-track, who correctly nailed the 6/2/2/2/1, 7 combination to collect $27,564 each. The key longshots on the ticket were 5-year-old gelding St. Louie Louie, who paid $52 to win in the second race, and the aforementioned 2-year-old filly Noble Annie, who returned $71.20 for her victory in the fourth.

    Noble Annie was the only horse claimed from the race, with trainer Carlos Narvaez paying $16,000 for the juvenile lass for new owner Ladycaroly Stable.
In the featured seventh race, a 1-mile conditional allowance/optional claiming race on the turf, Britain’s Kitten, a 7-2 shot, overcame some bumping at the start to secure good position on the inside, then responded to jockey Israel Rodriguez’s urgings to post a head victory from betting favorite Tok Tok in a time of 1:35.24 for the distance.

    It was the first start in more than two years for Britain’s Kitten, a 6-year-old gelding who is owned by Bella Mia Stables and trained by Kevin Rice. The conditioner also won today’s third race with Kuku, a 3-year-old filly competing under his Rice Racing banner and ridden by Rosario Montanez.

    Leading jockey Samuel Marin won the final two races on Litigant and Real Savvy, surviving a claim of foul by Samy Camacho aboard runner-up Persisten in the finale.
Around the oval. The Oldsmar oval’s highly anticipated Calendar Giveaway Day is Friday. The gates will open at 11 a.m. The 2026 calendars, which celebrate the 100th anniversary season of Tampa Bay Downs, are free of charge (with paid admission) to the first 5,000 fans through the turnstiles.

    Friday’s nine-race card begins at 12:35 p.m. The first race is a $56,500, 6 ½-furlong allowance/optional claiming event, with trainer Gerald Bennett’s 5-year-old Florida-bred gelding Chrome Ghost the 6-5 morning-line favorite. Samy Camacho has the riding assignment.
Saturday’s program features the opening legs of the popular Tampa Turf Test starter handicap series, with both the fifth race for fillies and mares 3-years-old-and-upward and the seventh race for males 3-and-up being contested at a distance of 1 mile on the grass course. Full fields of 10 are expected for both races.

    The feature Saturday is the ninth, a $55,000, mile-and-a-sixteenth maiden special weight event on the turf for 2-year-old fillies. With two entries apiece from trainers Chad Brown and H. Graham Motion, the race should be a corker. Post time for Saturday’s first race is 12:35 p.m.

    As previously reported, Sunday racing at Tampa Bay Downs will begin on Jan. 4. Starting next week, there will be racing on a Wednesday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday schedule, with Thursday cards on Feb. 5 and Feb. 12 added to make up for the originally scheduled Sunday programs on Dec. 21 and Dec. 28.

    HALLANDALE BEACH - Robert Cotran’s Rezasrolex collected his eighth straight victory Friday at Gulfstream Park with a front-running performance in Race 5, a five-furlong optional claiming allowance on turf.

    The 4-year-old son of multiple Gr. II winner Bucchero entered the race off seven consecutive victories over Gulfstream’s all-weather Tapeta surface.

    “Today was the turf test. He’s by Bucchero. He’s a stallion I love. I knew he’d turf. He’d run one time [on turf] at Belterra with a 40 Beyer. It’s apples and oranges,” trainer Joe Orseno said. “The horse is doing great. He’s keeping himself together. I stop when it’s time to stop on him. I’ve given him time off before. He’ s doing great.”

    Rezasrolex ($4.60), a Florida-bred gelding who was claimed for $18,000 by his current connections out of his Gulfstream debut in December of 2023, went right to the front under Edgard Zayas and held off a late drive from favored Poseidon’s Law by a neck in the non-winners-of-one optional claiming allowance.

    “We’re going to have to figure out his next step. Now he’s a two-other-than. There’s some stakes coming up,” Orseno said. “He’s just a neat horse and we’re keeping him happy.” Since being claimed out of a winning Gulfstream debut for trainer Bill Morey in his third career race, Rezasrolex has won 10 of 13 for Cotran and Orseno.