Cupid arrows home for Coolmore at Santa Anita

Report: USA, Saturday

Santa Anita: Gold Cup at Santa Anita (Grade 1) 1m2f | dirt | 3yo+

Coolmore enjoyed a notable success from their small US-based racehorse string when Cupid (Bob Baffert/Rafael Bejarano) returned after an eight-month layoff to charge home in the $500,000 event better known in its former guise as the Hollywood Gold Cup.

Carrying the Derrick Smith colours, the four-year-old son of champion sire Tapit made his move three wide on the turn before hitting the front at the head of the stretch and powering away to score convincingly by three and a quarter lengths.

Sent off a 7-1 chance, Cupid stopped the clock in a rapid 2 min 0.89 sec as he became his trainer's sixth winner of this famous event in its various guises.

"His class showed up and he's been working so well,” said Baffert. "I told Bejarano he was going to ride Cupid. He liked American Freedom, but I wanted to do it differently."

Away from the bright lights, Cupid made plenty of cash as a three-year-old with victories below the top level in the West Virginia and Indiana Derbys.

Bob Baffert: even without his 'big three' of Arrogate, Collected and West Coast, holds a strong hand in the Awesome Again Stakes with Cupid and MubtaahijCredit: Benoit Photography

"We took the back roads with him last year and made over a million dollars," added Baffert.

"He has changed a lot – really filled out. He's always been a beautiful horse. Coolmore have been great and they kept him in training – I got an important Grade 1 which is very important for a horse like him."

Runner-up Follow Me Crev ran through beaten horses to take second, pacemaking American Freedom – a surprisingly strong favourite – and Midnight Storm having been easily overhauled at the head of the stretch.

"We brought two really good horses today and I thought that fast pace might get to American Freedom," Baffert added.

Gold Cup full result

Also on Saturday

Santa Anita: Gamely Stakes (Grade 1) 1m1f | turf | 3yo+ f/m

Although she probably had to work harder than envisaged after chasing a good pace, top turf racemare Lady Eli (Chad Brown/Irad Ortiz) duly claimed her fourth Grade 1 success – one in each of her four seasons on the track.

Lady Eli (Irad Ortiz) holds Goodyearforroses to claim the Gamely by a long-looking half-lengthCredit: Benoit Photograpy

Touched off by Queen's Trust at last year's Breeders' Cup, the five-year-old had gone down by a head at Keeneland on her seasonal debut but made no mistake here.

Lady Eli, whose career was interrupted by a serious bout of laminitis in 2015, took over early in the stretch and then held late-running Goodyearforroses to win by a half-length.

Gamely full result

Woodbine (Toronto, Canada): Nassau Stakes (Grade 2) 1m | turf | 3yo+ f/m

A dramatic contest as Catch A Glimpse was pulled up half a mile out and collapsed soon afterwards. The four-year-old, who beat Alice Springs at the 2015 Breeders' Cup, was transported off the track by van, with trainer Mark Casse later reporting heat stroke and severe bleeding. After being attended to by vets in her racecourse stable, she was said to be resting comfortably.

The race went to former claimer Starship Jubilee (Kevin Attard/Eurico Rosa da Silva) who accelerated down the stretch to catch 2016 Canadian Horse of the Year Caren for her first Graded-stakes win.