Corniche draws off in American Pharoah; Ain’t Easy romps in Chandelier

Oct 02, 2021 James Scully/TwinSpires.com

Smashing performances from Corniche and Ain’t Easy
highlighted Friday’s opening day program at Santa Anita.

Corniche broke on top and dictated terms throughout in the $300,000 American Pharoah (G1), scoring by an easy 3 1/4-length margin. Speedway
Stables owns the Quality Road colt, a $1.5 million purchase at the OBS Spring sale
earlier this year, and Mike Smith was up for Bob Baffert.

The two-year-old stamped his ticket to the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar taking the “Win & You’re In” race. The 1
1/16-mile American Pharoah also served as a Road to the Kentucky Derby
qualifier, offering points on a 10-4-2-1 scale, but Baffert-trained horses aren’t
eligible.

Favored at 2-5 odds, Corniche stopped the teletimer in
1:44.75. He stretched out to two turns after romping by 4 1/4 lengths in a 5
1/2-furlong maiden at Del Mar on Sept. 4.

Grade 2 winner Papacap, who was exiting a fourth in the Del
Mar Futurity (G1), rallied for second, nearly four lengths better than last-out
maiden victor Oviatt Class. Rockefeller, Flying Drummer, Finneus, and Joker Boy
completed the order of finish.

Bred in Kentucky by Bart Evans and Stonehaven Steadings, Corniche
is out of the multiple Grade 2-winning turf mare Wasted Tears, a daughter of
Najran.

In the $200,000 Chandelier (G2) for two-year-old fillies, Ain’t
Easy took over on the far turn and drew away to a 4 3/4-length victory. Philip
D’Amato trains the Into Mischief filly, a convincing debut winner at Del Mar on
Aug. 21, and Joel Rosario was up.

Along with earning a free berth to the Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile Fillies (G1), Ain’t Easy picked up 10 points toward next spring’s
Kentucky Oaks (G1) in the qualifier. She completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.20,
leaving the starting gate as the 7-2 second choice.

Pacesetter Electric Ride held second. Next under the wire
came Desert Dawn, Censorship, odds-on favorite Grace Adler, Dance to the Music,
and Elm Drive.

Old Bones Racing Stable, Michael Lombardi, and Joey Platts
campaign Ain’t Easy, a $400,000 Keeneland September yearling, and the Kentucky-bred
filly hails from the Group 3-placed Ameristralia, an Australian-bred daughter
of Fastnet Rock.