WYGOD’S HARMONIOUS LIKELY CHOICE IN RACE RENAMED FOR FRANKEL; OWNER’S BOND WITH LATE TRAINER TRACES TO THEIR YOUTH IN NEW YORK

ARCADIA, Calif. (Dec. 29, 2010) – Recently renamed in memory of Santa Anita’s winningest trainer who saddled eight previous winners when the Grade II event for fillies and mares was known as the San Gorgonio Handicap, Saturday’s 42nd running of the Robert J. Frankel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf could well rekindle a bond that was formed some 50 years ago.

Marty Wygod -- whose family owns and bred Harmonious, the likely favorite among six entrants in the New Year’s Day feature -- has ties to Frankel from his high school and college days in New York when Wygod walked hots at Aqueduct and Belmont racetracks. The two native New Yorkers, both born in 1941, became fast friends during the 1960s as Frankel prepared for his Hall of Fame career by walking hots at those same New York tracks.

Wygod would become a health care entrepreneur while having owned horses since 1965. He sold his company, Medico Containment Services, to pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. for $6.5 billion in 1993 before moving from New Jersey to California in 1995, 23 years after Frankel had moved west from New York to rise to the top of his profession. Before his death in November of 2009, Frankel trained a record 917 winners at Santa Anita and had won five training titles as one of the most dominant conditioners in racing history.

Harmonious, victorious in the 2010 runnings of the Grade I American Oaks at Hollywood Park and the Grade I Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Keeneland, has the credentials to become a worthy successor to Frankel’s winners in the stakes race that now bears his name: Citronade (2007); Megahertz (2004); Tates Creek (2003); Unchartered Haven (2001); See You Soon (1999); Sixieme Sens (1997); Wandesta (1996) and Extra Hand (1973).

Trained by John Shirreffs for Marty, Pam and Emily Wygod, Harmonious has been freshened since finishing a jostled 10th as the 5-1 second choice in the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Churchill Downs. The homebred daughter of Dynaformer was in contention until she was abruptly bumped by Red Desire entering the stretch of the Grade I which was won by Shared Account.

Joel Rosario will be back aboard Saturday against four challengers as Harmonious attempts to regain the earlier form of her 3-year-old season. She won her third straight race in her fourth start when victorious in Hollywood Park’s Grade I American Oaks on July 3. “We had a lot of hopes for her, and she showed us a lot,” Shirreffs said afterward. After missing by one-half length to Evening Jewel when second in the Grade I Del Mar Oaks, Harmonious crushed her opposition by 4 ¼ lengths under Rosario in Keeneland’s Queen Elizabeth.

On her fourth birthday, she will take earnings of $502,420 into the Frankel from a 4-1-0 record in seven races. The primary threat to Harmonious appears to be Richard L. Duchossois’ German-bred Éclair de Lune, a Grade I winner of Arlington Park’s prestigious Beverly D last August. Rafael Bejarano will ride the 5-year-old mare trained by Hall of Famer Ron McAnally.

Like Harmonious, Éclair de Lune has been given some time off since running in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. At odds of 23-1, she finished in a dead heat for sixth, two lengths behind the winner and 6 ½ ahead of the troubled Harmonious at Churchill Downs. Éclair de Lune shows earnings of $547,843 from a 3-2-1 record in 11 starts. She and Harmonious will share high weight of 123 pounds in the Frankel.

McAnally says he would be thrilled to win a race named for Frankel. “I would love to win it, just for him,” said the trainer who ranks third behind Frankel and Charlie Whittingham in number of Santa Anita victories. “We were dear friends for many, many years,” said McAnally. “We stabled together and swapped ideas together. Bobby believed in the power of positive thinking, all right. He felt he was going to win every race that they ever ran…”

The complete field for the Robert J. Frankel Stakes (third race), with jockeys and weights in post position order: Go Forth North, David Flores, 118; Powerofvoodoo, Edwin Maldonado-Alicea, 118; Éclair de Lune, Rafael Bejarano, 123; Spring Style, Garrett Gomez, 118, and Harmonious, Joel Rosario, 123.

Quick Enough, winner of Oak Tree’s Grade III Morvich Handicap at Hollywood Park on Oct. 11, is the 123-pound high weight among seven entrants in a companion feature, the $100,000 Daytona Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs over Santa Anita’s downhill turf course.

Patrick Valenzuela will ride the 7-year-old California-bred who was claimed for $40,000 at Del Mar on Aug. 5 by trainer Doug O’Neill on behalf of Michael Bello and partners. The son of High Brite has earned $293,360 from a 7-4-3 record in 16 lifetime starts.

He will have to contend with course specialist Dance With Gable, unbeaten in three starts over the unique grass layout. Joe Talamo rides Dance With Gable, a 7-year-old gelding with earnings of $357,135 from a career mark of 11-5-3 in 26 starts. Mike Machowsky trains for Arbitrage Stable and partners. Co-owner Machowsky claimed Dance With Gable for $40,000 at Del Mar in August of 2009.

The complete field for the Daytona Stakes (eighth race), with jockeys and weights in post position order: Dance With Gable, Joseph Talamo, 118; Afleet Ruler, Bejarano, 118; Sirocco Strike, Victor Espinoza, 118; Quietly Mine, Martin Pedroza, 118; Regally Ready, Rosario, 118; Quick Enough, Patrick Valenzuela, 123, and Dilemma, Gomez, 118.

First post for the nine-race card is at 12:30 p.m.

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