IT’S FRANKIE!! SUPERSTAR EUROPEAN-BASED DETTORI GUIDES BAFFERT’S COUNTRY GRAMMER TO 4 ½ LENGTH WIN IN GRADE II, $200,000 SAN ANTONIO

RACE IS ONE OF SIX GRADED STAKES ON CLASSIC MEET OPENING DAY

ARCADIA, Calif. (Dec. 26, 2022)—It’s on to the desert. Country Grammer, Thoroughbred racing’s leading active money earner with $11.1 million, dominated five rivals in taking Monday’s Grade II, $200,000 San Antonio Stakes with European-based superstar jockey Lanfranco (Frankie) Dettori aboard and thus set the stage for a return to the middle east, where he finished second in the $20 million Saudi Cup and was victorious in the $12 million Dubai World Cup earlier this year.

Attentive to the pace while hung four-deep around the first turn, Country Grammer, who was reunited with Dettori today for the first time since his win in Dubai four starts back on March 26, took command three-wide at the quarter pole under aggressive handling and was long gone three sixteenths of a mile from home in a rousing win.

Most recently a close second to stablemate Defunded here in the Grade I Awesome Again Stakes Oct. 1, Country Grammer was off at 3-5 and paid $3.20, $2.40 and $2.10.

Owned by Commonwealth Thoroughbreds, LLC, Winstar Farm, LLC and Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., Country Grammer, a 5-year-old full horse by Tonalist out of the Forestry mare Arabian Song, is now 14-5-5-1. With today’s winner’s share of $120,000, he boosted his earnings to $11,277,320.

Stilleto Boy, who sat second to pacesetter Hopkins to the quarter pole, put a short head in front for an instant, but was immediately vanquished by the winner while finishing second, 3 ½ lengths clear of Heywoods Beach.

Off at 5-1 with Mike Smith, Stilleto Boy paid $4.00 and $2.60.

Ridden by Ramon Vazquez, Heywoods Beach was off at 9-1 and paid $2.80 to show.

Fractions on the race were 22.76, 46.16, 1:10.35 and 1:36.57.