Trainer Leonard Powell is entering the Classic season with career-best achievements, boasting 38 wins and over $2.39 million in prize money. On Sunday’s opening day, the 49-year-old French trainer will compete in all three turf stakes, aiming to extend his successful run this year.
Powell’s top contender is the 3-year-old Tempus Volat in the Grade 2 Matisse Mile, where he is listed at 9-2 odds among seven horses. Tempus Volat, a son of Not This Time, recently finished second in Del Mar’s Let It Ride Stakes on turf and previously won by three-quarters of a length at 10-1 odds. He also placed fourth in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby, holding the pace for most of the race before finishing behind the winner Salamis by under two lengths. Powell pointed out that Tempus Volat performed well against strong East Coast competition and hopes to outperform the California contingent again.
Originally trained by Steve Asmussen, Tempus Volat was sold at Fasig-Tipton’s digital sale to Sondereker Racing for $180,000. He has earned $160,058 so far, aiming to continue with jockey Mirco DeMuro in the saddle. The Matisse Mile, the first wager race of the day, kicks off an 11-race card with a post time around 11 a.m. Pacific, and Tempus Volat will start from post position two.
In the 11-furlong Grade 1 American Oaks, Powell plans to run the long shots Ribbons and Resolve. Ribbons, a daughter of Liams Mapp, will break from the outside post and aims to set the pace under DeMuro despite the challenging position. She showed promising speed in a mile turf race at Del Mar earlier this year and was bought by Sondereker Racing for $85,000 after competing in the Fasig-Tipton digital sale. This will be her debut at the longer 1 1/16 miles distance. Powell views the distance as uncertain but chosen to give her a chance against her own age group.
Resolve, a Midnight Lute filly, was purchased for $250,000 as a 2-year-old by California Racing Partners and Joseph Ciaglia Jr. She will face a tough class test in the Oaks after a recent strong performance in a 1 3/8-mile race against older horses at Del Mar, finishing second. Powell believes the mile and quarter distance suits her well and hopes competing against her own age group will help her progress and increase her broodmare value.
The Oaks is the final race of the day, set for 4:20 p.m., with a field including notable horses such as Will Zen, Ambaya, and Achila.
In the 1 1/8-mile Grade 3 San Gabriel, the 7-year-old veteran Frathiest impressed in the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf, finishing second despite some trouble at the final turn. Owned by Wachtel Stable and others, and ridden by Armando Ayuso, Frathiest aims to maintain his strong form in a slightly shorter race, with Powell confident about the horse’s versatility.
The San Gabriel goes as the ninth race on the card, with prominent jockeys and contenders filling the starting gate.
Fan Take: Leonard Powell’s streak of success and his choice to run strong contenders in multiple high-profile turf races highlight his growing prominence in the turf racing scene. For horse racing fans, this signals an exciting competition filled with promising horses and strategic entries that could shape the sport’s turf racing landscape for years to come.
