Westwood Gets San Pasqual Moment in the Sun

Westwood deserved his moment in the sun, and Santa Anita Park was one of the few places that could give it to him Jan. 31, as frigid temperatures canceled many races across the country. The 4-year-old gelding put daylight on his competition to win the 1 1/8-mile San Pasqual Stakes (G2) by 2 3/4 lengths. With the temperature climbing above 80 degrees and under crystal-clear skies, Westwood faced four others in the San Pasqual, including graded stakes winners Midnight Mammoth and Getaway Car. Both attracted more betting attention than Westwood, a graded stakes-placed runner looking for his initial stakes win. He earned it. With Kazushi Kimura riding him in a race for the first time, Westwood zipped to the front shortly after the gate opened. Getaway Car inside of him, and Bartholdy on the outside, never let Westwood get too far ahead, with Midnight Mammoth also sticking close. They pressured him through fractions of :24.24 for the first quarter-mile and :48.42 for a half-mile. "He likes a challenge," said trainer John Shirreffs. "He likes to be asked and pushed along a little bit. Then when horses come to him, he digs in. He likes to be on the front end and feel the pressure." Westwood did indeed relish the pressure because he never let the others head him. In the stretch, he had enough in reserve to pull away for that 2 3/4-length victory over Getaway Car, stopping the timer in 1:50.52. Bartholdy finished third, 7 1/2 lengths behind Getaway Car. In 2025 Westwood had finished third in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and most recently third in the Native Diver Stakes (G3). He wore blinkers in his previous nine starts, but Shirreffs took them off for the San Pasqual. "It was just going to depend on how he broke today, racing without the blinkers," Kimura said. "He broke well without blinkers. I thought why not go to the lead? He was comfortable and got in a nice rhythm." Shirreffs and owner Lee Searing of C R K Stable have been patient with Westwood, allowing him to overcome some early issues and grow up. "He was a little immature, but he had this big stride that put him in places that were very advantageous because he could handle the company," Shirreffs said. "He was a really good work horse with Baeza because you need a horse that can match strides to really have them work out well. He came into this race really well—this was his afternoon." Searing, who also owns Eclipse Award finalist Baeza, was proud of Westwood in the winner's circle, saying, "He's hard-trying—he deserved it. It's nice to have an older horse that's really competitive. He can go further." Hinkle Farms bred Westwood in Kentucky from its unraced homebred Indian Charlie mare Indian Bay. Mayberry Farm bought Westwood from Hinkle for C R K at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, paying $700,000. Westwood is the first 2026 stakes winner sired by Authentic, whose 2025 stakes winners included Frizette Stakes (G1) winner Iron Orchard and Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) winner Rodriguez. Horse of the Year in 2020, Authentic stands for a 2026 stud fee of $15,000 at Spendthrift Farm near Lexington. PERUVIAN-BRED PRINCESA MOCHE WINS MEGAHERTZ Continuing to climb the class ladder for trainer Doug O'Neill, Peruvian-bred Princesa Moche (PER), ridden by Mirco Demuro, outfinished Vibez and Will Then to capture the Megahertz Stakes (G3T) three races following the San Pasqual. The three distaffers surged forward in the stretch of the 1-mile turf race to engulf early pacesetter Going Lucky in a close finish. The camera showed 5-2 favorite Princesa Moche on the inside getting the head bob over Vibez on the outside and Will Then in the middle. Both margins were a neck, with the time being 1:36.09. Public Assembly also closed late to nab fourth over Going Lucky. "She is so strong," Demuro said. "I was a little bit scared because she relaxed a little too much at the last turn. It looked like she was going to get beat, but then she switched leads down the stretch and she fought like always." Rancho San Roberto owns Princesa Moche, a 6-year-old daughter of Muwaary (GB)—Queen Jezebel, by Motivator. The mare started 33 times in her native country, with nine wins, before coming to the United States. In five Southern California starts prior to the Megahertz, she won two allowance optional claiming races and ran second in the Jan. 11 Las Cienegas Stakes (G3T). Demuro piloted her in both wins and the Las Cienegas. "I've never had a horse from Peru," O'Neill said. "She knows where the wire is. She's just hard-trying."