Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter as Santa Anita suffers its first race fatality of the meeting.

The Eclipse Awards are going to be announced in a few days and the voting ends today. Of course, I waited to almost the last minute to vote. It was actually more difficult to come up with the third-place vote in many of the categories than it was the first-place choice. In fact, third was much more difficult.

There were only a couple of categories where it was difficult to come up with a winner—2-year-old male and turf female. Everything else was pretty easy.

So, here’s a look at how I see the Eclipse Awards.

2-year-old Male: 1. Storm the Court, 2. Dennis’ Moment, 3. Tiz the Law. This is one of the few really difficult categories. I went with the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Storm the Court even though I think Dennis’ Moment is the best horse. If Dennis had come back for one other race, and won, I might have gone with him. But draw a line through his BC Juvenile after a very compromised start. Holding my nose on Tiz the Law, who would have been my choice if he had won the Kentucky Jockey Cup, but he didn’t. You get penalized for skipping the BC.

2-year-old Female: 1. British Idiom, 2. Sharing, 3. Bast. British Idiom won the BC Juvenile Fillies and Sharing won the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf. Bast has won three Grade 1s and was third in the BC Juvenile Fillies. Donna Veloce was on the outside looking on.

3-year-old male: 1. Maximum Security, 2. Omaha Beach, 3. Code of Honor. If only Omaha Beach had won the BC Dirt Mile, he would have been my choice. But he didn’t. Maximum Security did everything he needed to do to earn this. Code of Honor over-reached by running in the Classic.

3-year-old female: 1. Covfefe, 2. Serengeti Empress, 3. Dunbar Road. This was easy to pick as Covfefe had five wins in six starts including a win in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint. Serengeti Empress and Dunbar Road held their own against older horses in the BC Distaff.

Older dirt male: 1. Mitole, 2. Vino Rosso, 3. McKinzie. Tough choice among the top two picks. Do you go for the route horse or the sprinter? It was close but in the end I went with six of seven wins and a BC win. McKinzie is a tough choice but second in the BC Classic was the difference.

Older dirt female: 1. Midnight Bisou, 2. Blue Prize, 3. Elate. The tough part of this category is figuring who to vote third. Midnight Bisou, even though she didn’t win the Distaff, won every other race. She was second to Blue Prize. Elate didn’t have a Grade 1 win but some tough losses to ones in front of her. Ran against the boys in the Classic.

Male sprint: 1. Mitole, 2. Imperial Hint, 3. World of Trouble. Mitole is the easy winner here. Imperial Hint and World of Trouble skipped the BC but both have two Grade 1 wins.

Female sprint: 1. Covfefe, 2. Belvoir Bay, 3. Come Dancing. Covfefe is the easy winner here, especially taking the BC Filly and Mare Sprint. Belvoir Bay won the BC Turf Sprint and Come Dancing had four graded stakes wins.

Male turf: 1. Bricks and Mortar, 2. Mo Forza, 3. Desert Encounter. Bricks and Mortar should win every category he’s eligible. Six of six including a troubled-trip win in the BC Turf is all you need to know. Mo Forza has two Grade 1 wins in a row including the Mathis Brothers Mile at opening day of Santa Anita. Desert Encounter has four wins in a row including a Grade 1.

Female turf: 1. Sistercharlie, 2. Uni, 3. Got Stormy. This is the other really difficult one to figure out the best horse. Uni won the BC Mile while Sistercharlie was third in the BC Filly and Mare Turf. But Sistercharlie has three Grade 1 wins and Uni only two. Can’t go wrong either way. Got Stormy was second in the BC Mile.

Steeplechase: 1. Winston C, 2. Brain Power, 3. Scorpiancer. I’ve got to say there are few categories I care less about. Winston C won five races this year, three of them in Britain. He did not run in the Grand National, though. Brain Power did win the Grand National by 15 lengths over Scorpiancer.

Apprentice jockey: 1. Angel Diaz, 2. Kazushi Kimura, 3. Julio Correa. This is a category that may be time to send packing. Diaz has way more wins than anyone else but he’s been running at a lower level. Kimura and Correa have about the same statistics.

Jockey: 1. Irad Ortiz, Jr., 2. Jose Ortiz, 3. Joel Rosario. Irad Ortiz has the most wins and most money won, a fairly easy choice. He also rides Bricks and Mortar. Jose Ortiz also wins big on New York circuit. Joel Rosario was hurt when he lost weeks racing when Santa Anita closed in the Spring.

Owner: 1. Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence, 2. Gary Barber, 3. Hronis Racing. Klaravich and Lawrence made more than $8 million and won an amazing 41% of the time without a lot of starters. Of course, they had Bricks and Mortar. Barber, owner of War of Will, had a good year with 53% of starts in the money. Hronis Racing won last year but didn’t have an Accelerate this year.

Breeder: 1. George Strawbridge Jr., 2. Edward Cox Jr., 3. Alexander-Groves Thoroughbreds. I’m going to come clean on this and admit I sought advice from Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form in this category. He didn’t tell me who to vote for but how to look deeper than starts and wins. So, I went with Strawbridge just because he’ll have horse of the year Bricks and Mortar. Cox bred Mitole and Alexander-Groves had Covfefe. All are smaller breeders rather than the mega-farms. I like that.

Trainer: 1. Chad Brown, 2. Steve Asmussen, 3. Brad Cox. This one falls pretty much like my breeders picks except all these trainers have big operations, although Asmussen’s is by far the biggest. And they’ve all had success with more than one horse. Brown trained Bricks and Mortar and Sistercharlie, Asmussen had Mitole and Midnight Bisou and Cox had Covfefe and British Idiom.

Horse of Year: 1. Bricks and Mortar, 2. Mitole, 3. Vino Rosso. No explanation needed.

Last race tragedy

Santa Anita had its first race fatality of the three-day old meeting when Golden Birthday was pulled up in the stretch by jockey Victor Espinoza, who was unseated. The 4-year-gelding was running his 10^th race. He had won two races and was running in a 1 1/8-mile turf allowance for a purse of $57,000. Jim Cassidy was his trainer. For more just click here.

Who goofed, I’ve got to know?

It was me. In my 2020 predictions in the Wednesday newsletter, I said there will be two CHRB vacancies if Alex Solis leaves the board after getting his trainer’s license. There would actually be three: the Fred Maas and Madeline Auerbach openings.

Santa Anita review

Wednesday’s 10-race card was highlighted by the Grade 2 $200,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes for horses going 5 ½ furlongs on the turf. Texas Wedge stayed in the middle, started to move up on the turn and went three-wide in the stretch to win by ¾ length.

Texas Wedge paid $6.20, $4.00 and $3.20. Double Touch was second and Bay Muzik finished third. Joe Hernandez was the initial race caller at Santa Anita and worked from Dec. 25, 1934 until Jan. 27, 1972, when he collapsed calling a race.

Here’s what the winning connections in the race said.

Peter Miller (winning trainer): “When turf racing stopped in Kentucky, it was either turn him out or bring him home and we wanted to bring him home. That horse (Bay Muzik) has a lot of speed and he showed it. My other horse Captain Scotty tracked him and I thought for a second he was going to win it but then Texas Wedge got jostled around, he broke super sharp and we didn’t want him that close. Flavien did a great job as always and got him to settle and made that run.”

Flavien Prat (winning jockey): “This is a good way to start off the New Year. It’s nice to win a race like this for Peter. We broke sharp and he was a little tough with me on the backside, but once I got him covered up, he dropped the bit and relaxed beautifully. He’s a very consistent horse and at this distance, he’s really tough.”

Golden Gate weekend preview

Here’s our weekly look at the best racing going on at Golden Gate Fields. As with the last meeting, we’re delighted to have race caller and all-around good guy Matt Dinerman as our host for previews and other musings. So, take it away, Matt.

“Happy New Year, folks. We hope all of the newsletter readers have a prosperous 2020. With a new year comes all of our equine athletes turning a year older as well. So, happy birthday colts, geldings, fillies and mares.

“Golden Gate Fields kicked off our new year on Wednesday with a nine-race card. The feature, an allowance for 3-year-old fillies, was won by the Reina Gonzalez trained Smokin Hot Bobbie. Each one of our nine winners received a carrot gift basket to enjoy while back in the stables.

“Three more racing days this week (Friday-Sunday) with first post each day at 12:45 p.m. Leg C of the Stronach 5 wager goes as the third race at Golden Gate on Friday. The morning-line favorite is No. 5 Kiana’s Love, who broke her maiden in her first race at Santa Anita. Since the maiden win she has failed to win in four straight races. She moves to the barn of Jonathan Wong, who freshened her for four months and puts her in a starter allowance to kick off her Northern California racing career. My top pick is recent seven-length maiden winner No. 4 Morning Cynn, who appears to really like the Tapeta and has been working well since her maiden triumph. No. 2 Starza, cutting back from a route to a sprint, and No. 3 Moonshine Annie also merit consideration.

“Our Saturday program is strong with nine races, with a pair of maiden special weights and a trio of allowance races. The feature is the sixth, an allowance for 4-year-olds and up to start the late Pick 4. Brave Nation comes off a respectable third in the Grade 3 Berkley Handicap and is arguably the one to beat.

“Synthetic specialists Arch Prince, Harmon and Lymebird also possess appeal. Camino Del Paraiso didn’t fire his best shot in the Berkeley Handicap and returns in this spot, but his best effort makes him very competitive. More Power to Him is an Emerald Downs stakes winner that has run well on the Tapeta before. He merits a look with his “A” race. Another allowance on Saturday features the Mark Glatt conditioned Eldrich and Cupid’s Claws, who makes his first start for Steve Sherman after racing against allowance company in Southern California for Brian Koriner. Bay Area locals who figure to get support
include On Raglan Road, the Blaine Wright trained Upo and recent winner Gobsmack.

“Jockey Juan Hernandez had a terrific first week of racing at this meeting and leads the jockey standings over Catalino Martinez. In the trainer standings, Quinn Howey leads all trainers with four wins.”

Final thought

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Any thoughts, you can reach me at [email protected]. You can also feed my ego by following me on Twitter @jcherwa.

Now, the star of the show, Wednesday’s results.

Santa Anita Charts Results for Wednesday, January 1.

Copyright 2020 by Equibase Company. Reproduction prohibited. Santa Anita, Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California. 3rd day of a 60-day meet. Clear & Firm

FIRST RACE.

1 Mile Turf. Purse: $55,000. Maiden Special Weight. 3 year olds. Time 22.91 47.15 1:11.45 1:23.74 1:36.06

Winner–Governance Dbb.g.3 by Fed Biz out of Confessa, by Repent. Bred by WinStar Farm, LLC (KY). Trainer: Richard Baltas. Owner: CYBT, Nentwig, Michael, Newman, Roger H. and Pagano, Ray. Mutuel Pool $241,061 Exacta Pool $141,470 Superfecta Pool $58,824 Trifecta Pool $84,955 X-5 Super High Five Pool $1,037. Scratched–Ekklesia, Fredericktown, Pure Carmine.

GOVERNANCE angled in and stalked outside a rival then just off the rail, bid alongside the pacesetter leaving the second turn, took a short lead in upper stretch, inched away under urging in midstretch, drifted out a bit late and held gamely. GOALIE saved ground stalking the pace, went outside a rival then between horses on the second turn, came three deep into the stretch and got up for the place four wide late. WAR PATH stalked outside a rival, came out into the stretch, was between foes through the final furlong and was in a bit close behind the winner at the wire. JURGEN broke a bit slowly, saved ground stalking the pace, waited off heels in midstretch then got through inside past midstretch and continued willingly. FRASARD (GB) stalked inside, came out in upper stretch, waited off heels in midstretch, continued between rivals through the final furlong and was edged for a minor award. K P ALL SYSTEMS GO chased outside a rival then three deep into and on the second turn and four wide into the stretch and was outfinished. FOREVER POE angled in and saved ground off the pace, went outside a rival on the second turn and four wide into the stretch and also was outkicked late. DOMINANT SOUL stalked outside a rival, came three wide into the stretch and lacked the needed rally. SPANISH COUNT off a bit slowly, settled outside a rival then inside on the second turn, came out a bit into the stretch then lacked the necessary response inside. TOO LATE sped to the early lead and angled in, set the pace inside, dueled leaving the second turn and into the stretch and weakened in the final furlong. ABOVE THE RAINBOW angled in and settled off the pace inside, continued along the rail on the second turn and into the stretch and gave way.

SECOND RACE.

6 Furlongs. Purse: $23,000. Maiden Claiming. 3 year olds. Claiming Price $30,000. Time 22.65 46.80 59.10 1:11.45

Winner–Shootin Money Dbb.c.3 by Archarcharch out of Pennymoney, by Forestry. Bred by Joanne R. Mummert (KY). Trainer: Philip A. Oviedo. Owner: Kleczka, Kevin O. and Warren, John P.. Mutuel Pool $168,909 Daily Double Pool $48,346 Exacta Pool $87,788 Superfecta Pool $38,163 Super High Five Pool $4,972 Trifecta Pool $60,877. Scratched–none.

SHOOTIN MONEY had good early speed and angled in, set the pace a bit off the rail then inside and drew off in the stretch under a steady hand ride. TACO WACO saved ground stalking the pace, came out in upper stretch, split horses past midstretch and gained the place. GOLDEN VICTORY broke a bit slowly, went up between horses to stalk the winner, continued outside a rival on the turn and three deep into the stretch and held third. LIZZARIO close up stalking the pace outside a rival, was between horses in deep stretch, drifted in late and was edged for the show. HANDSOME MICHAEL pulled some and saved ground stalking the winner, continued inside in the stretch and lacked the needed response. AFFIRMRACER broke a bit slowly, went up outside a rival then four wide leaving the backstretch, continued off the rail then angled in a bit off the fence leaving the turn and weakened. CODE GRAY stalked three deep then outside on the turn, came three wide into the stretch and also weakened.

THIRD RACE.

1 Mile. Purse: $59,000. Allowance Optional Claiming. 4 year olds and up. Claiming Price $62,500. Time 23.19 47.26 1:11.99 1:24.80 1:37.93

Winner–Justinian Ch.c.4 by Justin Phillip out of Miss Wined Up, by Roman Ruler. Bred by Jamie Frost (KY). Trainer: Bob Baffert. Owner: Williford, Roberta, Williford, Ward and Winner, Charles N.. Mutuel Pool $194,739 Daily Double Pool $23,691 Exacta Pool $88,315 Superfecta Pool $35,005 Trifecta Pool $56,034. Scratched–none.

50-Cent Pick Three (12-5-3) paid $48.55. Pick Three Pool $79,433.

JUSTINIAN broke a step slowly, had speed between horses then angled in and set a pressured pace inside, inched away leaving the second turn, edged clear under urging in the stretch and held on gamely. CALIFORNIA STREET stalked inside then between foes into and on the second turn, angled back to the rail into the stretch, came out in midstretch and finished willingly to just miss. INSTAGRAND four wide into the first turn, angled in and pressed the pace outside the winner, stalked leaving the second turn and into the stretch and bested the others. PLATINUM EQUITY came out nearing the first turn then drifted out into that turn, chased off the rail, bid three deep a half mile out, continued outside on the second turn and three wide into the stretch and weakened. FEDERAL CASE between foes early, angled in and saved ground stalking the pace, steadied in tight behind the runner-up into the stretch and also weakened. POTANTICO three deep between foes early, steadied in tight into the first turn, stalked outside a rival then three wide leaving the backstretch, dropped back on the second turn and gave way.

FOURTH RACE.

1 Mile Turf. Purse: $36,000. Maiden Claiming. 3 year olds. Claiming Price $75,000. Time 22.79 46.62 1:10.99 1:22.99 1:35.34

Winner–Rip City Grr.g.3 by City Zip out of Sikara (IRE), by Aussie Rules. Bred by Darwin Krenz (KY). Trainer: Richard Baltas. Owner: Little Red Feather Racing and Sterling Stables, LLC. Mutuel Pool $240,747 Daily Double Pool $30,258 Exacta Pool $139,542 Superfecta Pool $62,845 Super High Five Pool $1,894 Trifecta Pool $90,892. Scratched–Blues Rapper, Brother Reid.

50-Cent Pick Three (5-3-5) paid $25.50. Pick Three Pool $35,309.

RIP CITY angled in and dueled inside then stalked a bit off the rail, re-bid three deep between horses leaving the backstretch, kicked clear and angled in some on the second turn and drew off under urging in the drive then a hold late. DRASARIO (IRE) a step slow to begin, angled in and stalked inside, came out in upper stretch and held second. CHAMPERS saved ground chasing the pace, went outside a rival on the second turn, came out four wide into the stretch, drifted in and edged a rival for the show. TIME TO TESTIFY settled between horses then outside a rival on the backstretch, came out on the second turn and five wide into the stretch, drifted in and was edged for third. KADESH stalked three deep, bid five wide a half mile out, continued four wide on the second turn and into the stretch, in and weakened. ROYAL SUSPECT chased three wide, came out on the second turn and five wide into the stretch and lacked a rally. BIG HOOF DYNAMITE dueled between horses then inside on the backstretch and into the second turn, continued along the rail into the stretch and weakened. EXTREMELY WICKED angled in and chased outside a rival then a bit off the rail leaving the second turn, came out in upper stretch and did not rally. LANDAA settled off the pace inside, cut the corner into the stretch and lacked a response in the drive. JAMASON stalked between horses, bid four wide between foes on the backstretch and into the second turn, continued three deep between rivals on that turn and weakened. MR. UNUSUAL dueled three deep then outside a rival, stalked between horses on the second turn and had little left for the stretch.

FIFTH RACE.

6 Furlongs. Purse: $33,000. Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 4 year olds and up. Claiming Price $25,000. Time 22.39 45.68 57.94 1:10.73

Winner–Love a Honeybadger Dbb.m.6 by Bushwacker out of Angela’s Love, by Not For Love. Bred by Terry C. Lovingier (CA). Trainer: Peter Miller. Owner: Rockingham Ranch. Mutuel Pool $315,040 Daily Double Pool $25,151 Exacta Pool $170,531 Superfecta Pool $74,673 Super High Five Pool $4,076 Trifecta Pool $118,771. Claimed–Love a Honeybadger by John Thomas. Trainer: Brian Koriner. Claimed–Nomizar by Granja Mexico and Palma, Hector. Trainer: Hector Palma. Claimed–Tapitha Bonita by Heck, William L. and Miyadi, Steven. Trainer: Steven Miyadi. Scratched–none.

50-Cent Pick Three (3-5-4) paid $28.20. Pick Three Pool $67,582. 50-Cent Pick Four (5-3-5-4) 1385 tickets with 4 correct paid $120.35. Pick Four Pool $218,460. 50-Cent Pick Five (12-5-3-5-4) 437 tickets with 5 correct paid $1,144.00. Pick Five Pool $581,043.

LOVE A HONEYBADGER went up inside to duel for the lead, inched away on the turn, came a bit off the rail into the stretch, drifted in some late and held under urging. NOMIZAR stalked three deep to the stretch, drifted in a bit and went on willingly late. TIME FOR EBBY was close up stalking the pace between horses then a bit off the rail on the turn, came out into the stretch and bested the others. NO WINE UNTASTED saved ground stalking the pace, continued inside on the turn and into the stretch and weakened. TAPITHA BONITA stalked inside then a bit off the rail into the turn, came out leaving the turn and three wide into the stretch and lacked a rally. DRIFT AWAY dropped back a bit off the rail on the backstretch, angled in on the turn, came out some past midstretch and did not rally. SOUTH BOOT SHIRLEY sped to the early lead off the rail, dueled outside the winner then stalked between horses leaving the turn and weakened in the drive.

SIXTH RACE.

1 1/8 Mile Turf. Purse: $57,000. Allowance Optional Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 4 year olds and up. Claiming Price $40,000. Time 23.73 47.80 1:11.64 1:36.56 1:48.50

Winner–Opus Won B.f.4 by Eddington out of Russian River, by Stravinsky. Bred by Frank Mermenstein & Tom McCrocklin (CA). Trainer: Richard Baltas. Owner: Little Red Feather Racing. Mutuel Pool $380,382 Daily Double Pool $37,027 Exacta Pool $232,855 Superfecta Pool $95,451 Trifecta Pool $147,455 X-5 Super High Five Pool $2,052. Scratched–Legend Emma (IRE).

50-Cent Pick Three (5-4-7) paid $57.45. Pick Three Pool $57,305.

OPUS WON stalked off the rail, bid three wide into the stretch to gain the lead, inched away in midstretch and won clear under urging. OUT OF BALANCE chased outside a rival then inside on the backstretch and second turn, came out into the stretch and again in midstretch and got up for the place three deep on the line. COURTEOUS sped to the early lead, set a pressured pace inside then inched away on the first turn, showed the way along the fence to the stretch, fought back into the lane and was edged late for second but held third. KITTYHAWK LASS chased outside a rival, came out leaving the second turn and four wide into the stretch and was edged for the show. PRIMA VALENTINA pulled three deep early and into the first turn, stalked outside a rival, came three wide into the stretch and was edged for a minor award between foes late. PETER’S KITTEN saved ground off the pace, came a bit off the rail in the stretch, split rivals past midstretch and also was outfinished for a minor share. DOC YCO CHEEKS four wide early, angled in and chased outside a rival, came three wide into the stretch and could not quite summon the needed late kick. MULHIMA (IRE) crossed to the inside and saved ground chasing the pace, came out into the stretch and also could not quite offer the necessary late response. COLDWATER settled inside then outside a rival, came out into the stretch and lacked the needed rally. SEASIDE DANCER prompted the pace outside a rival then stalked just off the rail and weakened in the final furlong.

SEVENTH RACE.

1 1/16 Mile. Purse: $38,000. Claiming. 4 year olds and up. Claiming Price $40,000. Time 23.65 47.77 1:12.17 1:38.41 1:45.11

Winner–Royal Insider B.g.4 by Divine Park out of Quality Included, by Include. Bred by Brereton C. Jones (KY). Trainer: Steve Knapp. Owner: Knapp, Steve and Sardo, Tony. Mutuel Pool $301,641 Daily Double Pool $32,661 Exacta Pool $174,197 Superfecta Pool $75,716 Trifecta Pool $122,290 X-5 Super High Five Pool $9,307. Claimed–Winning Element by Eric Homme. Trainer: Andrew Lerner. Scratched–none.

50-Cent Pick Three (4-7-3) paid $232.90. Pick Three Pool $57,983.

ROYAL INSIDER saved ground stalking the pace, came out in upper stretch, bid between horses past the eighth pole to gain the lead under urging nearing the sixteenth marker and proved best. WINNING ELEMENT had speed between horses then pressed the pace outside a rival, stalked a bit off the rail midway on the backstretch, re-bid between horses nearing the second turn, put a head in front on that turn, inched away in midstretch, fought back past the eighth pole and held second. BOOGALUTE broke in the air and slowly, angled in and saved ground chasing the pace, came out leaving the second turn and three deep into the stretch and gained the show. SECRET TOUCH angled in and dueled inside then inched away on the backstretch, fought back along the rail into and on the second turn and into the stretch was edged for third. KENZOU’S RHYTHM came off the rail entering the first turn, chased outside a rival, came four wide into the stretch and was outfinished for a minor award. CABIN JOHN had speed three deep then stalked off the rail, bid again three wide leaving the backstretch and on the second turn, came three deep into the stretch and weakened in the final furlong. FULL OF LUCK (CHI) three wide early, chased outside then alongside a rival, came three wide into the stretch and did not rally.

EIGHTH RACE.

5½ Furlongs Turf. Purse: $200,000. ‘Joe Hernandez Stakes’. 4 year olds and up. Time 22.09 44.60 56.36 1:02.47

Winner–Texas Wedge B.g.5 by Colonel John out of Callmenancy, by Political Force. Bred by Nancy Shuford (KY). Trainer: Peter Miller. Owner: Altamira Racing Stable, Rafter JR Ranch LLC, STD Racing Stable and Miller, A.. Mutuel Pool $470,764 Daily Double Pool $46,290 Exacta Pool $265,467 Superfecta Pool $102,774 Super High Five Pool $13,572 Trifecta Pool $170,333. Scratched–Oiseau de Guerre.

50-Cent Pick Three (7-3-4) paid $288.70. Pick Three Pool $72,252.

TEXAS WEDGE steadied between horses midway on the backstretch then stalked between foes, continued a bit off the rail into the stretch, came out in upper stretch, rallied under urging to the front three wide in deep stretch and held gamely. DOUBLE TOUCH (GB) broke a bit slowly, chased outside a rival then between horses leaving the backstretch and on the turn, came out into the stretch and finished well. BAY MUZIK sped to the early lead and angled in, set the pace inside, fought back along the rail in deep stretch and held third. BLITZKRIEG stalked the pace off the rail, went between foes on the turn, came out into the stretch and rallied between horses late. CAPTAIN SCOTTY stalked just off the rail to the stretch, bid between horses past midstretch and continued willingly but was outfinished. GRINNING TIGER pulled and saved ground stalking the pace, drifted out a bit in midstretch then drifted in some late and also was outfinished. TRIBALIST broke slowly then chased inside, came out into the stretch, steadied off heels in midstretch, angled in late and could not quite offer the necessary response. TRUE VALOUR (IRE) bobbled at the start, stalked three deep to the stretch and also lacked the needed late kick. LEGENDS OF WAR broke a bit slowly, chased off the rail then three deep into and on the turn, was four wide into the stretch and lacked the needed rally. CARNIVOROUS chased outside then three deep on the turn and four wide into the stretch and did not rally, then was unsaddled on the clubhouse turn and vanned off. A claim of foul by the rider of TRIBALIST against GRINNING TIGER for alleged interference in midstretch was not allowed by the stewards, who ruled the incident did not alter the original order of finish.

NINTH RACE.

1 Mile. Purse: $55,000. Maiden Special Weight. 3 year olds. Time 23.37 47.47 1:12.23 1:24.90 1:37.91

Winner–Tizamagician Dbb.c.3 by Tiznow out of Magic Union, by Dixie Union. Bred by Woodford Thoroughbreds (KY). Trainer: Richard E. Mandella. Owner: MyRacehorse.com and Spendthrift Farm LLC. Mutuel Pool $345,409 Daily Double Pool $54,168 Exacta Pool $179,781 Superfecta Pool $95,638 Super High Five Pool $7,999 Trifecta Pool $133,076. Scratched–Opus Equus.

50-Cent Pick Three (3-4-5) paid $179.55. Pick Three Pool $66,190.

TIZAMAGICIAN had speed three deep then stalked off the rail, bid between horses on the backstretch and second turn, took the lead leaving that turn, inched away under urging in the stretch, kicked clear and held. DIVINE ARMOR saved ground stalking the pace, split horses on the second turn, continued off the rail into the stretch and gained the place. KISS TODAY GOODBYE came off the rail into the first turn, chased outside a rival leaving the backstretch and three wide on the second turn and into the stretch and was edged for second. BLUE JAYS three deep into the first turn, chased off the rail then a bit off the fence on the second turn and into the stretch, was between foes in midstretch and was outfinished for a minor share. SNAP CHAP had speed between foes then angled in and set the pace inside, dueled on the backstretch, fought back on the second turn and into the stretch and weakened in the final furlong. MUCH MORE HALO stalked outside then bid three deep on the backstretch and second turn, came three wide into the stretch and also weakened. DON V. had speed inside then saved ground stalking the pace, dropped on the second turn, gave way and was eased in the stretch. MIDNIGHT LUCK settled off the rail then outside a rival on thee backstretch, dropped back into and on the second turn and also was eased through the drive.

TENTH RACE.

1 1/8 Mile Turf. Purse: $57,000. Allowance Optional Claiming. 4 year olds and up. Claiming Price $40,000. Time 24.03 49.26 1:12.86 1:37.01 1:48.99

Winner–Musawaat (GB) B.g.6 by Equiano (FR) out of Starry Sky (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB). Bred by Lark Copse Ltd (GB). Trainer: Mike Puype. Owner: Bassim, LLC. Mutuel Pool $447,178 Daily Double Pool $138,805 Exacta Pool $256,457 Superfecta Pool $126,167 Super High Five Pool $9,804 Trifecta Pool $181,830. Scratched–French Getaway.

50-Cent Pick Three (4-5-1) paid $18.80. Pick Three Pool $315,988. 50-Cent Pick Four (3-4/5-2/5-1) 584 tickets with 4 correct paid $942.85. Pick Four Pool $720,859. 50-Cent Pick Five (7-3-4/5-2/5-1) 92 tickets with 5 correct paid $5,055.50. Pick Five Pool $609,420. 20-Cent Pick Six Jackpot (4-7-3-4/5-2/5-1) 15 tickets with 6 correct paid $6,819.48. Pick Six Jackpot Pool $191,479. Pick Six Jackpot Carryover $161,456.

MUSAWAAT (GB) saved ground stalking the pace, came out leaving the second turn then steadied while being fanned out into the stretch but gained the lead, drifted in and battled outside a rival in midstretch and held on gamely under urging. SOUTHERN KING chased outside then three deep on the second turn, came out four wide into the stretch and steadied when crowded in upper stretch, angled in and bid three wide in deep stretch and continued willingly. FARQUHAR stalked a bit off the rail then between horses into the second turn, angled to the inside into the stretch, bid along the fence in midstretch and just held third. RED KING bumped at the start, angled in and chased inside then outside a rival on the second turn, came out some in the stretch, was crowded in upper stretch and edged for the show. CRYSTAL TRIBE (IRE) stalked outside a rival, came three deep into the stretch, was fanned out four wide in upper stretch, continued between foes in the drive and was outfinished. STORM THE BASTILLE (FR) pulled between horses then chased between foes, found the inside on the second turn, came out past the eighth pole and put in a late bid between foes. SHINING THROUGH chased between horses then a bit off the rail leaving the second turn and in the stretch and could not quite summon the needed late kick. M TOWN GEM stalked three deep, came four wide into the stretch and lacked the necessary response. SOBERANO (FR) saved ground off the pace, continued inside into the stretch and did not rally. REAL MASTER (FR) four wide into the first turn, chased outside a rival then a bit off the rail leaving the second turn, came out and steadied when crowded in upper stretch and lacked the needed response. GOLDEN BIRTHDAY sped to the early lead and angled in, set the pace along the inside, inched away again on the second turn, took a bad step then drifted out while being pulled up into the stretch with an injury behind, then lost the rider and was vanned off.

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Local Sikhs see the annual Rose Parade as an educational opportunity. For the sixth year, they created a dazzling float to highlight their faith and to promote ideas of “freedom, equality, compassion and service.”

Miles Lhotka has performed in at least four musicals and knows how to capture attention with dramatic movements. But this was the 12-year old’s first time on a float at the Rose Parade, and it was a much different beast.

To begin with, Lhotka had to sit for over two hours on a slowly moving object, waving at people more interested in the design of the float than the people atop it. To get their attention, he needed to wave. But “you can’t just move your wrist. You have to move your entire arm,” the La Cañada resident said. “Waving normally is not going to cut it.”

The young performer attempted to exude confidence as he rode down Colorado Boulevard, shouting “Happy New Year” to attendees recording him on their smartphones. Still, he was nervous. Perhaps what helped quell his nerves was knowing he’s part of something bigger.

For the sixth year in a row, the Sikh American Float Foundation motored a float down the 5½-mile parade route. This year, coffee grounds, lentils, walnuts, cranberries, spices and coconut flakes adorned the 85-foot-long float, titled “Planting Seeds of Hope.”

Maninder Minu Singh, creative director of the foundation, began thinking about the float’s design a year ago. She had to think of a way to connect this year’s parade theme, “The Power of Hope,” with the Sikh faith. Eventually, Singh settled on a large sculpting of Bhai Ghaneya Singh Ji, a Sikh from the 18th century known for giving water to wounded soldiers on the battlefield regardless of faith.

With the Irwindale-based Phoenix Decorating Co., Singh and 1,400 volunteers were able to bring to life a man who exemplified what the world should be, she said, “putting humanity above affiliations and differences.”

The float shows Ji pouring water, surrounded by 69,000 live roses and 16 real-life children. The presence of children from different backgrounds was important to showcase, Singh said, because they are the future of the world.

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“If we plant seeds of love, compassion and service into young minds today, then they can design a world in the future that is more peaceful, kind, loving and beautiful,” she said.

An estimated 500,000 Sikhs live in the United States. The religion has roots in the 15th century Punjab region of India.

Some people wrongly assume that Sikhs are Muslims because of the turbans they wear. Violence against American Sikhs intensified after 9/11, when Islamophobia was on the rise.

In 2012, six people died in a mass shooting at a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee.

Recently, reports of hate crimes against the group have increased. In 2015, the FBI recorded six reports of hate crimes against Sikhs. In 2018 there were 60, a 200% increase from the 20 reported in 2017, according to figures provided by Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino.

“Sikhs are attacked not only because they are confused with Muslims, but also because their adherents are doubly stereotyped” as part of a “foreign” faith, Levin said in an interview. He noted that changes in law enforcement data collection and the “excellent outreach made by the Sikh community” contributed in part to the dramatic increase in reports.

Local Sikhs see the parade as an educational opportunity. Having a float that showcases diversity and works with non-Sikhs, like Lhotka, is key to spreading a message of kindness and compassion, Singh said.

“At the end of the day, we all believe in freedom, equality, compassion and service,” she said. “Those are the things necessary to blur the lines of division and bring us together.”

“We represent not just the Sikh community but every minority who contributes to the great nation and deserves to be respected and celebrated,” she added.

Lhotka, who is nonreligious and white, said the message of compassion is important to him because it “promotes the idea of accepting difference to create equality.”

“The human race needs to realize it’s the human race,” the 12-year-old said. “This is a theme that needs to be more prominent today.”

The smell of garlic and onions filled Layla Sewell’s kitchen in Leimert Park as her 13-year-old daughter, Nailah, added in chopped collard greens. Nearby, Sewell’s 11-year-old son, Taj, trimmed meat off of a smoked turkey bone that will also join the pot in a New Year’s ritual that binds generations of black families through time and distance.

“We cook greens for prosperity and black-eyed peas for good luck,” Sewell, 43, said Wednesday. Later, she covered the black eyed-peas in water and rinsed them off several times before submerging them once more in water and seasonings.

The recipes have been passed down from one Sewell matriarch to the next and even now, though 2,500 miles separate Sewell from her mother in South Carolina, they are connected as they both take part in this age-old tradition.

The dishes that are served at black tables on the first day of the new year not only fill bellies but feed souls.

“It’s a spiritual moment,” Sewell said. “Because it’s a direct connection to my ancestors that I knew and a representation of the ancestors I didn’t know who were before me.”

Different cultures engage in practices steeped in superstition or symbolism in hopes they‘ll bring good luck in the new year.

Some people of Spanish descent eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight. Vietnamese culture dictates that debts should be paid off before the Lunar New Year. But for the millions of African Americans spread across the country, the practice of cooking good luck black-eyed peas and prosperity greens is rooted in resiliency and triumph.

There’s much debate about the origins of these New Year’s dishes, said Angela James, a former professor of African American studies at Loyola Marymont University. But they are believed to have originated in the South and may date back to the people of the West Indies who brought the meals when they were enslaved.

The tradition was passed down to Sewell, who traces her lineage to the Geechee people of South Carolina. The enslaved turned out tasty meals from the scraps and undesired cuts of meat tossed aside by slave masters.

Ham hock, or pork knuckle, is often used to flavor the greens. Chitlins, or pig intestines, are cleaned and boiled. Black-eyed peas, which resemble coins in the abstract, are added with mustard, turnip or collard greens, which represent money. The dishes are often served with pork.

As waves of black people migrated from the Deep South, they packed up their traditions and brought them along.

“People cling to these traditions,” James said. “We have a culture where movement — involuntary or voluntary — is a really important part of our history, so you take home with you wherever you go.”

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Over the years, these meals that grew out of resourcefulness were adopted as Southern staples. They are sometimes served as hoppin’ John.

At the Albertsons grocery store on Crenshaw Boulevard, long lines snaked through the food aisle Tuesday as shoppers made last-minute trips for their New Year’s feast.

Valicia Logan, 59, had already put a mix of Chinese turnips, mustard and collard greens in a slow cooker. She placed on the conveyor belt a bag of dry black-eyed peas, the star of a family dish that she had watched her relatives create in Hayti, Mo.

“This is all our ancestors had at the beginning of the year,” Logan said.

In a different checkout line, Chris Gardener, 43, held a hand-basket by his side filled with chitlins and hog maws, or pork stomach.

“This is not for me,” he said, pointing to the five-pound block of frozen chitlins. Like the handful of people interviewed with the southern delicacy in their basket, he added, “I don’t eat this.”

He grabbed a sealed paper bag with fried chicken inside. “Just chicken and bread for me,” he said.

Nickelle Collins, 46, standing behind him added, “If you don’t eat chitlin’ like I don’t, then you can go with the black-eyed peas.”

They can see how black eyed peas and greens can represent financial fortune and good luck but were perplexed by the chitlins.

Maybe, Collins said, it represents “the creativity.”

Gardener said his mom cooked her black-eyed peas with a dime simmering in the broth. The coin is tossed before the dish is served.

James, the professor, said some black families cook hearty pots of gumbo. Those people normally trace their roots to Louisiana or Texas.

“You almost can tell where people are from by what traditions they observe,” James explained as beads of sweat glistened on her forehead Tuesday.

Moments before, she had been hauling laundry into the washer, cleaning the counters of her View Park home and packing up Christmas decorations.

“You don’t want to go into the new year with all your old dirt and baggage,” she said she learned growing up. “All of that needs to be left behind so you got to make sure everything is clean. You have to hit the reset button.”

It was not passed down with a history lesson. It was lived, she said.

Freshly washed clothes and linen represent a blank slate. A new start.

With her black-eyed peas and greens cooking in the crock pot Tuesday night, James added a new twist to the tradition.

She was heading out to the Korean spa.

“I like me to be totally clean, too” she said.

OAKLAND  — 

California authorities have arrested two people suspected of stealing a laptop computer from a Starbucks customer who later died. The suspects were not immediately identified and specific charges were not disclosed.

Authorities said the customer died after he chased down a suspect who stole his laptop at a Starbucks in an east Oakland neighborhood.

The man, believed to be in his 20s or 30s, died of head injuries after being taken by ambulance to a hospital, authorities said. His identity has not been released.

The customer was working on his computer Tuesday morning when a suspect snatched the device and ran. The suspect then drove off in a nearby vehicle, authorities said.

It was unclear whether there was a driver waiting in the vehicle, authorities said.

Before the car drove off, witnesses said the customer grabbed a door handle, causing him to slam his head into a parked car when the vehicle accelerated away. Authorities did not immediately confirm the witness accounts.

“He was bleeding only from the head. His face was purple and blue,” said Maria Chan, a florist shop owner across the street.

Oakland Fire Department personnel witnessed some of what happened before attempting first aid on the man, authorities said.

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Police have analyzed video surveillance in the area but have yet to release more details, authorities said. An investigation is ongoing.

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake was reported at 11:16 p.m. Wednesday about six miles from downtown Morgan Hill and about 11 miles from the southernmost neighborhoods of San Jose.

Three hours later, a magnitude 4 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean was felt in Southern California, with people feeling weak shaking felt in Ventura County and western Los Angeles County.

The Northern California earthquake Wednesday night was calculated to have generated light shaking in Morgan Hill and Gilroy south of San Jose, and weak shaking throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland, as well as areas around Santa Cruz, Salinas, and Monterey.

Hundreds of people described feeling weak to light shaking to the USGS. The epicenter was in the remote mountains of Henry W. Coe State Park and about two miles east of Anderson Lake east of Morgan Hill.

</script

In the last 10 days, there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.

The Northern California earthquake was initially calculated as magnitude 4.1 before it was downgraded to 3.9. An average of 25 earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0 and 5.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three year data sample.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 3.7 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS.

Find out what to do before, and during, an earthquake near you by reading our five-step earthquake preparedness guide.

The first version of this story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published; it was subsequently updated by a Times reporter. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.

It was likely mere coincidence that the BBC premiered “Doctor Who” just a year after the arrival of the first James Bond film, the similarly titled “Dr. No,” released in 1962. But each series went on to create one of the United Kingdom’s great, global icons of world-saving heroism — which in the case of “Doctor Who” extends to saving the galaxy, the universe and reality itself.

Those cultural worlds collide Wednesday on BBC America in the Season 12 premiere of the revived series — there was a long hiatus, from 1989 to 2005 — which does double duty as a New Year’s Day special. Titled “Spyfall,” in an obvious echo of the 2012 Bond entry “Skyfall,” it comes with School of John Barry music cues, exotic locations, black-tie formal wear, casino gambling, cases full of gadgets, a chase scene, a tech billionaire villain (Lenny Henry), a “Bond, James Bond” joke and Stephen Fry as M16 head “C.” (I don’t know if there’s a reference I’m missing in that “C”; maybe it stands for Chris Chibnall, the current showrunner.) Spies of many nations are being attacked, in ways that defy terrestrial science and tradecraft.

Like Bond, the Doctor has been played by many actors over the years — the character periodically “regenerates” into a new, yet dramatically identical, person — and is currently played by a woman, Jodie Whittaker, starting her second season. (The possibility of a female Bond, or at least a 007, has been in the air as well.)

That the Doctor might at last be played by someone other than a white male seemed likely from the moment previous Doctor Peter Capaldi announced his retirement from the role in 2017 — Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Olivia Colman and Idris Elba were among the names oddsmakers threw around. (That it turned out to be Whittaker, who had costarred in Chibnall’s “Broadchurch,” was a surprise.) Some hidebound fans refused to imagine that a character defined by physical alteration, in a series that does not fret much over canonical consistency, could change into a woman. But viewership is on par with preceding seasons, and Whittaker owns the character as surely as any of her predecessors, bringing the requisite reckless curiosity and physical bravery and adding a screwball exuberance all her own. (“I made ice tea — possibly.”) When Fry’s spy chief meets the Doctor, he initially addresses himself to the white male on her team. “I’ve had an upgrade,” Whittaker replies, setting him straight.

(Whatever shape the Doctor takes, the character will always be some sort of British; Whittaker’s 13th Doctor speaks with a Sheffield accent.)

Chibnall’s first season, which was also Whittaker’s, had its greater and lesser episodes — nothing yet to match the best of Russell T. Davies, who revived the series in 2005, or Stephen Moffat, who succeeded him as head writer, but with some solid ideas and memorable moments. It took some time to find its feet, but it was no disaster. And “Spyfall” — a two-part episode that concludes Sunday, when the show takes up its regular time slot — comes on strong. It’s been a solid year since last we saw the Doctor and her friends, and there is a “Did you miss us?” giddiness to their return. It’s fun, often funny and action-packed, which is not to say things don’t get a little heavy by the first hour’s cliffhanger end.

Intense, sometimes quasi-romantic bonding between the Doctor, who flits about in space and time, and a traveling companion has been a distinguishing feature of the 21st century series. Like William Hartnell’s First Doctor, back in 1963, however, Whittaker travels not with a companion but a company, a “fam” to use her own word: young Yasmin (Mandip Gill), young Ryan (Tosin Cole) and not-young Graham (Bradley Walsh), Ryan’s stepgrandfather. They have issues with one another but the Doctor is above the fray. Capaldi’s Doctor carried a lot of baggage; Whittaker’s is a new woman, tough but not angry nor, like some of her predecessors, weighed down by her considerable history. Relatively speaking, she floats free.

Perhaps the only completely consistent point throughout the series — in this century anyway — is that the Doctor is a person who needs people, which is why the show works best as pure swashbuckling adventure, as in most of “Spyfall,” or when it revels in the emotional connections between characters, their partings and reunions, and moments of mutual understanding. It does less well when it tries too hard to tell you something Very Important, or gets overly interested in the Doctor’s traumatic psychology. “Hate is always foolish, and love is always wise,” said Capaldi’s Doctor, leaving a message for Whittaker’s — good advice, and “Doctor Who” in a nutshell.

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SERIES

Last Man Standing As Mike (Tim Allen) is helping Vanessa (Nancy Travis) deal with empty-nest syndrome, Kristin (Amanda Fuller) announces her pregnancy in the season premiere of the family comedy. 8 p.m. Fox

Restaurant: Impossible In the first of two new episodes, chef Robert Irvine revisits Uncle Andy’s in Portland, Maine, for the first time since 2014. In the second episode, he takes on a small-town Mississippi Italian restaurant that is absolutely filthy. 8 p.m. Food Network

The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition The final five bakers tackle their last six challenges in the season finale. Emma Bunton and Anthony “Spice” Adams host, and Paul Hollywood and Sherry Yard serve as judges. 9 p.m. ABC

Deputy When the new sheriff of Los Angeles County dies, a quirk in the law that dates back to the days of the Old West elevates a fifth-generation lawman (Stephen Dorff) to fill the vacancy. He’s perfectly at ease taking down bad guys but ill-suited to navigating the complex politics of the department. Bex Taylor-Klaus, Yara Martinez and Brian Van Holt co-star. 9 p.m. Fox

Project Runway In this new episode, guest mentor stylist Karla Welch challenges the designers to dress her client (host Karlie Kloss) using only materials from clothing donated to Goodwill. 9 p.m. Bravo

Christina on the Coast Christina Anstead launches a new season of her home-improvement series with a premiere that finds her working with a local firefighter. 9 p.m. HGTV

Surviving R. Kelly A gun threat wreaks havoc at a screening of the documentary series in the opener of the two-episode second-season premiere. 9 and 10:05 p.m. Lifetime

SPECIALS

What Is Jeopardy? Alex Trebek and America’s Most Popular Quiz Show This new special offers a behind-the-scenes look at the taping of the venerable answer-and-question quiz show (which airs weeknights at 7 p.m. on KABC). Alex Trebek — who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer — and his wife, Jean, are interviewed. Michael Strahan hosts. 8 p.m. ABC

The Paley Center Salutes Law & Order: SVU Series creator and executive producer Dick Wolf and cast members Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Kelli Giddish and Peter Scanavino are featured in this new special celebrating prime-time television’s longest-running drama, now in its 21st season. 9 p.m. NBC

MOVIES

Sorrowful Jones Two beloved comedy stars, Bob Hope and Lucille Ball, team up for director Sidney Lanfield’s 1949 makeover of the 1934 Shirley Temple classic “Little Miss Marker,” a Damon Runyon yarn about a little girl (played this time by Mary Jane Saunders) who is left with Hope’s title character as a marker for a bet. Bruce Cabot and William Demarest co-star. 8:15 p.m. TCM

TALK SHOWS

CBS This Morning (N) 7 a.m. KCBS

Today The trend of not drinking alcohol during the month of January; genetic testing kits; yoga at home. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC

KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA

Good Morning America Model and author Kathy Ireland. (N) 7 a.m. KABC

Good Day L.A. Lizzette Martinez (“Surviving R. Kelly”); Brian Van Holt (“Deputy”). (N) 7 a.m. KTTV

Live With Kelly and Ryan Jennifer Lopez (“Hustlers”); Morris Chestnut (“The Resident”); YouTube personality David Dobrik. (N) 9 a.m. KABC

The Kelly Clarkson Show Seth Meyers; Marie Kondo and Beth Behrs. (N) 2 p.m. KNBC

Amanpour and Company (N) 11 p.m. KCET; midnight KVCR; 1 a.m. KLCS

Nightline (N) 12:37 a.m. KABC

SPORTS

College Football Birmingham Bowl: Boston College versus Cincinnati, noon ESPN; Gator Bowl: Indiana versus Tennessee, 4 p.m. ESPN

NHL Hockey The New Jersey Devils visit the New York Islanders, 4 p.m. NBCSP; the Ducks visit the Arizona Coyotes, 6 p.m. Fox Sports Net; the St. Louis Blues visit the Colorado Avalanche, 6:30 p.m. NBCSP

College Basketball Illinois visits Michigan State, 5 p.m. FS1; Oregon visits Colorado, 6 p.m. ESPN2; UCLA visits Washington, 7 p.m. FS1; California visits Stanford, 8 p.m. ESPN2

NBA Basketball The Detroit Pistons visit the Clippers, 7:30 p.m. FS Prime

A new year, a new round of damning accusations against disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly, courtesy of Lifetime TV.

“Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning” premieres Thursday with a fresh round of bombshell interviews alleging that the singer sexually abused multiple minors over a three-decade period — and that he’s currently preying upon young black women despite the increased scrutiny. Reports of Kelly presiding over a cult-like group of women are addressed by self-identified survivor Dominique Gardner, who lived with Kelly until March 2019.

Her testimony is one of many stunning, emotional moments that make Lifetime’s new three-night, six-hour limited series a powerful and necessary second act to 2019’s explosive “Surviving R. Kelly.”

The original docuseries made the case that Kelly, 52, used his fame over three decades to target underage girls and young women, operating in plain sight while authorities and the public turned a blind eye. In the TV show, his alleged victims stepped forward — some for the first time — with claims of statutory rape, imprisonment and more in heart-wrenching detail.

Thanks largely to that series, a #MuteRKelly movement ensued; he was dropped by his record label and was subsequently charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. Kelly is out on bail and denies all charges.

“The Reckoning” furthers the case against the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer with fresh information, much of it culled over the last year as the fallout from the previous production caused more survivors, parents, witnesses and former enablers to come forward. Assembled, their stories illustrate how a culture obsessed with celebrity, and a music industry built around objectifying young women, emboldened the multi-platinum artist while it failed dozens of young, powerless women.

Tiffany Hawkins was 15 when she became involved with Kelly in the 1990s. She eventually sang backup for another one of his pursuits, the late singer Aaliyah, who was 15 when she used forged documents to marry the 27-year-old Kelly. “I was the first girl [who came forward],” says Hawkins in the docuseries. “Nobody believed me. And it continued to happen, again and again and again.”

The rise of #MeToo played a major role in breaking the protective culture surrounding Kelly, and the movement’s founder, Tarana Burke, is interviewed throughout both iterations of the series. #MeToo broke the ice for the 2019 documentary and Kelly’s disastrous interview with CBS News’ Gayle King in March. The embattled singer jumped out of his chair, crying and yelling into the camera, insisting he was being unfairly targeted to an unflappable King.

Kelly has declined to participate in the Lifetime series, and his camp and defenders have dismissed the women in the series as opportunists who have used their platform to bolster their careers.

In “The Reckoning,” those same women explain the price they’ve paid since the original series aired last January. It’s included physical threats from Kelly fans at the mall, alleged blackmail efforts from Kelly’s camp (Faith Rodgers says he released nude photos of her) and anonymous death threats.

The sheer number of women with claims against Kelly is staggering. Frankly, it’s hard to keep count. Bolstering their stories are the Chicago artist’s former staff, managers and studio engineers, music industry moguls like Damon Dash and Kelly’s own brothers, Bruce and Carey Kelly. Reporter Jim DeRogatis, the journalist who doggedly investigated Kelly since the 1990s, provides a road map of the cases and lawsuits, linking them together in what proves to be a disturbing timeline.

A pattern of grooming girls, silencing accusers and controlling women to the point of abuse — some were allegedly kept in his garage, locked for days on end in his tour bus or told when they could eat and use the bathroom — is established through these multiple accounts.

Recent cases are the most haunting. The trauma is fresh when Jerhonda Pace, a young woman who met Kelly at age 15 and lived with him until 2010, describes a suicide pact that she had with the singer. “If anything was to happen to him, like if he was to go to jail [or] if someone was to harm him, I was supposed to kill myself,” she said.

Is it hard to watch? Absolutely. But it’s also riveting and cathartic, especially since Kelly is being prosecuted. “Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning” continues to press for justice and give voice to credible accusers and witnesses. As for Kelly? 2020, though just days old, is not shaping up to be his year.

If anything should put Vince Zampella at ease, one would assume it would be the topic of video game warfare. Zampella, one of the most recognizable figures of the modern gaming era, is after all responsible for much video game carnage.

With his Respawn Entertainment, he’s been an architect of sci-fi shooter “Titanfall.” Previously, with Infinity Ward, he helped define the “Call of Duty” franchise before an acrimonious split with Activision. Even earlier, with the studio 2015, he contributed to the “Medal of Honor” franchise, which often features front-line battle action. And yet five minutes into an interview Zampella is struggling to hold back tears as he recalls a visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

What sparked the memory was a seemingly straightforward question about Respawn’s reboot of “Medal of Honor,” a release that will essentially take Zampella back to his roots. “Had to start with this one,” he says, briefly burying his face in his hands.

It’s not just that the stakes for the upcoming “Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond” are higher than when he worked on the 2002 editions of the series — the company, after all, is working in virtual reality, where the challenge of palatable video game killing is upped when the participant is in a surprisingly convincing, full-scale virtual expanse.

Rather, Respawn, in reviving the long-dormant “Medal of Honor” franchise, has several ambitious ideas for adding heft to interactive entertainment. One of them is to intermix very real World War II stories with gameplay, alternating tense, sweat-inducing missions — one in which we’ll infiltrate a Nazi palace to steal and burn documents — with documentary footage of war veterans retelling and revisiting WWII stories and sites. One such film follows an American veteran in his 90s as he returns to the European battlefield where his friend fell. We watch as he shares hugs and stories with the family that now lives on the grounds, and cameras follow as he leads us to how and where he found his compatriot.

Zampella knows the power of these scenes, having accompanied filmmakers on some of the trips. “I took my son with me, who was 18 at the time, and we were at Arlington Cemetery on Gold Star Mothers Day, which is for mothers who lost their children in service. Seeing kids who were my son’s age …”

Zampella begins to trail off as his eyes start to water, but he won’t be fully derailed. His somewhat guarded personality soon takes over to push back any potential tears and get back to a discussion of what turned out to be Respawn’s most expansive year. In February, the Chatsworth-based studio surprise-released the instantly popular free-to-play game “Apex Legends,” which has been sampled by more than 70 million players. Then in November the studio issued “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,” a return for the space opera franchise to the narrative-driven home video game console, and arguably the least divisive, mass-marketed “Star Wars” product unleashed this year.

Earlier in 2019 Zampella predicted that “Fallen Order,” under the direction of Stig Asmussen (“God of War III”), would begin to remold Respawn developers — long typecast as “multiplayer shooter guys” — into interactive storytellers. Now he’s ready to look beyond Respawn, the studio he founded in 2010 with Jason West — which was acquired in 2017 by Electronic Arts. In 2020 Zampella will also lead the L.A.-based offices of another Electronic Arts-owned studio, DICE.

Destination DICE

DICE was founded in Stockholm in the early 1990s and is home to games such as “Battlefield,” “Mirror’s Edge” and “Star Wars: Battlefront.” But Electronic Arts characterizes its L.A.-based outpost as long dedicated to support for DICE’s core products. Under Zampella, there are plans to expand and launch an original, as-yet-unrevealed game. The company will remain separate from Respawn and, Zampella says, likely will drop the DICE name.

“We will probably rebrand,” Zampella says. “We want to give it a new image. We want people to say, ‘This is a destination you can go and make new content.’ I think they’ve kind of gotten the branding that they are the support studio for DICE Stockholm. I think rebranding is important for showing people, ‘Hey! Come work here. We’re going to do some amazing things.’”

The studio, he stresses, will be “separate from DICE Stockholm and separate from Respawn.”

Says Zampella, “We do talk a lot, and the more we interact and learn from and teach each other, the better we’ll be. So there’s interaction, but as far as the games, they’re their own studio.”

The move is being overseen by Laura Miele, who about 18 months ago took over as Electronic Arts’ chief studios officer. At a time when major console makers such as Sony and Microsoft are readying new systems for release in late 2020, and streaming and subscription services are providing more avenues to discover games, Miele says she is focused on broadening the Electronic Arts portfolio.

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“I think under Vince’s leadership the expectation is to have them work on and create a game on their own,” Miele says. “And I genuinely believe that he is going to help guide them creatively. He’s going to help them further fortify and build out their talent and their team. I think we’re going to have a really strong studio out of our Los Angeles location. They can go from a support team to a full stand-alone studio to create a new game offering.”

As for what this means for Respawn, Zampella speaks of his role now as more of a head coach.

“Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” leader Asmussen will continue to direct a narrative-driven branch at Respawn. The ongoing “Apex Legends” is overseen by Chad Grenier, who followed Zampella from Infinity Ward to Respawn to work on what would become the first-person-shooter series “Titanfall.” The virtual reality “Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond” is being spearheaded by Peter Hirschmann, whose “Medal of Honor” experience stretches back to the game’s early days when it was developed by DreamWorks Interactive.

“There might be more,” says Zampella, narrowing his eyes somewhat cryptically (the company even declines to say how many staffers it currently employs), but he adds, “I think my role is the same.

“Obviously with ‘Jedi’ coming out, my focus was a little more on getting that game out the door. Now that it’s done and out there, it’s, ‘OK, what’s next?’ Peter will get the Eye of Sauron.”

Endangered single players

The move to bring in Asmussen was instrumental in changing the tenor of Respawn. Jason West, who recently joined “Fortnite” developer Epic Games, left Respawn for unspecified family issues in 2013, before the company had issued its first game. “Titanfall” in 2014 was largely dedicated to fine-tuning the first-person-shooter by creating a game that nimbly moved among different action styles.

Talks with Asmussen began around that same time, before Respawn was acquired by its early investor Electronic Arts, and also before the industry would heavily pivot from single-player adventures to ongoing multiplayer games such as “Apex Legends,” a “Fortnite” competitor that lives as a live service with regular updates.

“In 2014, I don’t think we were talking about single-player action-adventure games being an endangered species,” Asmussen says. “That’s something that happened while we were working on the game. There was a rise in game experiences that were service-based and people could continue playing over and over. But we stuck to our guns. This is the type of the game we were going to make. I think what happened is live service games expanded the market, but they weren’t taking away the players who wanted to play a single-player action-adventure.”

While Electronic Arts hasn’t released official sales figures, “Fallen Order” was tracked as the No. 2 selling game of November, behind “Call of Duty” and ahead of “Pokémon Sword/Shield,” according to research firm the NPD Group. Where Asmussen’s team goes next, he says, isn’t “set in stone,” but there should be plenty of ideas to pull from. Before Respawn knew it was working on a “Star Wars” game — Electronic Arts possesses the license for the Lucasfilm/Disney brand — it had developed about 12 prototypes for a new intellectual property, one of which was properly demoed and shopped around the industry.

And Asmussen is steadfast in the types of games he wants to direct. “I’m not a very good competitive player,” he says. “That’s when you see the worst of me, in terms of temper. I haven’t done it in so long because it was getting the better of me. It’s a frustrating experience for me. I don’t have the patience.”

Miele cites Respawn’s ability to move quickly on an idea — to have, for instance, a rudimentary prototype up and running under Asmussen or to shift from a proper “Titanfall” project to put resources into what would become “Apex Legends” — as a trait she admires in Zampella’s teams and wants to spread among Electronic Arts’ other studios. “I feel really strongly about this,” she says, “and Vince has taught me a lot about this: rapid prototyping.”

“As I have partnered with him, I’ve noticed they get their games stood up and they have hands on their games really soon, sooner than other studios we have, outside of sports,” she says. “So we’ve adopted and brought in new prototyping tools and are highly encouraging teams to prototype and prove out game type, game flow and game features before we get to art execution and make it look pretty for executive presentations.”

While it may not be apparent from the outside, Zampella says there’s a sense of experimentation driving Respawn’s decisions, even behind more seemingly direct business-driven moves, such as the jump with “Apex Legends” into the free-to-play battle royale arena popularized by “Fortnite.”

Real-world conflict

Zampella and Grenier say they’re not terribly interested in challenging “Fortnite” as a communal hangout space — the latter recently has had crossovers with Marvel and Lucasfilm properties, even hosting a live event with “The Rise of Skywalker” director J.J. Abrams — but they are using “Apex Legends” as a way to better develop characters, ensuring that game mechanics and art style coalesce into visual storytelling opportunities.

“We tend to rapidly prototype characters at a high rate and throw them away when they’re not working,” says Grenier. “We do 10 times more prototypes than what actually make it into the game.”

Or as Zampella puts it, “Titanfall,” like a lot of other properties in “the sci-fi space,” started “to read as generic sci-fi.” He says, “That’s terrible for me to say about my own game, but we wanted something more identifiable by going into characters. … To identify with a character, either by play style or because you like who they are and what they stand for, it was important for us to take that next step. Character-based is now super important to what we do.”

Other questions lie ahead. It’s clear Zampella has ideas he’s not yet sharing on where he intends to take the DICE L.A. team, but “Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond” will present more near-term challenges. Set in the early 1940s and in development with Facebook-owned Oculus, the game will capture the realistic tone of the early “Medal of Honor” games — each virtual gun, for instance, comes with a very specific set of hand gestures when it comes to reloading.

Shooting in VR is not always a comfortable gaming experience. “As fidelity gets better and VR gets more immersive, you kind of feel like you’re there. That translates to, ‘Am I harming another more realistic-looking human?’ That’s something we’re going to have to be very wary of,” Zampella says. “When you know the setting is life-and-death and it’s a historical thing — while you may be causing harm to virtual humans you’re doing it for the good of other virtual humans — in that simulation it’s something that was valuable to the world.”

Such questions fuel Respawn’s desire to connect in-game conflict to real-world stories and people, says the game’s lead Hirschmann. “We just got a rough cut of a guy named Frank who served in the Pacific, and the stories he tells about what he went through in the submarine service are just crazy. So again, we try to help it hit home that this really happened. These were 19-year-old kids. And you know, often that’s our target audience. So it’s always good if we can build empathy and ignite people’s imaginations. Then maybe they’ll come away understanding the conflict a little more.”

It’s clear Zampella thinks the studio is up to the challenge. The only time he bristles during an interview is when asked about giving up Respawn’s independent status to sell to Electronic Arts. While the latter provided some of the seed money to help launch Respawn, Zampella also spoke in the early 2010s about the creative importance of maintaining some self-sufficiency from corporate overlords.

“Did I give up my independence?” he shoots back. “Hold on. This is new news.

He continues, “For a small studio to do as much as I want to do, it made sense for us to join forces with EA. In talking to EA, they wanted the influence of me coming in to help shape the future of EA. The industry is changing, and we have the chance to be at the forefront of that. Being able to take on new challenges, like DICE L.A. falling under me now, is exciting. I want to challenge myself. I want to do something bigger and funnerer.”

And to ensure the conversation ended on a lighthearted note, he added: “Use that word: ‘Funnerer.’”

In one of the first airline flash sales of 2020, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is offering round-trip airfares starting at $449 between LAX and several Scandinavian cities. The sale applies to budget or Go Light tickets, which allow travelers one carry-on bag only and carry other restrictions.

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The sale is on now and lasts until Jan. 13.

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Info: SAS