ARCADIA, Calif. – The Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on Saturday has an expected field of five, led by the division champion of 2024, plus the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby.
The small field will affect the number of qualifying points available for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 3.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Tirupati, the former claimer who won her first stakes in the Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita last Saturday, is under consideration for the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes on May 26.
Trainer Jonathan Thomas said on Sunday that he has as many as three candidates for the $300,000 Gamely Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf, including the graded stakes winners Mrs. Astor and Rashmi. All three are owned by George Strawbridge Jr.’s Augustin Stable.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Shea Brennan, a stakes winner against California-breds at Los Alamitos in December, will not start in Saturday’s $125,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for statebred 3-year-olds at Santa Anita.
“I had to back off on him,” trainer Phil D’Amato said on Sunday.
Shea Brennan, who races for owner and breeder Nick Alexander, finished first in the California Cup Derby at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita in January, but was disqualified and placed second for causing interference in the stretch.
ARCADIA, Calif. – For the second consecutive week, Santa Anita has a Friday program with a carryover in the $2 pick six.
The bet proved too difficult on Sunday, with a carryover of $100,818 for Friday confirmed after Divine Rascal ($33.80) won the ninth race on a 10-race program.
Friday’s pick six covers the fifth through 10th races on a 10-race program that begins at 1 p.m. Pacific. The pool of new money may surpass $700,000.
The pick six races on Friday includes three on dirt and three on turf, with fields of 11, 8, 6, 8, 12, and 9 before scratches.
Jockey Samuel Marin won two races on Statesman during the winter at Tampa Bay Downs. Typically, when a horse like this – especially a 3-year-old in spring – graduates to a graded stakes event in another jurisdiction, a jockey change accompanies that move.
Not in this case.
The Ohio-bred champions of 2024 were recently named, with Generous Lover emerging as horse of the year and champion female. She won three stakes in the Buckeye State on the season, including the Best of Ohio Distaff.
Who Dey, winner of the Best of Ohio Endurance, was honored as the state’s champion male runner. That was his only stakes win of the year, but he did place in three open-company stakes in Kentucky, including a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Matt Winn.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna breezed five furlongs in 1:01 on Monday morning at Oaklawn Park as she continues preparations for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap.
The 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares is April 12 at Oaklawn.
Thorpedo Anna came out in the first set, on a crisp morning in the mid-50s. She backtracked to the sixteenth pole and worked by herself. The track was rated fast.
Bourbon Memory remained unbeaten by winning Saturday’s closing-night feature at Turfway Park, the $125,000 Serena’s Song Stakes for 3-year-old fillies sprinting. In the process, she emerged as the winningest horse of the Florence track’s roughly four-month stand.
The stable areas at Churchill Downs and Keeneland are about to get crowded. With the final round of major preps for the spring classics underway and southern tracks wrapping up their seasons, various trainers will begin setting up a spring base of operations – including Kentucky Derby candidates lining up their final preparations for the classic.
ARCADIA, Calif. – It was a busy Saturday for Kentucky Derby candidates at Santa Anita.
Journalism and Citizen Bull posted final drills for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 5, while Rodriguez looked super and is expected to run the same day in either the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland or Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
Baeza, the well-bred maiden winner, also worked Saturday as the Santa Anita Derby field takes shape. Five of the eight nominees are likely to run including Barnes, whose final workout is scheduled for Monday.
