SANTA ANITA STABLE NOTES (SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2017)

By Ed Golden —-

• CHROME, ARROGATE NEAR REMATCH IN PEGASUS
• EQUINE PROMOTION BENEFITS HORSES AT CARMA
• PADDOCK GUARD JOHN SHEAR TURNS 96 TUESDAY

CHROME WORKS FOR PEGASUS, ARROGATE NEXT

The eagerly-anticipated rematch between leading Horse of the Year contenders Arrogate and California Chrome on Jan. 28 in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park continues to grow in intensity, as California Chrome worked towards that goal this morning at Gulfstream and Arrogate could possibly work at 9 a.m. or later, at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday at Santa Anita. First post time is 12:30 p.m.

While Baffert was non-committal on details Saturday morning as to when Arrogate would work, Chrome had already completed his breeze at Gulfstream under the direction of trainer Art Sherman’s son and assistant, Alan.

“I haven’t watched the video yet but from all reports he went real good,” Art said at Santa Anita Saturday morning. Sherman leaves California next Thursday for Florida, where he will be on hand for Chrome’s upcoming work slated for next Saturday.

California Chrome “attracted a crowd for his first workout over the Gulfstream Park track Saturday morning,” according to a release from the Hallandale, Florida venue.

Chrome went five furlongs in 1:00.72 under exercise rider Dihigi Gladney, galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.20.

“I’m really happy with that work,” Alan said in the release. “The track was a little deep, and he covered the ground well. I couldn’t be happier with him. He just goes about his business. He just loves to train.”

Added Gladney: “This horse has a lot of supporters. I looked out there before the track closed for the break and I saw the people piling in. I said, ‘Look at this.’ The Chrome Community is strong everywhere. They love this horse everywhere we go.

“He’s been training early in the morning (before dawn), but he’s the type of horse when you take him out in the daylight, he looks around to see what’s going on. By the time I turned him around and he started jogging, he saw the crowd.

“He knows this is business. He loves the show.”

Video link to California Chrome work: https://youtu.be/kd4Nwqvllsw

CARMA BENEFITS FROM EQUINE PROMOTION

Much like human athletes, performance horses of all equestrian disciplines need sports therapy to recover from various aches and pains from strenuous physical activity. Leading the rehabilitation industry with cutting edge technology and services is Eclipse Equine Sports Therapy Center (Eclipse) who helps heal some of California’s finest horses.

As a tribute to the Thoroughbreds they care for, Eclipse has created a special promotion to benefit the California Retirement Management Account (CARMA), a nonprofit dedicated to funding aftercare for California-raced horses.

“After a successful 2016 working with several top trainers and their horses, Eclipse would like to give back to the industry. Our commitment to the well-being of Thoroughbreds is unwavering, whether they are beginning their racing career or retiring,” said Angie Hager-Scully, owner of Eclipse Equine Sports Therapy Center.

Starting with the New Year, for each new Thoroughbred racehorse that receives a minimum 30 days treatment from the state-of-the-art therapy center, Eclipse is donating $200 to CARMA, hoping to raise funds and awareness about importance of aftercare.

“Our goal is to be able to provide rehabilitation, retraining and/or retirement for as many former racehorses as we can. Getting support from the local equestrian community and businesses is vital to our success,” said CARMA Executive Director Lucinda Mandella.

Eclipse Equine Sports Therapy Center is located in Paso Robles, California. The promotion ends March 31. For more information please visit www.eclipse-equine.com.

FINISH LINES: Heartiest congratulations to Santa Anita Paddock Guard John Shear, who will celebrate his 96th birthday on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Shear started at Santa Anita in 1961 as a parking lot attendant but became a Paddock Guard the next year. This marks his 55th year at The Great Race Place. Santa Anita will name Monday’s fourth race in his honor . . . Belated congrats to Bob Baffert, who turned 64 yesterday…Norberto Arroyo Jr., third in Santa Anita’s jockey standings with seven wins, took off his mounts Saturday after pulling his left shoulder in a third-race mishap on Friday. “He’ll see a masseuse today and ride tomorrow,” said his agent and brother, Nelson . . .Deepest condolences to the family and friends of Doug O’Neill’s longtime assistant Leandro Mora on the passing of Mora’s brother, Francisco, who died of esophageal cancer at the age of 56 on Dec. 31. “He had worked for trainers since 1975,” Leandro said. Among them were O’Neill, Armando Lage, Gary Jones, Peter Eurton and David Bernstein . . . Sierra Madre resident and Triple Crown winning jockey Victor Espinoza is featured on the latest READ posters and bookmarks in the Sierra Madre Library newsletter. Espinozais holding “American Pharoah: The Untold Story of the Triple Crown Winner’s Legendary Rise,” and the children’s book, “D is for Derby: A Kentucky Derby Alphabet.” Espinoza has won the Kentucky Derby three times and the Preakness three times. The self-described “Luckiest Mexican on earth,” Espinoza says Sierra Madre is lucky for him . . . There is a single Pick Six Jackpot ticket carryover of $152,989.04 into Saturday’s races . . . Santa Anita offers holiday racing on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It will also be Dollar Day, with beer, sodas and hot dogs on sale for a buck apiece. First post time is 12 noon. Admission gates open at 10 a.m. Santa Anita will be dark for live racing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Live racing resumes on Friday, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m.

SANTA ANITA STATISTICS

(Current Through Friday, Jan. 13)

Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Tyler Baze 53 10 6 6 19% 42% $383,207
Flavien Prat 48 9 4 9 19% 46% $628,813
Norberto Arroyo, Jr. 39 7 3 0 18% 26% $309,580
Kent Desormeaux 33 6 3 5 18% 42% $537,173
Martin Pedroza 31 5 5 3 16% 42% $186,420
Stewart Elliott 37 5 4 6 14% 41% $178,590
Drayden Van Dyke 38 4 7 0 11% 29% $238,060
Victor Espinoza 20 4 4 4 20% 60% $236,130
Rafael Bejarano 40 4 3 9 10% 40% $376,353
Luis Contreras 27 3 5 7 11% 56% $179,514
Mario Gutierrez 25 3 4 4 12% 44% $173,861
Brice Blanc 14 3 3 1 21% 50% $125,125
Corey Nakatani 15 3 2 0 20% 33% $167,690
Mike Smith 13 3 1 3 23% 54% $297,650

Trainer Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Doug O’Neill 44 6 5 8 14% 43% $287,613
Peter Miller 23 6 5 3 26% 61% $317,780
Jerry Hollendorfer 32 5 7 6 16% 56% $559,394
John Sadler 14 5 4 4 36% 93% $243,824
Richard Baltas 31 4 4 5 13% 42% $273,823
William Spawr 9 4 0 2 44% 67% $134,541
Philip D’Amato 16 3 4 4 19% 69% $359,925
Mark Glatt 17 3 4 2 18% 53% $131,865
Gary Sherlock 10 3 0 1 30% 40% $62,520

Cover Photo: Chrome Works; Leslie Martin Photo

About Us
Santa Anita Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is North America’s premier supplier of virtual online horseracing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.