SANTA ANITA STABLE NOTES

By Ed Golden —-

• • FAIRYTALE FILLY SOUTHERN TRUCE REMEMBERED
• • KOBE’S BACK BACK TO DEFEND SAN CARLOS TITLE
• • SINGLE TICKET PICK SIX JACKPOT REACHES $193,829

RAGS TO RICHES SOUTHERN TRUCE HONORED SUNDAY

The tale of Southern Truce is one of many faded into the rich lore of racing, but to those
associated with the horse for which Sunday’s stakes race is named, ill or good, it is indelibly etched in their memory.

Claimed for $16,000 in March of 1991 by trainer Roger Stein for Vic and Peggy Johnson of Monrovia, who raced as the Regal Rose Stable, Southern Truce reached racing’s apex when she won Santa Anita’s Grade I Santa Margarita Stakes at 1 1/8 miles by a head in 1993 over Eclipse Award champion Paseana. A 22-year-old Corey Nakatani was aboard.

A year later at The Great Race Place, Southern Truce captured the Grade II Santa Maria Stakes at seven furlongs with Gary Stevens up. A California-bred daughter of Truce Maker, Southern Truce had raced for a claiming tag as low as $12,500 before emerging as one of the game’s most stupefying bargains.

She campaigned until age seven, racing 50 times overall, winning 19, with eight seconds, seven thirds and earnings of $867,578.

But this is one fairy tale that did not have a happy ending.

Southern Truce suffered an untimely death when she was struck by lightning at Stone Farm in Paris, Ky., on July 5, 1995, almost 22 years ago to the day.

“It’s just so hard to deal with because you worry so much about these horses when they’re on the race track, and then, lo and behold, something like this happens,” said John Adger at the time. He was the bloodstock agent who had coordinated the sale of Southern Truce to Robert and Janice McNair of Houston 18 months earlier.

“We had a big thunder storm the night before and just found her dead early the next morning. She was in foal to Seattle Slew and was due in March. She finished fourth in her final race at Churchill Downs in May, and we bred her right off the race track. We were all in shock, of course.

“She was such a sweet mare, too, and she had such a big heart.”

KOBE’S BACK RETURNS FOR SAN CARLOS STAKES

Kobe’s Back, a full horse still doing his thing at age seven, worked five furlongs under regular rider Gary Stevens Saturday morning in 1:00.60 for next Saturday’s Grade II, $250,000 San Carlos Stakes for three-year-olds and up at seven furlongs.

Workmate Arrowsphere was timed in 1:02.20. Kobe’s Back won the San Carlos last year as the 2-1 favorite.

A gray son of Flatter trained by Peter Eurton for the C R K Stable of Lee and Susan Searing, Kobe’s Back is a multiple graded stakes millionaire with earnings of $1,056,250.

“He worked a beautiful five-eighths today in a minute and two fifths,” Eurton said. “He was just kind of galloping along. It was probably one of his better moves since his comeback. Gary liked his work a lot.”

Kobe’s Back had been off from June 25, 2016 until March 11 of this year when he finished fifth in the Grade I Triple Bend. He was fourth in the Grade II Kona Gold after that on May 20, being compromised by an eventful start, which is his wont.

The stretch-running sprinter obviously likes his job, having performed admirably since he broke his maiden in a stakes race in his first start, the Willard Proctor Memorial at HollywoodPark on June 15, 2013.

“He’s a handful at the barn,” Eurton said, “but you trust him pretty much because he’s not a mean horse. He has idiosyncrasies that are all good There’s nothing vicious and you don’t have to be careful around him, although he’ll nip and play like some horses, but he’s very relaxed in his stall. He doesn’t like to get back into the barn once he gets outside. He’s funny about that.”

Kobe’s Back typically makes a late run, but Eurton doesn’t necessarily buy into the premise that he is better suited at seven furlongs than six.

“I think he’s run some great races at six when he’s on his game,” Eurton said. “When he’s really doing well, and if he’s got a good pace to run at, anything short between six and seven is good for him.”
As to life after seven, Eurton said Kobe’s Back likely will complete 2017 as a race horse, barring anything unforeseen.

“He probably will finish this year up and then go to stud,” Eurton said. “I’m not stepping out of bounds by saying that. I think that’s the plan, but right now, all I’m thinking is one race at a time.”

FINISH LINES: There will be no simulcast wagering at Santa Anita next
Thursday, July 29. After Sunday’s races, Santa Anita will resume live racing on Friday, June 30, and race through Tuesday, July 4, when the Spring portion of the current meet ends. Santa Anita will offer free Club House and General Admission on Friday, as well as free General Parking. Both Monday, July 3, and July 4, are Dollar Days, with beer, hot dogs and soda on sale for a buck apiece . . . There is a single ticket Pick Six Jackpot carryover today of $193,829.77 . . . Kent Desormeaux rides Sorry Erik for brother Keith in today’s Grade III Ohio Derby at Thistledown, while Mike Smith pilots Louisiana Derby winner Girvin for Joe Sharp in the 1 1/8-mile race offering $500,000 . . . Next Saturday, newly minted Hall of Fame member Victor Espinoza rides Whittingham Stakes fourth-place finisher Liam theCharmer for Michael McCarthy in the Grade I United Nations at Monmouth Park. Run at Atlantic City Race Course back in the day, the UN will be decided at 1 3/8 miles on turf . . . Rye Patch, 5-2 morning line choice in today’s eighth race, has been claimed six times in his last 12 races . . . Agent Derek Lawson reports that leading rider Flavien Prat has appealed a four-day riding suspension and will thus be in action at Santa Anita through closing day, July 4.

SANTA ANITA STATISTICS

(Current Through Friday, June 23)
Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Flavien Prat 147 34 21 26 23% 55% $1,718,930
Rafael Bejarano 136 31 21 21 23% 54% $1,827,322
Joseph Talamo 178 30 34 20 17% 47% $1,484,736
Evin Roman 144 30 17 15 21% 43% $908,360
Tyler Baze 156 20 28 29 13% 49% $1,054,268
Tiago Pereira 139 18 21 20 13% 42% $744,605
Gary Stevens 63 14 10 6 22% 48% $783,911
Edwin Maldonado 98 13 15 16 13% 45% $623,798
Kent Desormeaux 65 13 12 8 20% 51% $835,742
Santiago Gonzalez 121 12 13 21 10% 38% $590,256
Martin Pedroza 108 11 9 20 10% 37% $435,609
Kyle Frey 78 11 8 11 14% 38% $290,834
Norberto Arroyo, Jr. 67 10 11 11 15% 48% $637,299
Jamie Theriot 63 10 3 7 16% 32% $356,470

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

Peter Miller 107 30 13 15 28% 54% $1,098,469
Richard Baltas 97 23 15 15 24% 55% $1,149,431
Philip D’Amato 107 20 19 12 19% 48% $1,283,220
Steven Miyadi 60 14 8 10 23% 53% $379,523
Bob Baffert 44 14 8 7 32% 66% $1,264,355
Doug O’Neill 82 11 21 12 13% 54% $656,189
Peter Eurton 40 11 7 5 28% 58% $544,643
John Sadler 61 10 11 9 16% 49% $685,328
Jack Carava 41 10 2 8 24% 49% $223,920
Jerry Hollendorfer 77 9 11 13 12% 43% $602,855
Hector O. Palma 43 7 8 5 16% 47% $287,206
Mark Glatt 53 7 7 7 13% 40% $297,460
Michael Machowsky 33 7 6 7 21% 61% $318,359
Simon Callaghan 27 7 3 4 26% 52% $325,581
Jeff Mullins 19 7 1 3 37% 58% $204,970
Eddie Truman 19 7 1 2 37% 53% $247,450

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.