SANTA ANITA STABLE NOTES

By Ed Golden —-

• • D’AMATO IS IN THE HUNT FOR AMERICAN VICTORY
• • FOUR IN PURSUIT OF SANTA ANITA JOCKEY TITLE
• • ARROGATE WORKS FOR THE SAN DIEGO HANDICAP
• • IT WAS BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR ESPINOZA SUNDAY

LONGER RACES IN THE HUNT FOR D’AMATO RUNNER

Hunt, an Irish-bred son of Dark Angel, makes his first start in seven months Tuesday in the Grade III American Stakes for three-year-olds and up at a mile on turf.

Trained by Phil D’Amato for Michael House, the five-year-old gray gelding last raced Nov.26, finishing fourth by a length and a half in the Grade II Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar.

“He’s come back better than ever, I think,” D’Amato said of Hunt, winner of five races from 20 starts, good for earnings of $246,419. “We’ll see how he does. Last year at Del Mar I campaigned him in sprints and five furlongs was a little too short for him.

“We’re trying a mile this year. He ran really well in the Seabiscuit (at a mile and one sixteenth) and if he fares well Tuesday, maybe we’ll run him in the Eddie Read (Grade II, $250,000 at 1 1/8 miles on turf July 22).”

The field for the $100,000 American, race six of 10 with a first post time of 1 p.m.: Hunt, Mike Smith, 6-1; Smokey Image, Corey Nakatani, 12-1; Kenjisstorm, Flavien Prat, 12-1; Om, Gary Stevens, 5-2; Alert Bay, Tyler Baze, 3-1; Patentar, Martin Pedroza, 20-1; Si Sage, Rafael Bejarano, 10-1; Flamboyant, Brice Blanc, 6-1; and Pee Wee Reese, Joe Talamo, 4-1.
Santa Anita races through Tuesday, July 4, when the Spring portion of the current
meet ends. Both tomorrow and Tuesday are DOLLAR DAYS, with beer, hot dogs and soda on sale for a buck apiece.

FOUR IN THE CHASE FOR LEADING RIDER

Winning the Santa Anita riding title for the Spring portion of the current meet that ends Tuesday will give the victor much deserved bragging rights, but that might not evolve until the final race is run three days hence.

The four front runners each won a race Saturday, leaving the margins between them in tact, to wit: Flavien Prat 37, Evin Roman 36, Joe Talamo 33 and Rafael Bejarano 32.

“It would mean a lot to win it, absolutely,” said the 27-year-old Talamo, who captured Saturday’s final race by a length on 5-1 shot Mucho Chrome for trainer Alfredo Marquez.

“It’s obviously tough with everybody riding live horses and trying real hard, but that said, the prestige of being the leading rider at Santa Anita is huge.”

ARROGATE WORKS FOR SAN DIEGO HANDICAP

Reigning Thoroughbred king Arrogate worked six furlongs in 1:12.60 after the 7:45 renovation break Sunday morning for the Grade II San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 22.

Jockey Martin Garcia was aboard for the drill, which was watched with more than passing interest by the gray colt’s regular rider, Mike Smith.

“He went nice,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “He went around there and worked like he did last week (four furlongs in a bullet 46.80). He just cruised around there. I think we ship that weekend (of July 15 for Del Mar).

“He’ll probably work here before he goes down there. I don’t want to work him down there. Right now, all systems are go.”

ESPINOZA TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

After riding Liam the Charmer to an eighth-place finish in the United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, NJ. Saturday, Victor Espinoza left the East Coast on a 9 p.m. (Eastern time) redeye, arrived at LAX 12:30 this morning (Pacific), and was at Santa Anita in time to work Stellar Wind five furlongs in 1:01.60 soon after sunup at 6:45.

Thus, the 45-year-old native of Mexico, recently voted into the Hall of Fame, still has his priorities in order which is riding and winning races. He is looking forward to just that at Del Mar when the seaside track opens July 19, but first he will take some time to freshen up.

“After the meet ends here Tuesday, I’ll spend a week in Mexico at Tulum, near Cancun,” Espinoza said. “Then I plan to start winning races at Del Mar.”

As for Stellar Wind, who edged Vale Dori by a neck in a thrilling edition of the Beholder Mile on June 3, she is preparing for the Grade I Clement L. Hirsch at Del Mar on July 30.

“She went great this morning,” Espinoza said of the 2015 three-year-old filly champion trained by John Sadler for Kosta and Peter Hronis. “John wanted me to go in 1:01. It was just a little maintenance drill, nothing crazy. She still has a couple more works before the big race.

“She’s good. She only does what she has to do.”

FINISH LINES: Richard Mandella reports Santa Anita Oaks winner Paradise Woods “doing real well” as she points to the Grade III, $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 27 . . . Shoemaker Mile winner Bal a Bali worked four furlongs for Mandella Sunday in 52.60 . . . Affirmed Stakes winner Battle of Midway worked four furlongs under Flavien Prat in 49.60 for a likely start in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth on July 30. “The track was a little slow this morning, but he went great,” said trainer Jerry Hollendorfer,who also sent unbeaten Sircat Sally five furlongs in 1:01. Hollendorfer announced that two-time champion Songbird, winner of the Ogden Phipps in her four-year-old debut, will make her next start in the Grade II Delaware Handicap on July 15 . . . Peter Miller is not only No. 1 among trainers with 32 victories, he is the leader in drawing the rail today. Miller has six horses entered in five races, three of them in the No. 1 post position, all with the meet’s second-leading rider aboard, apprentice Evin Roman . . . There is a single ticket Pick Six Jackpot carryover into Sunday of $350,962.93.

SANTA ANITA STATISTICS

(Current Through Saturday, July 1)
Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Flavien Prat 160 37 22 28 23% 54% $1,928,571
Evin Roman 174 36 23 18 21% 44% $1,193,140
Joseph Talamo 202 33 38 22 16% 46% $1,620,093
Rafael Bejarano 140 32 22 21 23% 54% $1,888,962
Tyler Baze 172 24 29 34 14% 51% $1,218,123
Tiago Pereira 157 18 25 21 11% 41% $798,570
Edwin Maldonado 107 16 18 17 15% 48% $716,402
Gary Stevens 72 15 10 8 21% 46% $867,371
Kent Desormeaux 65 13 12 8 20% 51% $835,742
Kyle Frey 86 13 8 15 15% 42% $336,404
Santiago Gonzalez 138 12 14 24 9% 36% $621,021
Martin Pedroza 123 11 11 26 9% 39% $488,627
Israel Ocampo 91 10 16 7 11% 36% $322,417
Norberto Arroyo, Jr. 76 10 11 14 13% 46% $659,619
Jamie Theriot 75 10 5 8 13% 31% $390,285

Trainer Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% In $ % Money Won

Peter Miller 120 32 15 19 27% 55% $1,194,649
Richard Baltas 106 24 16 15 23% 52% $1,210,979
Philip D’Amato 124 22 24 13 18% 48% $1,475,063
Bob Baffert 52 17 9 8 33% 65% $1,535,665
Steven Miyadi 62 14 10 10 23% 55% $405,403
Doug O’Neill 94 12 24 16 13% 55% $756,799
Peter Eurton 46 12 7 6 26% 54% $618,473
Jerry Hollendorfer 84 11 12 15 13% 45% $740,591
John Sadler 68 11 11 13 16% 51% $728,138
Jack Carava 43 10 2 8 23% 47% $226,000
Mark Glatt 60 9 8 8 15% 42% $357,825
Simon Callaghan 32 8 4 5 25% 53% $396,361
Eddie Truman 21 8 1 3 38% 57% $283,810
Hector O. Palma 46 7 8 6 15% 46% $291,376
Michael Machowsky 38 7 7 7 18% 55% $330,539
Jeff Mullins 22 7 2 4 32% 59% $216,395

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.