SANTA ANITA STABLE NOTES – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2018

By Ed Golden —-

• SADLER SEES HIS BREEDERS’ CUP AS HALF FULL
• BELLAFINA BULLET HAS TRAINER ‘REALLY HAPPY’
• SUNNY SLOPE IS GOOD SPOT FOR SPARKY VILLE
• $750,000 GUARANTEED RAINBOW PICK 6 SATURDAY

ODDS FAVOR SADLER ENDING BREEDERS’ CUP DROUGHT
John Sadler is not openly offended or even noticeably miffed when gently reminded he has never won a Breeders’ Cup race from 41 starters during an otherwise stellar career that began four decades ago.
He deals with the issue straight on, and is optimistic the drought might very well end two weeks hence.
The 52-year-old Long Beach native could terminate that shabby streak with one or more of four scheduled starters in the championship events at Churchill Downs, two of them favored early on, Accelerate in the Classic on Nov. 3 and Catalina Cruiser in the Dirt Mile the same day.
Asked if he feels more confident about the latter two winning than perhaps any of his previous runners, Sadler said, “I think so. They’re going to be shorter prices, and I like that, so we’re feeling very good about it.
“There’s still a lot to be determined, the weather, the draw and stuff like that, but we’ve got a good shot, there’s no doubt about that . . . we’ve got fairly low odds.”
Sadler has his riders set, with Joel Rosario on Accelerate, Drayden Van Dyke aboard Catalina Cruiser and Catapult (Dirt Mile), and Tyler Baze on Selcourt (Filly & Mare Sprint).

BELLAFINA FIRES BULLET FOR BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES
With owner Kaleem Shah on hand, Chandelier Stakes winner and Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies favorite Bellafina (video of work) worked five furlongs Friday morning in a minute flat for her ultimate goal at Churchill Downs on Nov. 2.
“I’m really happy,” trainer Simon Callaghan said. “She’ll have one more breeze here before leaving for Kentucky.”
Also working Friday for their Breeders’ Cup engagements were champion Abel Tasman and Vale Dori (Nov. 3 Distaff), seven furlongs in company in the identical time of 1:26.40 (video) for Bob Baffert. Joe Talamo was on Abel Tasman, while Drayden Van Dyke rode Vale Dori.
“They went well,” said Baffert, who also sent Dream Tree (Filly & Mare Sprint) five furlongs in a bullet 58.80, handily from the gate, the fastest of 43 drills at the distance, and Juvenile favorite Game Winner six furlongs in 1:13 flat.
Other Breeders’ Cup workers were Anonymity (Filly & Mare Sprint, three furlongs in 37 flat for Richard Mandella); Giant Expectations (Dirt Mile, five furlongs in 59.80 for Peter Eurton (video), who has engaged Julien Leparoux for the race); Pavel (Classic, six furlongs in 1:13.20 – video) for Doug O’Neill; and It’s Gonna Hurt (Juvenile Turf Sprint) four furlongs in 48.60 for Brian Koriner.

GELDED SPARKY VILLE HEADS SUNNY SLOPE
Jeff Bonde hopes softer company leads to victory when Sparky Ville runs in Sunday’s $70,000 Sunny Slope Stakes for two-year-olds at 6 ½ furlongs.
The son of Candy Ride is coming off a distant second in the Grade II Best Pal Stakes on Aug. 11, followed by an even more distant sixth in the Grade I Del Mar Futurity Sept. 3.
“He ran with the bears,” the trainer said of the chestnut bred in Kentucky by Aaron and Marie Jones. “We gelded the horse since his last start and Gary (Stevens) is back on. He’s ridden him in his last three races so he knows him well.”
The Sunny Slope, race seven of nine with a 12:30 p.m. first post time: Seven Scents, Geovanni Franco; Shark, Tiago Pereira; Sparky Ville, Gary Stevens; Rickey B, Franklin Ceballos; Savagery, Joe Talamo; and Principe Carlo, Tyler Baze

$750,000 GUARANTEED 20 CENT RAINBOW PICK SIX JACKPOT POOL SATURDAY
There will be a $750,000 guaranteed Jackpot Saturday in Santa Anita’s popular 20 cent Rainbow Pick Six, which will be comprised of the final six races on the card.
First post time is 12:30 p.m. Leg one in the Rainbow Six is race four, with an approximate post time of 2 p.m. PT.
The $100,000 California Flag Handicap, for three year olds and up at five furlongs on turf, has been carded as race five and has attracted a field of six.
The 20 cent Rainbow Pick Six, which enables players to use 10 times as many horses as the original $2 minimum, has produced consistently generous payoffs dating to opening day of the current Autumn Meet that began Sept. 28, when six winning tickets paid $7,336.25 each.
On Sept. 29, 12 winning tickets paid $11,189; on Sept. 30, 14 winning tickets paid $8,469.20; on Oct. 4, 33 winning tickets paid $2,180.75; on Oct. 5, 40 winning tickets paid $1,571.85; on Oct. 6, two winning tickets paid $71,169.10; on Oct. 7, 20 winning tickets, each worth $6,104; on Oct. 8, five winning tickets paid $31,227.30; on Oct. 12, thirteen winning tickets paid $6,957.50; on Oct. 13, 134 winning tickets paid $827.80, and this past Sunday, Oct. 14, thirty one winning tickets each paid $4,624.30.
With $217,099 in “new money” wagered into Thursday’s Rainbow Six, there was a total pool of $729,155, which resulted in 96 winning tickets, each worth $1,209. There is a “live money” Rainbow Six Jackpot carryover into Friday of $561,747.
Average field size for Saturday’s 20 cent Rainbow Pick Six stands at eight horses per race. For additional information, visit Santa Anita’s ‘Live Racing’ page, or call (626) 574-RACE.

FINISH LINES: In his first ride since being injured in a training mishap Sept. 26, jockey Martin Garcia finished third in Thursday’s eighth race aboard Sedamar for owner/trainer Mick Ruis. “I’m happy to be back,” Garcia said Friday morning, adding as his first-time agent Thom Mitchell stood within easy earshot, “I’m happy with my agent, too.” . . . Trainer Andrew Lerner and XBTV’s Jeff Siegel will be Tom Quigley’s guests, 11:20 a.m., Saturday and Sunday respectively, in the EastPaddockGardens. Catch private clocker, Gary Young, talking with XBTV’s Zoe Cadman about Saturday’s 9th race and some Breeders’ Cup thoughts as well (video).

SANTA ANITA STATISTICS

(Current Through Thursday, Oct. 18)
Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won
Flavien Prat 58 12 15 7 21% 59% $1,018,586
Drayden Van Dyke 45 11 10 7 24% 62% $667,120
Assael Espinoza 67 9 7 0 13% 24% $243,580
Gary Stevens 28 8 2 4 29% 50% $416,282
Rafael Bejarano 50 7 8 8 14% 46% $307,928
Joseph Talamo 40 7 5 7 18% 48% $460,788
Tiago Pereira 43 7 3 8 16% 42% $327,794
Heriberto Figueroa 31 7 2 5 23% 45% $166,660
Mike Smith 15 6 4 1 40% 73% $298,915
Kent Desormeaux 27 4 3 2 15% 33% $180,040
Geovanni Franco 47 4 2 11 9% 36% $236,584
Tyler Baze 61 3 7 9 5% 31% $291,445
Alonso Quinonez 29 3 6 1 10% 34% $94,770
Mario Gutierrez 31 3 5 3 10% 35% $183,985
Joel Rosario 9 3 2 0 33% 56% $514,695

Trainer Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won
Peter Miller 39 12 10 5 31% 69% $745,861
Jerry Hollendorfer 40 9 5 3 23% 43% $591,040
Doug O’Neill 46 8 8 7 17% 50% $366,182
Bob Baffert 19 8 2 1 42% 58% $666,050
Richard Baltas 34 4 7 5 12% 47% $247,990
Michael McCarthy 18 4 5 2 22% 61% $354,990
Philip D’Amato 24 4 2 3 17% 38% $265,005
Robert Hess, Jr. 15 4 2 2 27% 53% $98,435
George Papaprodromou 9 3 1 1 33% 56% $50,005
Simon Callaghan 10 3 1 1 30% 50% $272,425
J. Keith Desormeaux 22 3 1 1 14% 23% $95,395

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.