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SANTA ANITA STABLE NOTES – THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2019
Posted On 08 Feb 2019
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By Ed Golden —-
• BELLAFINA AT HER BEST FOR THE LAS VIRGENES
• SPECIAL EARLY FIRST POST SATURDAY IS 11:30 A.M.
• BLINKERS OFF YA GOTTA WANNA IN SAN MARCOS
• BLACKJACKCAT IN DEBUT FOR HOLLENDORFER
• FOX2’S ‘SATURDAY AT THE RACES’ SHOW BEGINS
BELLAFINA DOING ‘GREAT’ FOR LAS VIRGENES
Recapturing her best form winning the Grade II Santa Ynez Stakes by 8 ½ lengths on Jan. 6 after being “in season” during a disappointing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last Nov. 2, Bellafina is Jon White’s 2-5 favorite to continue her winning ways in Saturday’s Grade II Las Virgenes Stakes for three-year-old fillies at one mile.
“She’s coming into this race great,” said Simon Callaghan on a brisk Thursday morning that saw temperatures hovering just above freezing (36 degrees) at 6 a.m. “She hasn’t missed any works and trained really well since her debut this year. We’re looking forward to the race.”
Owned by Kaleem Shah, Bellafina drew in the middle of five entered with the three post position. The bay daughter of Quality Road once again will be ridden by Flavien Prat, who has been aboard in all of her six previous races, winning four.
The Las Virgenes, race five of 11 with an 11:30 am. first post time: Calf Moon Bay, Joel Rosario, 12-1; Enaya Alrabb, Mike Smith, 4-1; Bellafina, Flavien Prat, 2-5; Mother Mother, Drayden Van Dyke, 7-2; and Tomlin, Tyler Baze, 15-1.
YA GOTTA WANNA TRIES SAN MARCOS SANS BLINKERS
Ya Gotta Wanna returns to stakes company Saturday in the Grade II San Marcos Stakes for older horses scheduled for 1 ¼ miles on turf. It will mark his first race since last Dec. 28 when the five-year-old Proud Citizen gelding steadied finishing seventh as the 2-1 favorite in an overnight race.
“He’s ready to run,” said trainer Phil D’Amato. “We’re trying something different by taking the blinkers off to try to get him to relax more and hopefully he’ll finish better.”
Ya Gotta Wanna has had 14 career starts, racing in blinkers in his last 13 straight.
The San Marcos, which goes as race nine: Unapologetic, Geovanni Franco, 10-1; Roman Rosso, Evin Roman, 12-1; Chicago Style, Drayden Van Dyke, 3-1; Epical, Tyler Baze, 7-2; Platinum Warrior, Shane Foley, 12-1; Sejo, Flavien Prat, 12-1; Dabster, Joe Talamo, 5-1; Beach View, Rafael Bejarano, 5-1; Lucky Soul, Heriberto Figueroa, 30-1; Flamboyant, Brice Blanc, 12-1; India Mantuana, Joel Rosario, 20-1; Ya Gotta Wanna, Aaron Gryder, 12-1; and Prince of Arabia, Kent Desormeaux, 30-1.
BLACKJACKCAT DEBUTS FOR HOLLENDORFER IN THUNDER ROAD
Hard-hitting veteran Blackjackcat makes his first start for Jerry Hollendorfer Saturday in the Grade III Thunder Road Stakes for older horses at one mile on turf after campaigning in his previous 20 starts for trainer Mark Glatt.
“He’s doing real well,” Hollendorfer said of the six-year-old Tale of the Cat gelding owned and bred by Al and Sandee Kirkwood. “We’ll see how he does.”
Blackjackcat was fifth in last year’s Thunder Road after a wide trip as the even-money favorite. He has six wins and five thirds, with earnings of $590,365.
The Thunder Road, which goes as race seven: River Boyne, Flavien Prat, 8-5; Ohio, Ruben Fuentes, 5-2; Le Ken, Tyler Baze, 10-1; Desert Stone, Joel Rosario, 3-1; True Valor, Andrea Azteni, 8-1; and Blackjackcat, Mike Smith, 5-1.
FOX2 AIRS LAS VIRGENES STAKES SATURDAY
Fox2 begins its “Saturday at the Races” show in two days featuring the Grade II Las Virgenes Stakes for three-year-old fillies at one mile airing from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Nine other “Saturday at the Races” shows from Santa Anita are scheduled to be aired, with Michelle Yu reporting In addition to the Las Virgenes, they are:
Monday, Feb. 18, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the California Cup Derby; Saturday, Feb. 23, the Grade II Buena Vista Stakes, 12 noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2, the Pasadena Stakes, 12 noon to 3 p.m.; Saturday, March 9, the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.; also, Saturday, March 16, the Grade I Beholder Mile and the Grade III San Simeon Stakes, 2 p.m. to 4:30; and Saturday, April 6, the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Races to be determined will also air Friday, April 12, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 13 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturday, April 20 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
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FINISH LINES: Richard Baltas, third in Santa Anita’s Winter Meet standings with 12 wins, has six horses entered today, two in the third race, boosting his number for the meet to 72, second only to leader Doug O’Neill’s 92. “You can’t make money sitting in the barn,” said Baltas, whose horses here have earned $791,957 to date . . . Juan Carlos Diaz Jr. makes his North America riding debut today. The 18-year-old from Puerto Rico is named on Irish Ballad in the second race and June Two Four in the seventh. Accompanying the 10-pound apprentice jockey represented by agent Tony Matos is his 41-year-old father, Puerto-Rico-based Juan Diaz, a top rider in his own right who needs 80 victories to reach 5,000 in his career . . Trainer Michael McCarthy of City of Light/Pegasus World Cup fame plans to saddle John Henry Turf Championship winner Liam The Charmer in the $2.95 million HH The Amir Trophy (presented by Longines) at a mile and a half at Al Rayyan Race Course in Qatar on Feb. 23. “The owners want to run there,” the trainer noted . . . Purr-ty good hunch exacta box in today’s third race: 5-2 morning line favorite See That Kat and 8-1 chance Cat’s Desire . . . An additional reminder, special early first post time for an 11-race card Saturday is 11:30 a.m.
SANTA ANITA STATISTICS
(Current Through Sunday, Feb. 3)
Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% In $ % Money Won
Flavien Prat 111 28 21 15 25% 58% $1,765,088
Joel Rosario 119 23 22 22 19% 56% $1,355,943
Heriberto Figueroa 112 19 10 18 17% 42% $678,461
Geovanni Franco 106 15 14 13 14% 40% $746,560
Tiago Pereira 81 15 9 9 19% 41% $544,807
Rafael Bejarano 86 14 12 11 16% 43% $725,654
Mike Smith 44 14 9 7 32% 68% $948,492
Drayden Van Dyke 85 11 14 11 13% 42% $662,414
Tyler Baze 123 10 22 18 8% 41% $817,510
Joseph Talamo 85 8 15 13 9% 42% $702,627
Ruben Fuentes 61 8 7 12 13% 44% $266,921
Kent Desormeaux 55 8 5 11 15% 44% $594,312
Assael Espinoza 66 7 3 10 11% 30% $245,100
Edwin Maldonado 41 6 5 1 15% 29% $220,203
Agapito Delgadillo 34 5 5 4 15% 41% $138,785
Martin Pedroza 44 5 4 3 11% 27% $163,991
Trainer Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% In-$ % Money Won
Doug O’Neill 92 17 17 10 18% 48% $756,055
Peter Miller 66 13 12 8 20% 50% $799,031
Richard Baltas 66 12 15 11 18% 58% $791,957
Jerry Hollendorfer 57 11 9 7 19% 47% $752,436
J. Keith Desormeaux 33 9 5 5 27% 58% $357,291
John Sadler 43 8 9 8 19% 58% $537,788
William E. Morey 39 8 8 7 21% 59% $384,699
Philip D’Amato 55 7 9 8 13% 44% $526,567
Mark Glatt 40 7 7 5 18% 48% $286,612
Jeff Mullins 32 7 6 6 22% 59% $461,424
Bob Baffert 44 6 8 7 14% 48% $689,933
Richard Mandella 26 6 2 2 23% 38% $231,207
Peter Eurton 31 5 5 3 16% 42% $262,365
Steve Knapp 30 5 1 5 17% 37% $121,027
William Spawr 13 5 1 2 38% 62% $119,836
ABOUT SANTA ANITA PARK
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.
ABOUT THE STRONACH GROUP
The Stronach Group is North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, home of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational, 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 also a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.
