SANTA ANITA STABLE NOTES TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019

By Ed Golden —-

McKinzie; Benoit Photo

• BEACH VIEW IS READY FOR FRIDAY’S SAN LUIS REY
• McKINZIE, GAME WINNER PREP FOR BIG DAY APRIL 6
• BALTAS EYES GRADE I WINS IN BEHOLDER, KILROE

BEACH VIEW SETTLES DOWN FOR SAN LUIS REY

Early on in his racing career, Beach View either was on or close to the lead, but it didn’t necessarily prove to be his most successful tactic.

The six-year-old Giant’s Causeway horse turned the corner however in the Grade III Cougar Handicap last July 25, rallying from sixth to win the mile and a half race on dirt by nearly five lengths at odds of 9-1.

He has been a creditable third, fourth and third in three subsequent Grade II events, coming from well off the pace with noteworthy late runs.

“He’s just become a bit more settled,” explained trainer Leonard Powell, a 42-year-old Frenchman who has the chestnut primed for Friday’s Grade II San Luis Rey Stakes at a mile and a half on turf.

“He used to be a bit more on the bridle and be up close, but the Cougar Handicap was the first race we got him to switch off and come through on the inside and it resulted in an impressive victory.”

Beach View is owned by Marc and Paul Levy, father and son businessmen from Chicago. “They had horses in the 80s with Gary Jones but just returned to racing two years ago,” Powell said.

Giant’s Causeway, meanwhile, is a remarkable story in his own right.

A champion on the track and as a stallion, where he stood for $300,000 in 2006 at Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., Giant’s Causeway had nine wins and four seconds in 13 career starts, losing his final race–his only one on dirt–by a dramatic neck to Tiznow in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Arguably the best son of legendary sire Storm Cat, Giant’s Causeway was the leading sire in North America in 2009 and 2010 and was European Horse of the Year in 2000, earning $3,078,989 in a relatively brief career.

He died at the age of 21 almost a year ago, on April 18, 2018.

The San Luis Rey, race seven of eight with a 1 p.m. first post time: Epical,
Tyler Baze, 2-1; Risky Proposition, Drayden Van Dyke, 5-1; Unapologetic, Geovanni Franco, 8-1; Beach View, Rafael Bejarano, 5-2; Marckie’s Water, Mario Gutierrez, 8-1; and Ashleyluvssugar, Kent Desormeaux, 5-2.

McKINZIE, GAME WINNER BREEZE FOR BIG ’CAP, SANTA ANITA DERBY

McKinzie and Game Winner, favored to win the Santa Anita Handicap presented by San Manuel Casino and the Santa Anita Derby, respectively, on Saturday, April 6, each worked towards those goals Tuesday morning for Bob Baffert.

McKinzie went six furlongs with Joe Talamo aboard in a bullet 1:1280, galloping out seven furlongs in 1:25.60. Game Winner, champion two-year-old male of 2018 who suffered his first defeat in a division of the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park March 16 by a scant nose, went four furlongs in 48.80 with Drayden Van Dyke in the irons.

Fans will be treated to a stakes overload April 6, with a total of seven to be presented.

In addition to the 1 ¼-mile Big ’Cap and the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby, each holding Grade I status, Santa Anita will showcase the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks for fillies at 1 1/16 miles; the $200,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for three-year-olds at 6 ½ furlongs; and the $200,000 Evening Jewel Stakes for three-year-old fillies at 6 ½ furlongs.

Also, the Grade II Royal Heroine Stakes for older fillies and mares at one mile on turf and the Grade III Providencia Stakes for three-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on grass.

First post time on Big ’Cap Day will be 12 noon.

BALTAS HAS SECRET SPICE, NEXT SHARES SET FOR GRADE I’S

Trainer Richard Baltas is looking forward to Saturday when he runs two stalwarts from his successful stable in Grade I stakes, Secret Spice in the Beholder Mile and Next Shares in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile on turf.

“They’re both doing well and ready to go,” Baltas said. “The Beholder Mile is a very tough race, but my filly is doing well and she’s ready to roll. Maybe she can come back to that 104 Beyer she ran last year.”

Saturday’s two Grade I’s will be bolstered by three additional added money events, the Grade II San Carlos Stakes for three-year-olds and up at seven furlongs; the Grade III San Simeon Stakes for three-year-olds and up at about 6 ½ furlongs on turf; and the Grade III Santa Ana Stakes for older fillies and mares at 1 ¼ miles on grass Saturday.

FINISH LINES: Agent Matt Nakatani has Mario Gutierrez booked to ride for Doug O’Neill at Keeneland Saturday, April 6, on Bizwhacks in the Grade I Ashland for three-year-old fillies and Parsimony in the Grade II Toyota Blue Grass Stakes for three-year-old Triple Crown candidates . . . Trainer Andrew Lerner is on a roll for owners John Andersen and Jason Bailey who campaign as Vindicate Racing. They have won with their last five starters, three with Platinum Equity and once with Ohman, both at Santa Anita, and once with Sturdy One at Turf Paradise . . . Joe Talamo leaves today for Dubai where he rides Glen Hill Farm’s multiple graded stakes winner Caribou Club for Tom Proctor in the Al Quoz Sprint on grass.

LATEST CONTENT FROM XBTV:

Next Shares works 4 furlongs (Baltas) -3-24-19

Bellafina works 5 furlongs (Callaghan) -3-24-19

Gunmetal Gray works 4 furlongs (Hollerdorfer) -3-24-19

Prodigal Son works 5 furlongs (O’Neill) -3-24-19
Nolo Contesto (Outside) in company with Foxtail work 6 furlongs (Sadler) -3-23-19
Ashleyluvssugar works 4 furlongs (Eurton) -3-23-19
Paradise Woods works 5 furlongs (Sherriffs) -3-23-19
American Anthem (Outside) in company with Zulfikhar work 5 furlongs(Baffert) -3-23-19
Marley’s Freedom (Outside) in company with Just A Smidge work 5 furlongs (Baffert) -3-23-19
Foster Boi (Outside) in company with True Validity work 5 furlongs (D’Amato) -3-23-19
Gift Box works 6 furlongs (Sadler) -3-23-19
Ohio works 5 furlongs (McCarthy) -3-23-19

SANTA ANITA STATISTICS
(Current Through Sunday, March 3)
Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Joel Rosario 207 51 36 34 25% 58% $2,545,756
Flavien Prat 176 46 34 26 26% 60% $2,751,718
Geovanni Franco 175 23 20 28 13% 41% $1,053,077
Heriberto Figueroa 168 23 18 26 14% 40% $873,075
Mike Smith 69 23 12 11 33% 67% $1,390,487
Tiago Pereira 146 22 18 18 15% 40% $890,481
Tyler Baze 186 20 31 25 11% 41% $1,318,904
Rafael Bejarano 133 19 23 26 14% 51% $1,103,457
Drayden Van Dyke 131 17 20 16 13% 40% $1,056,800
Joseph Talamo 126 13 23 16 10% 41% $974,970
Assael Espinoza 113 13 12 13 12% 34% $467,489
Ruben Fuentes 84 11 11 16 13% 45% $370,998
Edwin Maldonado 65 11 8 2 17% 32% $329,972
Mario Gutierrez 98 10 19 12 10% 42% $694,744
Kent Desormeaux 90 10 10 13 11% 37% $807,044
Agapito Delgadillo 56 8 7 6 14% 38% $246,081
Aaron Gryder 54 8 7 4 15% 35% $243,390

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

Doug O’Neill 161 28 25 27 17% 50% $1,424,512
Peter Miller 103 21 17 12 20% 49% $1,125,588
John Sadler 72 20 16 9 28% 63% $1,071,024
Richard Baltas 104 18 20 21 17% 57% $1,086,386
Jerry Hollendorfer 85 14 12 16 16% 49% $1,103,833
Bob Baffert 62 13 10 9 21% 52% $1,118,428
Philip D’Amato 88 11 15 11 13% 42% $784,428
Mark Glatt 64 11 11 7 17% 45% $481,127
William E. Morey 56 10 13 10 18% 59% $482,030
J. Keith Desormeaux 54 10 8 7 19% 46% $495,277
Jeff Mullins 47 9 9 8 19% 55% $587,067
Simon Callaghan 31 9 3 5 29% 55% $493,848
Richard Mandella 38 9 3 2 24% 37% $307,251
Peter Eurton 44 8 9 6 18% 52% $395,527
Vladimir Cerin 49 8 4 9 16% 43% $296,979
Steve Knapp 49 8 4 8 16% 41% $202,634
Hector O. Palma 45 7 8 7 16% 49% $272,018
William Spawr 22 7 2 2 32% 50% $195,526

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.