SANTA ANITA STABLE NOTES

By Ed Golden —-

IT’S A GREAT DAY AT THE GREAT RACE PLACE
FUTURE AWAITS SATURDAY’S STAKE WINNERS
MANDATORY PICK 6 JACKPOT RETURNS $53,312
BEER, CAMACHO TAKE SANTA ANITA’S 5K RUNS
HRONIS, SADLER JOIN HOWARD & ‘SILENT’ TOM
FOND MEMORIES RESURRECTED AT SANTA ANITA

Seabiscuit, Round Table, Damascus, Buckpasser, Ack Ack, Affirmed, Native Diver,

Spectacular Bid, John Henry, Best Pal, Lava Man, Game On Dude, Zenyatta.

This is Santa Anita.

Woolf, Arcaro, Longden, Shoemaker, Pincay, McCarron, Stevens, Delahoussaye.

This is Santa Anita.

Molter, McDaniel, Jones, Whittingham, McAnally, Frankel, Lukas, Baffert.

This is Santa Anita.

Hernandez, Johnson, Denman.

This is Santa Anita.

The San Gabriel Mountains, brought vividly into focus from a spectacular sunrise in a backdrop borne idyllically by nature after eons of gestation, a verdant landscape Monet, to art’s misfortune, missed by a century.

This is Santa Anita.

Memories of the greatness that was and is blossomed in all its historic glory Saturday as 30,713 fans on track and countless others transfixed to their TV monitors and shoulder to shoulder at betting parlors witnessed a storybook saga featuring marquee players Bellafina, Vasilika, Roadster and Game Winner, and Gift Box and McKinzie.

This is Santa Anita.

Bob Baffert, after his leading Triple Crown prospects ran first and second in Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby, which he has won a record nine times: “It’s hard to get to this moment. There’s not a better feeling than there is today.

“The fans, despite what they’ve been reading, they showed up. They’re here to watch good racing, they brought their families, they’ll always remember the Santa Anita Derby. It was so comforting to see all these fans here and get behind us.

“They know at the end of the day we love our horses. We wake up worrying about them, we go to sleep worrying about them. To me, that’s what made this a great day.”

This is Santa Anita.

TRAINERS LOOK TO THE FUTURE AFTER BIG VICTORIES

Bob Baffert, Simon Callaghan and Jerry Hollendorfer assistant Dan Ward reported their respective stakes winners came out of Saturday’s races in good order, Roadster and Game Winner after running one-two in the Santa Anita Derby, Bellafina after capturing the Santa Anita Oaks and Vasilika after yet another smashing triumph, this in the Royal Heroine Stakes.

“I got to run my big horses, they ran well and they both look good today, so that’s the main thing,” Baffert said Sunday morning. “The Big ’Cap was a helluva race (in which his McKinzie was nosed out by Gift Box after a pulsating nose-and-nose duel to the wire).

“All the fans showed up to watch those races. It was a good day.”

While the Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile May 4 had been mentioned immediately after her 2 ¾-length triumph in the Royal Heroine as a possibility for Vasilika’s next race, Ward said Sunday her next start likely will come in the Grade I Gamely Stakes May 27 at Santa Anita, where the dazzling daughter of Skipshot has won 10 of 11 races.

The Grade I, $500,000 Gamely is a Breeders’ Cup “Win and Your’e In” Challenge Race to be decided at 1 1/8 miles on grass.

As for Instagrand, third by 2 ¼ lengths in the Santa Anita Derby after leading into the stretch, Ward said the Pat Day Mile “is the race to look at” May 4 at Churchill Downs rather than the Kentucky Derby, adding, “but he might still go in the Derby. He ran good yesterday.”

“All my horses came out of their races well,” said Callaghan, who also sent out victorious Hostess ($53) and Maxim Rate to finish a nose apart in Saturday’s Providencia Stakes. “The plan is to keep Bellafina here until maybe six days before the Kentucky Oaks (May 3).”

MANDATORY SINGLE TICKET RAINBOW PICK SIX JACKPOT PAYS $53,312.60

Although early prognostications forecast Saturday’s Single Ticket Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot pool would reach approximately $3 million, Santa Anita’s popular 20 cent minimum wager, with a mandatory payout in place, generated a massive total pool of $5,352,827.

With a carryover from Friday of $815,939 serving as a catalyst, $4,536,888 in “new” Rainbow Six money cascaded in, creating a pari-mutuel bonanza for the holders of 80 winning tickets, each worth $53,312.60.

With a nine-race card in store today, the Rainbow Six will be comprised of races four through nine. Approximate post time for race four is 2:35 p.m. PT.

BEER, CAMACHO SANTA ANITA’S 5K WINNERS

On a clear and cool morning, Christine Beer blazed the 3.1 mile course she has run so many times before in 35:55, followed by last-minute entrant Loren Lopez of Hospitality in Saturday’s annual 5K run for Santa Anita employees.

Third among women was Wendy Thatcher, who decided to actually run, not walk the course, this year. Wendy and her running mate and colleague from Hospitality Billy Malone were proudly wearing their participant medals while working up in FrontRunner today.

In the men’s division, lead pony rider Jesus Camacho jumped quickly from the starting gate and ran a very respectable 21:35, 109th overall out of nearly 5,000 participants. Following gamely for medals were Noe Meza of the Corp Yard and Rene Henriquez, who works on the starting gate.

All in all, it was a great way to start Derby Day. Thanks to all participants for running and walking in this, the 25th edition of the Santa Anita Derby Day 5K !—Pete Siberell.

Results in the women’s division: Christine Beer, Receiving Barn, 35:55; Loren Lopez, Hospitality, 38:32; Wendy Thatcher, Hospitality, 38:48; Mary Forney, TOC, 43:59; Lucinda Mandella, CARMA, 52:18; Natalie Rietkirk, CARMA, 52:18; and Voni Walker, Parking Operations, 1:02.52.

Among men: Jesus Camacho, Racing, 21:35; Noe Meza, Corp Yard, 22:11; Rene Henriquez, Starting Gate, 23:41; Tim Craigmyle, Starting Gate, 24:06; Albert Razo, Plant, 28:36; Alec Jimenez, Corp Yard, 28:58; Billy Malone, Hospitality, 38:11; and Rey Solis, Accounting, 49:09.

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FINISH LINES: With the winter portion of Santa Anita’s meet ending this afternoon, Joel Rosario leads Flavien Prat in the jockeys’ race, 55-52, with each named on seven horses today. Doug O’Neill holds a 29-24 lead over Richard Baltas among trainers . . . Starting with condition book number seven, agent Tom Knust will represent jockey Agapito Delgadillo in addition to Martin Garcia . . . Santa Anita will be dark for live racing Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and resume live action at 1 p.m. Friday, April 12. There will be simulcast wagering Thursday with free general admission and free parking. Admission gates open at 10 a.m. . . . Fun Fact from Steve Byk, host the popular “At the Races” on Sirius Satellite Radio: With Gift Box following Accelerate’s 2018 Santa Anita Handicap win yesterday, Hronis Racing, LLC and John Sadler became the first owner/trainer combo to win successive Big ’Caps since C.S. Howard and “Silent” Tom Smith did it with Kayak II and Seabiscuit in 1939 and 1940.