SANTA ANITA STABLE NOTES FRIDAY, OCT. 11, 2019

By Ed Golden —-

• TWO ‘GRAZENS’ CARRY NICK ALEXANDER’S COLORS
• QUEEN BEE TO YOU HAS TRAINER LERNER BUZZING
• LISA BERNARD POSTS HER FIRST TRAINING VICTORY
• BACK FULL TIME AT SANTA ANITA, T. BAZE DOUBLES

ALEXANDER HAS TWO FOR THE MONEY IN CALIFORNIA DISTAFF

Longtime California owner/breeder Nick Alexander will be represented by another daughter of Grazen in addition to favored S Y Sky in Saturday’s $100,000 California Distaff Handicap at 5 ½ furlongs turf.
That would be Just Grazed Me, gray like the five-year-old S Y Sky, and like her stablemate, never out of the money.
“I think she’s shown an affinity for the grass,” said trainer Phil D’Amato of the four-year-old filly, third in the restricted Daisycutter at Del Mar on July 20 before winning an overnight event going five furlongs on grass at the seaside oval Aug. 14.
“It’s nice to have a one-two Grazen punch for the Nick Alexander team in there and they’re both ready to go,” D’Amato said, “so we’re looking forward to it”
The California Distaff Handicap, race seven of nine: S Y Sky, Drayden Van Dyke, 7-5; Silk From Heaven, Eswan Flores, 20-1; Gypsy Blu, Abel Cedillo, 5-1; Queen Bee to You, Ruben Fuentes, 8-1; Don’t Sell, Mario Gutierrez, 5-2; and Just Grazed Me, Geovanni Franco, 5-2.
First post time Saturday is 12:30 p.m.

QUEEN BE TOO YOU RETURN TO TURF SPRINT FOR LERNER

Queen Bee to You has run three times on dirt for Andrew Lerner since the 30-year-old trainer took over from Michael Pender, winning the $100,000 Bertrando by a nose at nearly 11-1 odds on June 19 at Los Alamitos.
On Saturday, the five-year-old Old Topper mare returns to turf in the California Distaff Handicap at 5 ½ furlongs. She has two wins and three seconds in seven starts on Santa Anita’s grass course.
“She’s coming into the race really well,” Lerner said. “I wanted to sprint her; I wanted to shorten her up. She’s done well sprinting down the hill although 5 ½ might be a little short for her, but I think we’ll have some pace to run at.
“She’s for real at this turf distance and she’s doing well as she goes up the ladder.”

XPRESSBET FIRST CALL

Xpressbet First Call is a weekly handicapping and analysis podcast focused on the top Thoroughbred racetracks in America. It features industry veterans Jeff Siegel as the lead handicapper and host Jeremy Plonk. To listen to this weekly podcast please visit: https://www.spreaker.com/show/xpressbet-first-call

FINISH LINES: Lisa Bernard was whooping it up big time on the Grandstand Mezzanine Thursday, rooting home Reds Sacred Appeal and jockey Evin Roman, who posted a 2 ¼-length victory in the first race at a $14.60 payoff for the 36-year-old owner/trainer’s maiden victory. “She gave the horse time and had it ready,” said Tony Matos, agent for Roman, adding that Bernard took over the horses formerly trained by Walther Solis, who was one of several Winner’s Circle revelers. A three-year-old chestnut filly by Twice the Appeal bred in California by Rusty and Debi Brown, Reds Sacred Appeal had not raced since July 12 at Los Alamitos but had been working forwardly at San Luis Rey Downs . . . After a successful six-month tour riding regularly in Kentucky, Tyler Baze is back at The Great Race Place where he won two races Thursday and plans to ride full time at Santa Anita “as long as there is racing,” said his agent of 10 years, Craig O’Bryan . . . With his 5 ¼-length triumph in Thursday’s feature race aboard Mo See Cal for trainer Peter Miller, Abel Cedillo took an 8-7 lead over Drayden Van Dyke in the jockeys’ race through eight days of Santa Anita’s 23-day Autumn Meet. Cedillo and Van Dyke each have three stakes wins. Among trainers, Doug O’Neill sent out Howbeit to capture the fifth race, giving him a 9-7 edge over runner-up Phil D’Amato . . .Tom Quigley’s pre-race simulcast handicapping seminar guest on Saturday is handicapper & Thoroughbred scout, Larry Zapp. On Sunday, Tom will be joined by LA Times Newsletter handicapper, Ciaran Thornton… Santa Anita offers holiday racing this Monday, Columbus Day, with first post time 12:30 p.m. Admission gates open at 10:30 a.m.

LATEST CONTENT FROM XBTV:

Stronach 5 All-Star Ticket for October 11th, 2019

XBTV Friday: What to Watch for at Santa Anita Park on October 11th, 2019

XBTV Saturday: What to Watch for at Santa Anita Park on October 12th, 2019

FEATURES:

A Candid Conversation With Jockey Flavien Prat: Part 1 of 2

A Candid Conversation With Jockey Joseph Talamo: Part 1

A Candid Conversation With Jockey Joseph Talamo: Part 2

WORK OUTS:

American Theorem (Outside) and Knifes Edge (Papaprodromou) 10/11/19

Seeking the Soul (Stewart) 10/11/19

Draft Pick (Outside) and Storm the Court (Eurton) 10/11/19

Roadster (Outside) and Leading Score (Baffert) 10/10/19

McKinzie (Baffert) 10/10/19

Bast (Outside) and Hot Sean (Baffert) 10/09/19

S Y Sky (Outside) and Violette Szabo (D’Amato) 10/06/19

Gypsy Blu (Glatt) 10/05/19

SANTA ANITA STATISTICS
(Current Through Thursday, Oct. 10)
Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Abel Cedillo 45 8 6 3 18% 38% $671,357
Drayden Van Dyke 29 7 4 2 24% 45% $497,185
Jorge Velez 35 5 6 0 14% 31% $198,824
Evin Roman 20 5 2 0 25% 35% $145,791
Flavien Prat 29 4 6 10 14% 69% $493,533
Rafael Bejarano 30 3 7 5 10% 50% $230,488
Tiago Pereira 25 3 5 6 12% 56% $173,237
Geovanni Franco 25 3 5 5 12% 52% $152,889
J.C. Diaz, Jr. 22 3 2 1 14% 27% $111,179
Martin Garcia 19 3 2 0 16% 26% $105,440
Ruben Fuentes 29 3 1 4 10% 28% $195,639
Mike Smith 18 3 1 1 17% 28% $513,485
Tyler Baze 10 3 0 2 30% 50% $102,734

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

Doug O’Neill 34 9 5 4 26% 53% $409,068
Philip D’Amato 23 7 2 2 30% 48% $610,040
Bob Baffert 15 6 2 1 40% 60% $579,882
Richard Baltas 28 3 7 5 11% 54% $317,792
John Sadler 28 3 5 4 11% 43% $249,927
Peter Miller 18 3 3 3 17% 50% $213,168
Richard Mandella 15 3 2 4 20% 60% $333,362
Simon Callaghan 11 3 1 2 27% 55% $215,853
Mark Glatt 17 2 6 1 12% 53% $119,047
Jeff Mullins 19 2 2 4 11% 42% $133,045
Craig Anthony Lewis 9 2 1 0 22% 33% $85,604
Vann Belvoir 7 2 0 3 29% 71% $32,121

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 (TSG) is a world-class entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred horse racing at the core. The company’s mission is executed through the distinct but interconnected pillars of Racing and Gaming, Entertainment, Technology and Real Estate Development. TSG is dedicated to delivering the best in class Thoroughbred horse racing content and operations. The company holds some of the greatest brands in the industry including, Southern California’s Santa Anita Park, “The Great Race Place”; South Florida’s Gulfstream Park, home to the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series and retail destination, The Village at Gulfstream Park; Pimlico Race Course, home of the legendary Preakness Stakes, Laurel Park and Rosecroft Raceway in Maryland; Oregon’s Portland Meadows; and the San Francisco Bay Area’s, Golden Gate Fields. TSG is a leader in digital and mobile wagering technology through its subsidiaries AmTote and Xpressbet and is a major distributor of horse racing content to a global audience through Monarch Content Management. The award winning Adena Springs is the breeding and training facility of The Stronach Group with stables in Kentucky, Florida and Ontario.