SADLER’S FLAGSTAFF HEADS SATURDAY’S GRADE II PALOS VERDES STAKES

By Mike Willman —-

FLAGSTAFF
ZOE METZ PHOTOGRAPHY

SADLER’S FLAGSTAFF HEADS SATURDAY’S GRADE II, $200,000 PALOS VERDES STAKES AS OLDER HORSES GO SIX FURLONGS

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 22, 2020)—Trainer John Sadler’s talented 6-year-old gelding Flagstaff, idle since Nov. 2, heads a field of six older horses going six furlongs in Saturday’s Grade II, $200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes at Santa Anita.

A game nose winner of the seven furlong Damascus Stakes Nov. 2, Flagstaff, a lightly raced son of Eclipse Champion Sprinter Speightstown, will be making his second start in graded stakes competition on Saturday.

Sadler will also be represented by the venerable 8-year-old gelding St. Joe Bay, a three-time graded stakes winner who’s been idle since winning the Grade II, seven furlong San Carlos Stakes here on March 30.

Idle since March 30, Bob Baffert’s veteran 5-year-old Ax Man has trained well for his return and Baffert’s Speed Pass, a 4-year-old Bodemeister gelding who is unbeaten in two starts gets a major test for class off of a galloping seven length allowance score at Los Alamitos on Dec. 7.

FLAGSTAFF

Owner: Lane’s End Racing & Hronis Racing, LLC
Trainer: John Sadler

A game nose winner of the seven furlong Damascus Stakes on Nov. 2, Flagstaff has won four out of his nine starts and been in the money on eight occasions. Off as the even money favorite in the Damascus, he ran a big third at 9-1 two starts back in the Grade I Santa Anita Sprint Championship, a race in which he was beaten 2 ½ lengths by top gun Omaha Beach.

ST. JOE BAY

Owner: Hronis Racing, LLC
Trainer: John Sadler

A winner of the 2017 Palos Verdes, Florida-bred St. Joe Bay could be in need of a race off the lengthy layoff, but his 14-4-5-2 record over the Santa Anita main track is well worth noting. Based at Los Alamitos for his return to afternoon action, St. Joe Bay will be ridden for the first time by Rafael Bejarano. The leading money earner in the Palos Verdes field with $734,515, his overall mark stands at 36-7-7-6.

AX MAN

Owner: Patti & Hal Earnhardt
Trainer: Bob Baffert

Considered a Derby prospect two years ago, this 5-year-old gelding by Misremembered won the restricted Sir Barton Stakes going 1 1/16 miles at Pimlico in his fourth career start on May 19, 2018, but is still looking for his first graded stakes win in what will be his 10th career start. Idle since well beaten here as the 6-5 favorite going seven furlongs in the Grade II San Carlos Stakes March 30, Ax Man brings an outstanding work tab and a full serving of class to Saturday’s Palos Verdes.

SPEED PASS

Owner: Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman
Trainer: Bob Baffert

A first-out maiden winner going six furlongs at Los Alamitos Sept. 20, Speed Pass relished a main track listed as “good” on Dec. 7 at Los Al, responding with a scintillating seven length allowance score at the same distance as the 6-5 favorite. Out of the Curlin mare Julie Napp, Speed Pass could be sitting on a big 4-year-old campaign as he faces much tougher horses in the Palos Verdes.

THE GRADE II PALOS VERDES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

Ax Man—Drayden Van Dyke—120
Captain Scotty—Abel Cedillo–120
Flagstaff—Victor Espinoza—120
Grinning Tiger—Umberto Rispoli—120
St. Joe Bay—Rafael Bejarano—122
Speed Pass—J.C. Diaz, Jr.—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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, real estate and 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 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 in Maryland; 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 horseracing content to a global audience through Monarch Content Management and XBTV.