Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, January 21, 2023

BY VICTOR RYAN —-

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN
SATURDAY, JAN. 21, 2023

GRADE II WINNER PRACTICAL MOVE RETURNS TO WORK TAB
CLASSICAL CAT COULD JOIN TRIPLE CROWN TRAIL FOR D’AMATO
11 NOMINEES FOR THE SAN VICENTE INCLUDE 8 FOR BAFFERT
PLAYER-FRIENDLY ‘COAST TO COAST PICK 5’ RETURNS SUNDAY

YAKTEEN’S GRADE II WINNER PRACTICAL MOVE WORKS SOLID HALF MILE
Five weeks after his upset win in the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity, Practical Move got back to work on Saturday when drilling four furlongs in 47.80 seconds for trainer Tim Yakteen.
Practical Move collected 10 qualifying points towards this year’s Kentucky Derby when drawing off to win the Futurity by 3 ¼ lengths over a trio of colts trained by Bob Baffert among others. Yakteen said Practical Move “worked well” on Saturday and he should be ready for his sophomore bow in late February. That could lead to a start in the $400,000 Grade II San Felipe at 1 1/16 miles on March 4, which is the final major prep for the $750,000, Grade I Santa Anita Derby five weeks later.
“Well give him a few more works and see where we’re at, but we’re looking at sometime in late February or early March. We have a few options,” Yakteen said, indicating there’s a possibility Practical Move could ship out of town for his 3-year-old bow.
From the first crop of multiple Grade I winner Practical Joke, Practical Move was a $230,00 auction purchase at last year’s OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale. He is campaigned by Roger K. Beasley, Leslie A. Amestoy and Jean Pierre Amestory Jr.
Practical Move broke his maiden at Santa Anita last October when making his third start and came back to finish third in the Grade III Bob Hope going seven furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 20. In the 1 1/16 miles Futurity, Practical Move stalked the pace under Ramon Vazquez before launching an inside bid and kicking clear of runner-up Caramel Road.
Yakteen, who got his first taste of the Kentucky Derby as a trainer last year, hopes to make a return trip this year with Practical Move.
“Anytime you have a nice 3-year-old in the barn it’s always exciting,” he said.

CLASSICAL CAT COULD JOIN TRIPLE CROWN TRAIL IN ROBERT B. LEWIS
Classical Cat, an impressive winner of the one-mile Eddie Logan on turf Dec. 30, may switch surfaces and take a shot on the Triple Crown trail for trainer Phil D’Amato.
Classical Cat won his debut sprinting on dirt at Del Mar in August and headed straight to the Grade I Del Mar Futurity going seven furlongs on the main track and finished off the board. Subsequently switched to the grass, Classical Cat won an entry-level allowance at Santa Anita on Oct. 23 prior to his victory in the Eddie Logan.
“We have options,’ D’Amato said of Classical Cat. “A possible allowance on turf, possibly the next dirt stake for 3-year-olds here or the El Camino Real at Golden Gate the second week in February.”
The next two-turn stakes in Santa Anita’s 3-year-old dirt series is the Grade III Robert B. Lewis at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 4. The El Camino Real, which is contested over synthetic Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields, is Feb. 11.
“Those are my three options, I’m just going to kind of play it by ear with him,” D’Amato said.
A Kentucky-bred son of Mendelssohn, Classical Cat has won three of four starts and banked $146,300 for owner Michael House. He was purchased at auction as a yearling for just $65,000.

BAFFERT RUNNERS DOMINATE SAN VICENTE LIST OF NOMINEES
After a light week of stakes action at Santa Anita, things pick up considerably next week with four graded stakes on the docket led by the Grade II, $200,000 San Vicente for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs.
Among the 11 nominees for the San Vicente, eight are trained by Bob Baffert: Arabian Lion, Faustin, Fort Warren, Gilmore, Hard to Figure, Havnameltdown, Nullarbor and Speed Boat Beach.
Speed Boat Beach, a multiple stakes winner on turf, was scratched from the Grade III Sham at a mile on Jan. 8 with the plan to wait for the San Vicente. It would be his first start on dirt since setting a track record going 5 ½ furlongs at Del Mar when debuting in early September.
Havnameltdown won the Grade III Bob Hope at Del Mar on Nov. 20 in his most recent start, while Arabian Lion would look to make amends after running fifth as the odds-on favorite in the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 17. Faustin, Fort Warren, Gilmore and Nullarbor are all maiden winners.
Rounding out the nominations are Helladic and Man Child for trainer Ryan Hanson and Navy Man for trainer Michael McCarthy. Helladic has made all three previous starts on turf, while Man Child is exiting a second by a nose in the Lost in the Fog Juvenile on dirt at Turf Paradise on Dec. 21. Navy Man is still a maiden after three starts.
Entries for the San Vicente and the remainder of next Sunday’s card will be taken on Thursday.

PLAYER-FRIENDLY COAST TO COAST PICK 5 RETURNS SUNDAY
With all systems go Saturday at both Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, the ‘Coast to Coast Pick 5’ returns starting at 12:59 p.m.
The Coast to Coast Pick 5 is a $1 minimum wager with a player-friendly 15 percent takeout rate held on Saturdays and Sundays. While last Saturday’s wager was canceled due to no racing at Santa Anita, the following day’s Coast to Coast Pick 5 returned a healthy $2,531.80 for 82 winning tickets.
Saturday’s wager begins with the third race from Santa Anita, a starter/optional claimer going 5 ½ furlongs on turf. The sequence proceeds with the ninth and 11th races from Gulfstream Park and concludes with races six and eight at Santa Anita.

Finish Lines: There is a $116,232 carryover for Saturday’s Rainbow Pick 6. It is a 20-cent minimum wager…First post for Sunday’s nine-race program is 12:30…Eclipse Award-winning apprentice Jockey Kazushi Kimura is now represented by agent Brandon O’Bryan. Kimura, leading rider this past season at Woodbine, won his first race at Santa Anita Sunday aboard Kirstenbosch in the Grade III La Canada for John Sadler… Every Friday during the Classic Meet on-track patrons will receive free admission, free parking and drink specials that include $3 beers and $5 margaritas.

SANTA ANITA STATISTICS
(Current Through Friday, January 20, 2023 Inclusive)
Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Juan Hernandez 62 17 12 11 27% 65% $1,541,916
Edwin Maldonado 50 7 8 5 14% 40% $425,180
Lanfranco Dettori 34 6 4 7 18% 50% $453,420
Mike Smith 20 6 3 3 30% 60% $564,500
Flavien Prat 68 5 16 10 7% 46% $677,360
John Velazquez 36 5 6 3 14% 39% $493,860
Umberto Rispoli 28 5 2 5 18% 43% $316,920
Ramon Vazquez 51 4 3 5 8% 24% $435,820
Tiago Pereira 18 4 2 1 22% 39% $174,740
Armando Aguilar 32 4 0 4 13% 25% $148,640

Trainer Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won
Bob Baffert 41 11 9 5 27% 61% $1,042,680
Mark Glatt 31 7 6 2 23% 48% $404,060
Doug F. O’Neill 41 6 6 5 15% 41% $450,320
John W. Sadler 33 5 4 5 15% 42% $410,500
Philip D’Amato 38 4 7 8 11% 50% $680,080
Steve R. Knapp 21 4 2 4 19% 48% $212,040
George Papaprodromou 36 4 1 5 11% 28% $160,700
Jeff Mullins, Jr. 6 4 0 1 67% 83% $113,300
Leonard Powell 16 3 4 2 19% 56% $406,000
Tim Yakteen 15 3 2 2 20% 47% $122,940

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