Santa Anita Stable Notes Sunday, October 1, 2023

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN
SUNDAY, OCT. 1, 2023

SATURDAY STAKES WINNERS ALL DOING WELL; TRIO EYES BC
All four winners of Santa Anita’s stakes on Saturday – Slow Down Andy, Dr, Schivel, Lane Way and Hong Kong Harry – were resting and doing well Sunday morning. Three from that group will now head to the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita on Nov. 3-4.
Slow Down Andy, front-running winner of the GII Awesome Again, “ate up a full feed tub and is doing great this morning,” said Leandro Mora, assistant for trainer Doug O’Neill.
Slow Down Andy won the 1 1/8-mile Awesome Again by 2 ¼ lengths as the 2-1 favorite under Mario Gutierrez, earning a 101 Beyer Speed Figure. The victory was his first since winning the GII Del Mar Derby on turf last September and his first-ever Grade I score. In three previous starts this year, the 4-year-old Nyquist colt was third in the GI Pacific Classic, second in the GII San Diego Handicap and off-the-board in the GI Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park on July 29.
Second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland, Slow Down Andy this year will target the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at 1 ¼ miles.
Dr. Schivel scored by a determined head over Speed Boat Beach in the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship under Juan Hernandez, earning a 103 Beyer.
“This horse keeps coming back off extended vacations and is always pretty much the same horse,” Glatt said. “That’s pretty hard to do. We’ll see if he has one more good one in him.”
Dr. Schivel will now get a second crack in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Two years ago at Del Mar in the Del Mar Sprint, the now 5-year-old Violence colt endured a heart-breaking nose loss to Aloha West.
“You’re just hopeful for opportunities and the Breeders’ Cup is a big one,” Glatt said. “He’ll be on his home track. There will be plenty of tough competition I’m sure, but we’ll give it our best shot.”
Lane Way’s victory came by a half-length under Mike Smith in the GII Eddie D, which was originally scheduled for the downhill turf course but was moved to the turf chute and run at 6 ½ furlongs due to rain. It was Lane Way’s second stakes tally this year and first career graded-stakes win.
Trained by Richard Mandella, the 6-year-old gelding by Into Mischief earned a 95 Beyer and will be pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 4. It will be contested at five furlongs, which Mandella acknowledged is perhaps shorter than Lane Way’s ideal trip.
“They’re not going to change it for me,” he said.
Hong Kong Harry, a neck winner of the GII City of Hope Mile, is not nominated to the Breeders’ Cup and won’t be supplemented, trainer Phil D’Amato said Sunday.
“The owners would have to put up a couple hundred thousand to run. We’re going to just wait for the Seabiscuit,” D’Amato added. The GII Seabiscuit Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on turf is scheduled for Nov. 25 at Del Mar.
Owned Scott Anastasi, Jimmy Ukegawa and Tony Vallaza, 6-year-old Hong Kong Harry, who earned a 96 Beyer yesterday, has a record of 10-2-3 in 17 starts and earnings of $775,097.

BREEDERS’ CUP: CLASSIC CONTENDER WHITE ABARRIO SLATED TO WORK MONDAY
White Abarrio, a leading contender for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 4 at Santa Anita, is scheduled to have his second local work on Monday. Trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. is on the grounds and will oversee the drill.
The plan is for White Abarrio, winner of the GI Whitney at Saratoga most recently, to work five furlongs at about 6:30 a.m. Pacific, Dutrow said. White Abarrio arrived at Santa Anita in mid-September and worked Sept. 20, a five-furlong drill completed in 1:00.80.
All horses at Santa Anita were limited to jogging Sunday morning due to rain that hit the area Saturday and overnight into Sunday. Among the joggers on the main track were Classic contender Arcangelo and four Breeders’ Cup-bound horses trained by Steve Asmussen – Echo Zulu, Clairiere, Gunite and Society.
According to the Arcangelo camp, trainer Jenna Antonucci is scheduled to arrive at Santa Anita Tuesday to oversee the first local work for the Belmont and GI Travers winner.

GRADED-STAKES WINNER NEWGRANGE IS SET TO RETURN FOR D’AMATO
Grade II winner Newgrange, sidelined since an off-the-board finish in the GI Santa Anita Handicap March 4, is set to return for trainer Phil D’Amato.
“He’s been training well and seems ready to go,” D’Amato said Sunday morning.
Connections are hoping to find an allowance race for Newgrange’s comeback.
A 4-year-old Violence colt, Newgrange has worked eight time since Aug. 6 including a five-furlong gate drill completed in 1:00.00 on Saturday.
“He’s coming off a layoff and may need a race, but we’re looking forward to his return,” D’Amato said.
Newgrange won the GII San Pasqual here Jan. 28 prior to a seventh-place effort in the Santa Anita Handicap. Following the dull effort in the Big Cap, D’Amato elected to give Newgrange a freshening with the hope of returning in the fall.
Newgrange was trained by Bob Baffert for his first four starts, which included wins in the GIII Sham at Santa Anita and GIII Southwest at Oaklawn Park. He was subsequently entered in the 2022 Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale where Rockingham Ranch acquired the colt for $325,000. Newgrange is campaigned by Rockingham, David A. Bernsen and Little Red Feather Racing.

FINISH LINES: Trainer Alfred M. Vuocolo had his first winner at Santa Anita with Petit Filet ($10.40) in Saturday’s seventh race. Vuocolo started a handful of horses from 2008-2010 and has had three wins from 10 starts this year. Petit Filet is co-owned by former longtime Southern California trainer Oscar Garcia…Top jockey Juan Hernandez had his second hat trick in as many day’s Saturday when winning the opener with Tapatio Leo ($3.80), the GII Awesome Again with Slow Down Andy ($6) and GII City of Hope Mile with Hong Kong Harry ($4.20)…Saturday’s Pick 6 handled $297,826 and returned $2,608.30 to 61 winning tickets.