Santa Anita Stable Notes Friday, March 1, 2024

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN
FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2024

D’AMATO SEEKS FIRST BIG CAP WITH FAVORITE NEWGRANGE
WORK TAB: GI BEHOLDER MILE, GIII SANTA YSABEL PROSPECTS DRILL
SUNDAY’S COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 FEATURES 3 GRADED STAKES
LAVA MAN AUTOGRAPH SESSION WITH NAKATANI, O’NEILL ON SUNDAY
FREE PARKING AND ADMISSION, DRINK SPECIALS OFFERED MONDAY
SANTA ANITA’S LINEMAKER JON WHITE TO ENTER WA STATE RACING HOF

D’AMATO SEEKS FIRST BIG CAP WITH FAVORITE NEWGRANGE
As a Los Angeles native, and lifelong racing fan, Phil D’Amato holds great esteem for the GI Santa Anita Handicap. On Sunday, the 47-year-old trainer will try for his first-ever Big Cap victory with 5-2 morning-line favorite Newgrange.
“It’s one of the crown jewels of Santa Anita,” D’Amato said of the 1 ¼ mile Big Cap, which was first run in 1935. “To win it would really be something special.”
Newgrange enters the Big Cap following consecutive wins in the GII San Antonio at 1 1/16 miles on Dec. 26 and GII San Pasqual at 1 1/8 miles Jan. 27. In the San Pasqual, Newgrange broke on top under Victor Espinoza and led at every call to earn a one-length victory.
“I thought he did it well within himself,” D’Amato said of the San Pasqual. “Going a mile and a quarter this time, we’ll see what he does.”
Both the San Pasqual runner-up, Newgate for Bob Baffert, and third-place finisher Mixto for Doug O’Neill will get another crack at Newgrange on Sunday. D’Amato expects a different pace scenario this time around. In addition to Newgrange, Baffert also entered the comebacking Reincarnate, who breaks from the rail. All three of Reincarnate’s career wins have come from on the lead.
“I don’t think they’ll leave us alone on the front this time,” D’Amato said. “Baffert has a couple entered. I’m sure you’ll see some early action, which changes the scenario this time.”
While Newgrange’s recent successes have come on the front end, he is by no means a “need-the-lead” type. His wins in last year’s GII San Pasqual and the 2022 GIII Southwest as a 3-year-old both came from just off the pace.
Newgrange appears to have drawn well in the Big Cap, as he’ll break from the far outside in a seven-horse field. That should leave Espinoza with plenty of tactical options.
“The great thing is I have Victor. He has a wealth of experience in these situations,” D’Amato noted.
Espinoza has been a member of the Racing Hall of Fame since 2007. The 51-year-old reinsman has 3,510 career wins, which includes the 2022 Santa Anita Handicap with Express Train.
Newgrange looks to be coming into the Big Cap in top form. On Monday, he had a bullet work when sizzling five furlongs in 59.0 seconds.
“I realty want the win for the horse more than myself,” D’Amato said. “He’s one of the barn favorites. Winning a race like this could mean a lot for him and a potential stud career.”
Newgrange is owned by Rockingham Ranch, Little Red Feather Racing and Rockingham Ranch. His record if 7-0-4 in 13 starts with $1,007,634 in earnings.
The Santa Anita Handicap goes as the eighth race on a 10-race card Sunday. Post time is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Reincarnate, Juan Hernandez (8-1); Highland Falls, Florent Geroux (3-1); Mixto, Antonio Fresu (6-1); Salesman, Flavien Prat (6-1); Newgate, Frankie Dettori (4-1); Subsanador, Hector Berrios (5-1); Newgrange, Victor Espinoza (5-2).

WORK TAB: GI BEHOLDER MILE, GIII SANTA YSABEL PROSPECTS DRILL
High-class fillies and mares take the spotlight next Saturday in the GI Beholder Mile and GIII Santa Ysabel, which is the final major prep for the GII Santa Anita Oaks April 7.
On Friday, several nominees for both races registered timed workouts. Drilling for potential starts in the Beholder Mile were Adare Manor (5f, 59.0), Desert Dawn (5f. 59.80), Coffee in Bed (6f. 1:13.0), Window Shopping (6f, 1:12.60) and Sweet Azteca (5f, 59.0).
Adare Manor, trained by Bob Baffert, has been sidelined since a seventh-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff here Nov. 4. Desert Dawn and Coffee in Bed ran one-two in the 1 1/16-mile GIII La Canada here Jan. 20. Sweet Azteca was an eye-catching allowance winner at a mile here Feb. 2 for trainer Michael McCarthy, while Window Shopping has been off since a fourth-place effort in last October’s GII Zenyatta at Santa Anita.
Working towards potential starts in the 1 1/16-mile Santa Ysabel were Kinza (5f, 1:00.20), She’s a Tempest (4f, 47.80), Ultimate Authority (5f, 1:00.40), Pacific Rose (4f, 48.20), Sakura Blossom (5f, 1:01.80), Where’s My Ring (5f, 1:00.80), Ifuaintfirsturlast (5f, 1:02.20).
Kinza exits a win in the GIII Las Virgenes here Feb. 10 for Bob Baffert. She’s a Tempest was third in the Las Virgenes for trainer Steve Knapp. Ultimate Authority is a recent maiden winner for trainer Tim Yakteen, while Pacific Rose also graduated last out for trainer Doug O’Neill. Ifuaintfirsturlast exits a $32,000 maiden-claiming win for trainer Val Brinkerhoff. Sakura Blossom most recently won a starter/optional claimer going seven furlongs for trainer Leonard Powell.
In addition to the Beholder Mile and Santa Ysabel, next Saturday’s program also features the GIII San Simeon on the hillside turf course. Entries for the card will be taken on Wednesday.

SUNDAY’S $1 COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 FEATURES 3 GRADED STAKES
The $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 returns Sunday beginning with the 10th race from Gulfstream Park at 1:36 p.m. PT.
The sequence also includes the 11th race from Gulfstream and three graded stakes from Santa Anita: the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile, GI Santa Anita Handicap and GII Buena Vista.
The Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 features a player-friendly 15 percent takeout rate. It is offered every Saturday and Sunday through the end of Santa Anita’s Classic Meet April 7.

SANTA ANITA LINEMAKER JON WHITE ELECTED TO WA STATE HOF
Immersed in the intricacies of racing since attending races as a small boy with his father at Playfair Race Course in Spokane, Santa Anita Morning Linemaker and native Washingtonian Jon White experienced the thrill of a lifetime early Wednesday morning when it was announced that he had been selected for induction into the Washington State Racing Hall of Fame this coming Aug. 10.
“What a tremendous honor it is for this Washington-bred to go into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame,” said White in an Emerald Downs press release. “I consider it to be the pinnacle of my career in racing. I just wish that my father (Quentin White) was still alive to see this. As a lifelong racing fan, he’d be over the moon.”
Prior to becoming one of the nation’s most highly respected linemakers by virtue of his work at both Santa Anita and Del Mar, White’s racing resume, which dates back 50 years to 1974, indeed redefines “comprehensive.”
Hired on by Daily Racing Form to be a chart caller at Playfair at age 19, White would go on in 1979 at age 24, to become one of the youngest stewards in racing history at Yakima Meadows and he would then become a licensed steward at Les Bois Park in Boise, ID in 1990. He’s been a licensed CHRB steward since 2010.
A reporter-columnist for DRF at all Southern California tracks from 1981 through 1986, White is considered one of racing’s top historians. His attention to detail was more than evident when in 1986 he was assigned to be Daily Racing Form’s full-time chart caller at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, Del Mar and Fairplex Park, a position he held until the summer of 1993.
“As a horseplayer and later as a broadcaster, Jon’s trip notes were invaluable,” said FanDuel TV’s Kurt Hoover. “He took the time and he really cared about the information he was providing. Day in and day out, his trip notes were the best. On top of that, Jon is just a tremendous person. In all the years I’ve been doing television, he’s one of the best people I’ve ever worked with.”
White made a career shift in 1993, as he stepped away from Daily Racing Form and began working as an integral part of the newly minted HRTV network, working on-air prior to becoming Santa Anita’s linemaker in 2007.
White met popular racing writer Tracy Gantz (BloodHorse Magazine and The California Thoroughbred) in the Hollywood Park press box on May 17, 1981 (“John Henry won the Hollywood Turf Invitational that day”) and married her on Nov. 27, 1983.
They reside in nearby Monrovia.
–Mike Willman

FINISH LINES: The first 500 fans Sunday will receive a free Lava Man poster featuring his second consecutive Santa Anita Handicap win in 2007. Hall of Fame jockey Corey Nakatani and trainer Doug O’Neill will be at the East Paddock Gardens to sign the collector’s print from 11 a.m. to 11:45…Nakatani, a newly minted member (2023) of racing’s Hall of Fame, will present the Big Cap trophy… Santa Anita will be open for simulcast wagering on Saturday, with free parking and admission…Live racing continues Monday with a 10-race program starting at 12:30 p.m. PT. On-track fans will receive free parking and admission plus $3 beers and $5 margaritas…Daily Racing Form handicapper/reporter Brad Free will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:20 a.m. PT.

​​​​​​
SANTA ANITA STATISTICS
(Current Through Sunday, February 25, 2024 Inclusive)
Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Juan Hernandez 156 33 30 26 21% 57% $2,304,722
Flavien Prat 112 32 27 14 29% 65% $2,324,494
Antonio Fresu 151 30 21 23 20% 49% $1,796,330
Lanfranco Dettori 116 23 18 17 20% 50% $1,270,700
Umberto Rispoli 95 18 13 22 19% 56% $1,275,402
Hector Berrios 75 15 17 10 20% 56% $928,220
Tiago Pereira 82 11 10 12 13% 40% $734,382
Kazushi Kimura 107 10 17 15 9% 39% $781,364
Armando Ayuso 85 9 13 9 11% 36% $401,540
Geovanni Franco 81 9 12 12 11% 41% $473,142
Trainer Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Mark Glatt 60 20 13 8 33% 68% $992,464
Doug O’Neill 91 18 15 12 20% 49% $966,040
Philip D’Amato 98 16 16 10 16% 43% $1,388,680
Steve Knapp 73 16 8 10 22% 47% $582,380
Bob Baffert 54 13 15 5 24% 61% $1,256,240
Richard Mandella 33 12 5 3 36% 61% $817,240
John Sadler 63 11 12 12 17% 56% $843,746
Peter Eurton 59 9 12 9 15% 51% $568,800
Jeff Mullins 50 8 8 10 16% 52% $455,680
Michael McCarthy 53 8 7 12 15% 51% $633,820

About The Stronach Group
The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The Stronach Group’s 1/ST business (pronounced “First”) is North America’s preeminent Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company and includes the 1/ST RACING & GAMING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY and 1/ST EXPERIENCE businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING & GAMING drives the best-in-class racing operations and gaming offerings at the company’s premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series, Gulfstream Park West and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); the Maryland Jockey Club at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course – home of the legendary Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the operating group for 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, TSG Global Wagering Solutions (GWS) and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is racing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred racing on and off the track. The Stronach Group’s TSG Properties is responsible for the development of the company’s live, play and work communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). For more information, visit www.1st.com or follow @1ST_racing on Twitter or @1stracing on Instagram and Facebook.

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram