Santa Anita Stable Notes Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025

Zoe Metz Photo
STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN
THURSDAY, JAN. 16, 2025

SANTA ANITA DONATION CENTER TO REMAIN OPEN THROUGH FRIDAY
The donation center at Santa Anita Park established last Thursday due to the Los Angeles County fires will remain open for pickups and drop-offs until Friday at 9 p.m. Since opening in Santa Anita’s 750,000 square-foot South Parking Lot, near The Shops at Santa Anita, more than 100,000 people have donated and/or picked up needed supplies for the fire relief effort.
While the donation center is winding down, Santa Anita plans to continue its relief efforts for those affected by the wildfires. Santa Anita’s North Lot, or Colorado Lot, will remain as a Southern California Edison “laydown yard” for another three to four weeks, according to track officials. The North Lot, which measures over 1 million square feet, has served as a staging area for vehicles and materials as Southern California Edison works to restore power to some 380,000 homes in the area. In addition, Edison is using another of Santa Anita’s parking lots to store crew trucks.
“Many of our employees, horsemen and racing patrons have lost everything,” said Pete Siberell, Director of Community Service & Special Projects for Santa Anita. “We want to provide as much of our space, staff and resources that we can to those in need during what will be a long recovery.”
Santa Anita has also received requests from various other organizations, including FEMA contractors and local schools, seeking space at the track and other resources to aid in the ongoing recovery effort.
“Santa Anita hopes to continue its service to wildlife victims in the weeks and months to follow,” Siberell said.
Since its opening, the donation center at Santa Anita has received and distributed an array of supplies including non-perishable food items, toiletries, hygiene items, clothing, shoes, pet food, diapers, cellular service and more. It will be open until 9 p.m. on Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday.

5-DAY RACE WEEK INCLUDES CALIFORNIA CUP, MLK JR. HOLIDAY CARD
After racing was canceled last week due to the Los Angeles County fires, Santa Anita will host five-straight days of live racing starting Thursday and ending with a special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday card on Monday.
The action kicks off Thursday with a 10-race program starting at 12 p.m. PT. The card, which averages 8.5 starters per race before scratches, was originally slated to be run last Friday.
Santa Anita will then host an eight-race card on Friday beginning at 12:30 p.m. PT. Saturday is California Cup Day with 11 races set to go including five stakes for horses bred or sired in California. First post is at 11:30 a.m.
The California Cup, which was scheduled to be held last Saturday, features the $175,000 California Chrome California Derby, $175,000 Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks, $175,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic, $125,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint and $125,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint.
In addition, Cal Cup Day at Santa Anita will include its popular Burgers & Brews festival on the trackside apron. Patrons can purchase tickets for Burgers & Brews at Santaanita.com.
On Sunday, Santa Anita will again host an 11-race card starting at 11:30 a.m. Highlighting Sunday’s action are the Grade III Las Cienegas Stakes, which was originally scheduled for last Sunday, and the GIII La Canada Stakes.
The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday card has 10 races with first post at 12 p.m. It is also “Dollar Day” at Santa Anita with on-track patrons receiving $1 beers and sodas and $2 hot dogs.

WORKS: GI WINNER SPEED BOAT BEACH BACK ON TAB FOR BAFFERT
A light work tab Thursday included the return of Grade I winner Speed Boat Beach for trainer Bob Baffert. Off since winning the 2023 GI Malibu at Santa Anita, Speed Boat Beach drilled three furlongs on the main track in 36.40 seconds. It was his first work since Sept. 21.
Owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Speed Boat Beach is 7: 4-10-0 with $498,000 in earnings. He was a two-time stakes winner on turf as a 2-year-old before switching to dirt for three starts last year. As a 3-year-old, the Bayern colt was second in the GII Santa Anita Sprint and fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita before winning the Malibu by 1 ½ lengths under Flavien Prat.
Also working on the comeback trail was Kings River Knight, who dominated the California-bred turf division the previous two seasons. Trained by John Sadler, Kings River Knight drilled three furlongs on the main track in 37.20 seconds. It was his second timed workout this month after previously being clocked going a quarter mile in 24.80 seconds on Jan. 3.
A 6-year-old gelding by Acclamation, Kings River Knight has not started since last May when he won the Crystal Water Stakes for statebreds at a mile on turf. It was his sixth stakes win and pushed his earnings to $649,830 for owners Integrity Thoroughbred Racing LLC, The Ellwood Johnston Trust and Kenneth A. Tevelde.

$1 COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 OFFERED ON FRIDAYS THE REST OF JANUARY
The 1/ST Coast-to-Coast Pick 5, which features races from Santa Anita Park and Gulfstream Park, has expanded to include Friday racing for the remaining three weeks in January.
The Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 is a $1 minimum wager and features a player-friendly 15 percent takeout rate. It has proven a popular option for horseplayers during its regular offerings on Saturdays and Sundays. Beginning this week, the Coast to Coast will be offered on the next three Friday programs at Santa Anita and Gulfstream.
The Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 tasks bettors with selecting the winners in five designated races from Gulfstream Park in South Florida and Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. If no one has all five winners on a day’s sequence, the pool then will carry over. There are no consolation payouts. Also noteworthy, the Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 is offered exclusively to retail customers.
This Friday’s Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 begins at 1:05 PT with the eighth race from Gulfstream Park. The sequence continues with the third race from Santa Anita, ninth from Gulfstream, and both the fifth and six races from Santa Anita. Based on assigned post times, the wager will be decided in less than two hours.

FINISH LINES: Due to a total flight restriction in the area because of the Eaton fire, the FanDuel drone that provides aerial coverage of Santa Anita’s races will not be available this week…Santa Anita has added a race day next Thursday, Jan. 23, as a makeup for last week’s cancellations…Through the first eight days of the Classic Meet, Juan Hernandez has 12 wins to lead Flavien Prat by a single victory in the jockey’s standings. The race is similarly as close in the trainer’s division. Bob Baffert has saddled seven winners, one more than runner-up Mark Glatt… Horseplayer Jackson Muniz will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Friday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:20 a.m. PT.

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.

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