Santa Anita Stable Notes Friday, Feb. 7, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN
FRIDAY, FEB. 7, 2025

RAIN FORCES FRIDAY’S LONE TURF RACE TO MAIN TRACK

The lone turf event scheduled for Friday’s nine-race card, the fourth race for statebred maidens going six furlongs on the lawn, has been moved to the main track following a series of rainstorms that’s hit Los Angeles County this week. First post Friday is 12:30 p.m. PT.

The fourth race, which kicks off the $2 Pick Six at approximately 2:05 p.m., will still be run at its scheduled distance of six furlongs. A field of nine was entered led by 5-2 morning line favorite Have Patience, who has Frankie Dettori set to ride for trainer Doug O’Neill. The three-start maiden has never raced on dirt.

Early scratches for the fourth race are #1 Lovely Idaho, #3 A.P’s Lucky Charm and #5 Practical Dazzle.

As of Friday morning, Santa Anita had received 2 ¼ inches of rain since late Tuesday night, according to track officials. The forecast early in the week was for the area to receive only about 1 inch of rain. The heaviest rainfall arrived Thursday evening and continued uninterrupted through what was Friday’s scheduled training session.

The now all-dirt program for Friday will start with the main track listed as “good.” The National Weather Service forecasts that occasional showers will continue throughout the day.

EARLY 11 A.M. FIRST POST FOR ‘BIG GAME’ SUNDAY

With Sunday’s NFL championship game set to start at 3:30 p.m. PT, Santa Anita will have an early first post of 11 a.m. for a nine-race card. Training on Sunday morning will end at 8:30 a.m. on both the main track and training track.

For “Big Game” Sunday, on-track patrons will receive free parking and admission and are also invited to stick around for a watch party at Sirona’s. In addition to an array of drink specials, watch party viewers can also play “Big Game Bingo” with $1,000 in prizes up for grabs. There is also a free online Pick ‘Em contest that’s open to everyone with a $3,000 prize pool. The Pick ‘Em contest, which is available at Santaanita.com, tasks players with correctly selecting a variety of propositions related to horse racing and other sports.

Sunday’s race card is highlighted by the $100,000 Sweet Life Stakes for 3-year-old fillies sprinting about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course. The 7-5 program favorite in a competitive 10-horse field is Casalu, who will be ridden by Flavien Prat for trainer Bob Baffert.

SUNDAY’S $2 PICK PAYS A COOL $78K FOR 1 WINNING TICKET

There was a pool scoop in Sunday’s $2 Pick Six. A ticket purchased for $288 at Thunder Roadhouse Café in Oklahoma was the only winner resulting in a handsome payout of $78,366.40.

The single winning ticket came despite Sunday’s Pick Six sequence having three winning favorites. The consolation payout for tickets with 5-of-6 winners was $666.00.

The winning horses in Sunday’s Pick Six starting with the fifth race were #3 Warren’s World ($5), #6 Friendly Confines ($38.80), #1 New King ($3.40), #4 Sea Singer ($13.80), #1 Just Deal ($8) and #2 Ghostly Act ($33.20).

Friday’s Pick Six starts with the fourth race at approximately 2:05 p.m. PT. Note the fourth race has been moved from the turf to the main track due to rain. The Pick Six averages 8.8 starters per race before scratches.

POPULAR $1 COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 OFFERED ALL WEEKEND

The $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5, which is open to retail players only and has a low 15 percent takeout, will be offered over the next three days beginning Friday. The Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 features races from both Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.

Friday’s Coast to Coast starts with the seventh race from Gulfstream Park at 12:42 p.m. PT. It also includes the eighth and ninth races from Gulfstream and the second and third races from Santa Anita. The entire sequence will be completed in approximately two hours.

Saturday’s Coast to Coast starts at 1:49 p.m. with the 10th race from Gulfstream, which is the $140,000 Ladies’ Turf Sprint going five furlongs on the lawn. A field of nine is entered in the Ladies’ Turf led by Just a Care, who will be ridden by Luis Saez for trainer Brian Lynch. The sequence also includes the GIII San Marcos from Santa Anita, which is for older horses going 1 ¼ miles on turf. The 8-5 favorite in a field of eight is Truly Quality with Vincent Cheminaud up for trainer Jonathan Thomas.

HERNANDEZ WINS 3 SUNDAY, TAKES LEAD IN JOCKEY’S RACE

Jockey Juan Hernandez Sunday leapfrogged Flavien Prat in the race for top jockey at the Classic Meet when riding three winners on a 10-race card. Hernandez, a seven-time leading rider at Santa Anita, enters Friday 26-for-103 (25 percent) at the stand and with a two-win advantage over Prat (24-for-87, 28 percent), last year’s Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s outstanding jockey.

Hernandez Sunday won the third race, the Las Virgenes Stakes, aboard Tenma ($2.40), the seventh race with New King ($3.40) and the ninth race on Just Deal ($8). All three wins came for trainer Bob Baffert.

Hernandez has four mounts scheduled for Friday, six on Saturday and four on Sunday. Prat is not riding on Friday and will be at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday. He is scheduled to return to Santa Anita on Sunday when he has four mounts booked including program favorite Casalu in the favored Sweet Life Stakes for Baffert.

FINISH LINES: Nominations close Friday for next weekend’s GIII Palos Verdes Stakes and Baffle Stakes. The Palos Verdes, for older horses sprinting six furlongs, goes on Saturday with the Baffle for 3-year-olds sprinting on the hillside turf course on Sunday…Trainers Blaine Wright and Debbie Winick each earned their first wins at the Classic Meet Sunday. Wright won the fifth race with favorite Warren’s World ($5), ridden by Armando Ayuso. Winick scored in the 10th and final race with longshot Ghostly Act ($33.20), who had Kyle Frey aboard….Santa Anita simulcast host and former jockey Jessica Pyfer will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Saturday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:20 a.m. PT…Every Friday at the Classic Meet, on-track patrons receive free parking and admission plus $3 beers and $5 margaritas.