Santa Anita Stable Notes Monday, Feb. 17, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN ====

Barnes; Benoit Photo

MONDAY, FEB. 17, 2025

WORKS: BARNES, CITIZEN BULL, RODRIGUEZ WORK FOR BAFFERT

Barnes and Rodriguez, candidates for the GII San Felipe on March 1 at Santa Anita, and fellow 3-year-old Citizen Bull all worked for trainer Bob Baffert Monday at Santa Anita. Baffert also worked older horse Mirahmadi, who is pointed to the GI Santa Anita Handicap March 1.

Unbeaten Barnes worked in company with stablemate Flying Drummer, an allowance-winning 4-year-old. Barnes was clocked going six furlongs in 1:12.00 while Flying Drummer was credited with a five-furlong drill in 1:01.60.

Rodriguez completed his solo move in 1:11.80, which shared for the fastest six-furlong work of the day. Citizen Bull, last year’s champion 2-year-old, worked five furlongs with company in 1:00.60. Citizen Bull and Rodriguez most recently ran one-two in the GIII Robert B. Lewis going a mile on Feb. 1 at Santa Anita.

Barnes closed this weekend’s Kentucky Derby Future Wager as the 8-1 individual favorite among 39 3-year-olds listed in the pool. The “all others” entry was the overall favorite at 9-2. By Into Mischief, Barnes improved to 2-for-2 when winning the GII San Vicente going seven furlongs on Jan. 4 at Santa Anita. The 1 1/16-mile San Felipe would be his first time racing around two turns.

Citizen Bull, also by Into Mischief, closed the Kentucky Derby future pool as the 9-1 second choice among individual 3-year-olds. Rodriguez, an Authentic colt, closed at 29-1.

Mirahmadi also worked six furlongs in 1:11.80 to share the bullet for the distance with Rodriguez. A 4-year-old Into Mischief colt, Mirahmadi most recently rolled to a 4 ½-length allowance win going a mile on Jan. 4.

Continuing on the comeback trail for Baffert was unbeaten Nysos. Off since winning last year’s Robert B. Lewis, Nysos worked four furlongs in 48.60 seconds. It was the 4-year-old Nyquist colt’s third work since Jan. 30.

Also working towards an expected start in the Santa Anita Handicap was Express Train for trainer John Shirreffs. Winner of the 2022 Big Cap, Express Train drilled six furlongs in 1:14.00. Express Train, 7-year-old horse by Union Rags, most recently finished second in the GII San Pasqual going 1 1/8 miles Jan. 25.

Among trainer Phil D’Amato’s workers were Grade I winner Gold Phoenix and multiple graded stakes winner Balnikhov. Gold Phoenix, most recently fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Nov. 2 at Del Mar, drilled five furlongs on the synthetic training track in 1:01.60. It was the fourth work after a freshening for the 7-year-old gelding by Belardo.

Balnikhov, most recently 10th in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park, returned to the tab with a four-furlong work on the training track in 49.80 seconds.

BALTAS: ‘A LOT OF OPTIONS’ FOR SCIPIO AFTER BAFFLE WIN

After multiple near-misses in stakes as a 2-year-old while still a maiden, Scipio earned a breakthrough victory Sunday in the Baffle Stakes for sophomores sprinting about 6 ½ furlongs on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course.

Trained by Richard Baltas, Scipio was angled out for racing room in the stretch and burst clear under Flavien Prat to win by 1 ½ lengths. He raced without blinkers for the first time in his career. Last year, prior to earning his diploma on Dec. 28 at Santa Anita, the Caravaggio ridgling was second in the GIII Cecil B. DeMille, third in the GIII Del Mar Juvenile and fourth in the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. All were going a mile on turf at Del Mar.

As Baltas noted, the next logical spot for Scipio would be the Pasadena Stakes for 3-year-olds going a mile on turf March 9 at Santa Anita.

“Any 3-year-old turf stakes will be next. The Pasadena, then maybe Del Mar down the road. There’s a lot of options for him,” Baltas said. “I think he wants to run farther. But he does pretty good when he goes short.”

Scipio is owned by Calvin Nguyen and Joey C. Tran. The Baffle win upped his record to 6: 2-1-2 with $149,000 in earnings.

Scipio, who is out of the winning Quality Road mare Sou Spirit, was purchased by Baltas for $60,000 at last year’s OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training. At the sale’s under-tack show, Scipio was clocked going a furlong in 10.40 seconds.

Since being purchased, Scipio has developed into an imposing physical specimen. He weighed in at more than 1,200 pounds prior to the Baffle.

“(Bloodstock agent) Carolyn Conley helped me pick this horse,” Baltas said. “Nobody wanted him because he worked in 10 and two. He was a big, good-looking horse. So we vetted him and I got him for $60,000.”

DONATION DRIVE FOR FIRE RELIEF; 1st RESPONDERS DAY THIS SUNDAY

A donation drive to aid fire relief efforts will be held this Sunday in the Santa Anita parking lot from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PT. All those who donate can also stay and enjoy a complimentary day at the races that includes free admission, free parking a free race program.

Santa Anita will also be honoring first responders on Sunday with a free lunch, free track admission, open seating in Santa Anita’s box seats and VIP tours throughout the day.

Those wishing to contribute to the donation drive presented by Angelenos in Action can enter Santa Anita eighter through Gate 5 off Huntington Drive or Gate 8 off Baldwin Avenue. Donations can include non-perishable food, water, paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, wipes), diapers, toiletries (all items must be new) and pet food.

Following last month’s wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles County, including the nearby Eaton Fire that affected many in the Santa Anita community, Santa Anita has been at the forefront of relief efforts. Recently, Santa Anita was recognized as one of nine “Eaton Fire Community Heroes” by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

FINISH LINES: Flavien Prat rode three winners Saturday and is now tied with Juan Hernandez for leading rider at the Classic Meet with 31 victories. In addition to the Baffle Stakes with Scipio ($3.80) for trainer Richard Baltas, last year’s Eclipse Award-winning jockey also won the seventh race on Feel The Magic ($4.80) and the nightcap aboard Calmate ($11.60), both for trainer Michael McCarthy…Santa Anita steward Luis Jauregui’s son, Hunter Jauregui, and jockey agent Tom Knust’s granddaughter, Samantha Sachs, each won CIF Southern Section wrestling titles over the weekend. Jauregui, a junior at Fountain Valley High, won the boys 113-pound weight class. It was his second CIF championship. Sachs, a senior at Glendora High, won the girls 130-pound title. It was her fourth CIF title. Both will move on to this weekend’s Masters’ tournament. Sachs recently signed a letter of intent to wrestle at the University of Iowa, one of the nation’s top programs…Following Monday’s Presidents’ Day card, live racing resumes Friday at Santa Anita with a nine-race card starting at 12:30 p.m. PT.

Cover Photo: Katie Abbott

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