Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, June 14, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

GIII SAN JUAN CLOSES THE CURTAIN ON HOLLYWOOD MEET

The Santa Anita Hollywood Meet closes on Sunday with a highly competitive 12-race card featuring large fields and mandatory payouts in all wagering pools. First post is 12:30 p.m. PT.

Highlighting the program on Father’s Day is Santa Anita traditional closing-day feature, the GIII San Juan Capistrano Stakes at about 1 ¾ mile on turf. On Saturday morning, trainer Jonathan Thomas reported Mrs. Astor, who is the morning line favorite in both the San Juan and Saturday’s Possibly Perfect for filles and mares, would run in the Possibly Perfect at 1 ¼ miles on turf.

“I just think (the Possibly Perfect) is better to set her up for Del Mar,” said Thomas, who still has longshots Time Song (8-1) and For Arrogate (20-1) in the San Juan. “She’s already a graded winner, so we didn’t have to take that into the equation. I also didn’t want her to possibly have to gut herself against the boys, although it’s not like Saturday is a shoo-in. She still has to show up and run.”

As for the more fancied of Thomas’s two remaining runners, Time Song, he most recently returned from a 5 ½-month layoff to finish third in a one-mile optional claimer/starter allowance on turf June 7. A 4-year-old gelding, Time Song is by Not This Time out of the Smart Strike mare New Song, breeding that suggests he should like longer distances.

“It’s more of a pedigree play with him,” Thomas said. “He has no turn of foot, but he seems to have a lot of stamina.”

Time Song will have top turf rider Hector Berrios aboard for the first time.

With Mrs. Astor out of the San Juan picture, inheriting the favorite’s role is Divin Propos, who will have Ricky Gonzalez up for trainer Phil D’Amato.

In the GIII San Luis Rey at 1 ½ miles on March 22, Divin Propos and Gonzalez had the lead in the stretch but were overtaken late by winner Atitlan to finish second. Divin Propos was subsequently sent to Pimlico where he tried the GIII Dinner Party at 1 1/8 miles on May 17. He finished a no-threat fourth that day under Luis Saez.

“That last race here (the San Luis Rey) was a really good effort and Ricky Gonzalez seems to get along with him well,” D’Amato said.

D’Amato has won the San Juan three times, which came consecutively from 2019 to 2021. Divin Propos, a 5-year-old French-bred gelding by George Vancouver, is seeking his first stakes win.

The expected pacesetter in the San Juan is Balladeer, who’ll have Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux up for trainer George Papaprodromou. Most recently, Balladeer showed the way in the GII Whittingham at 1 ¼ miles and had the lead at the eighth pole before ultimately finishing fourth, 1 ¼ lengths back of winner Atitlan.

While Balladeer customarily wears blinkers, they will be removed for the San Juan.

“He’s going a little further,” Papaprodromou explained. “He’s worked a couple times without them and he seems to relax a little more. Hopefully it will be the same in the afternoon.”

The San Juan goes as the ninth race Sunday. Post time is set for 4:38 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Nitti, Armando Ayuso (10-1); For Arrogate, Drayden Van Dyke (20-1); Time Song, Hector Berrios (8-1); Maltese Falcon (5-1); Santa Barbarian, Kazushi Kimura (15-1); Mrs. Astor (8-5); Divin Propos, Ricky Gonzalez (3-1); Balladeer, Kent Desormeaux (6-1).

JUVENILES DESERT GATE, HIMIKA IMPRESS IN DEBUTS FOR BAFFERT

Trainer Bob Baffert unveiled a pair of promising 2-year-olds this week in Desert Gate and Himika. On Friday, Desert Gate won his debut by 2 ¼- lengths over another well-regarded 2-year-old from the Doug O’Neill, Acknwoledgemeplz. One day earlier, Himika romped by six lengths against fillies in her debut. Both races were five furlongs.

Desert Gate’s winning time was 57.35 seconds, while Himika finished in 57.86 seconds. Desert Gate received an 86 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort while Himika was assigned a 74 Beyer. As noted by Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free, Desert Gate’s Beyer is the second highest posted by a 2-year-old this year. On June 6 at Saratoga, the filly Mythical for trainer Jorge Delgado popped a 93 Beyer when winning the Tremont Stakes in her second start.

Desert Gate is by Omaha Beach out of graded stakes placed Theogony, by Curlin. He was purchased for $260,000 at the OBS March Sale by owner Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.

Himika is by Curlin out of the Into Mischief mare Motivated Seller, who was a stakes-placed winner for trainer Chad Brown. Himika was purchased by owner Baoma Corp. for $900,000 earlier this year at the OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training.

WORKS: JOHANNES, NYSOS, TENMA LEAD TAB

2024 Eclipse Award finalist Johannes, recent GIII Triple Bend winner Nysos, and GII Santa Anita Oaks winner Tenma were among the notable workers Saturday at Santa Anita.

Johannes, who hasn’t started since winning the GII San Gabriel on Dec. 26, worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 for trainer Tim Yakteen. It was his fifth work since March 19.

Nysos, trained by Bob Baffert, worked four furlongs in 48.20 seconds in what was his first work since the Triple Bend. In the seven-furlong Triple Bend, 4-year-old Nysos uncorked a 108 Beyer Speed Figure when romping by 5 ½ lengths over Dr. Venkman, who also returned to the work tab Saturday. It was Nysos’s second start following a 15-month layoff.

Tenma worked four furlongs on the training track in 48.0 seconds. It was her second work since finishing fourth in the Kentucky Oaks on May 2 at Churchill Downs. Previously, the Nyquist filly won the Santa Anita Oaks in April, GIII Las Virgenes in February and GII Starlet at Los Alamitos in December.

Dr. Venkman worked four furlongs in 47.40 seconds for trainer Mark Glatt. In the Triple Bend, Dr. Venkman was making his first start since the GI Pacific Classic last August. Prior to the Pacific Classic, the now 5-year-old gelding by Ghostzapper won the GII San Diego Handicap at Del Mar.

FINISH LINES: Jockey Antonio Fresu has a three-win lead over Juan Hernandez in the jockey’s standings with two days and 24 races left in the Hollywood Meet. Fresu has 16 mounts remaining while Hernandez is booked on 14 mounts. Fresu, a 33-year-old native of Italy, has never won a riding title in the U.S…Saturday’s fourth race is named in honor “Professor” Gordon Jones, the revered Los Angels-area newspaper handicapper and turf writer who died April 18 at age 95…Friday’s $2 Pick Six paid $19,598 for two winning tickets. Saturday’s Pick Six starts at 3:36 p.m. PT with the seventh race…Saturday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 2:08 p.m. PT with the ninth race from Gulfstream Park…Jockey Serafin Carmona earned his second win as a journeyman Friday when riding Momo’s Kiddo ($8) to victory in the fourth race for trainer Jose Valdez…Thoroughbred Owners of California announced Great Friends Stable is this year’s winner of its annual Horseracing Partnership Award. Great Friends Stable is headed by Craig Dado, who founded the partnership in 2007.

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