Santa Anita Stable Notes Friday, Jan. 9, 2026

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

FRIDAY, JAN 9, 2026

GII SAN VICENTE: ACKNOWLEDGEMEPLZ LEADS O’NEILL DUO
STARK CONTRAST, LA VILLE LUMIERE ON THE ASCENT FOR MCCARTHY
WORKS: IMAGINATION, CORNUCOPIAN, LITMUS TEST ON TAB
$12K CARRYOVER IN FRIDAY’S $1 SUNSET PICK 6 UP FOR GRABS
MAKEUP DAY ADDED ON THURSDAY, JAN. 18; KICKS OFF 5-DAY WEEK

GII SAN VICENTE: ACKNOWLEDGEMEPLZ LEADS O’NEILL DUO

In Saturday’s Grade II San Vicente Stakes for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs, trainer Doug O’Neill will send out the pair of Acknowledgemeplz and Thirsty Rebel.

Acknowledgemeplz, a Florida-bred colt by Bucchero, is the 5-2 second choice on the morning line behind program favorite Buetane (6-5). Thirsty Rebel, a California-bred colt by Stay Thirsty, is installed at 8-1.

Acknowledgemeplz will be cutting back in distance and adding blinkers following a fourth-place finish in the 1 1/16-mile Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 13. Previously, Acknowledgemeplz uncorked a field-high 93 Beyer Speed Figure when graduating going 6 ½ furlongs at Santa Anita.

“That’s what we’re thinking, getting back to one turn,” O’Neill said. “Not that he can’t be effective around two turns down the line. But the blinkers and cutback in distance have us expecting a good effort.”

Acknowledgemeplz is owned by Purple Rein Racing and Mark D. Davis. He’ll be ridden by Kazushi Kimura for the first time in the San Vicente.

Thirsty Rebel exits a dominant six-length allowance win against statebreds on Dec. 12 at Los Alamitos. This will be his first time facing open company on dirt.

“He’s been a pretty honest dirt sprinter and I thought he deserved this chance,” O’Neill said. “He has the ability to try open company, and we have a good post.”

Thirsty Rebel drew the far outside and will have regular rider Abel Lezcano aboard.

The San Vicente is part of a 10-race program Saturday that also includes the rescheduled Santa Ynez Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. First post is 12 p.m. PT. The San Vicente goes as the fifth race at approximately 2 p.m. The field in post position order: Greenwich Village, Hector Berrios (5-1); So Happy, Mike Smith (3-1); Buetane, Juan Hernandez (6-5); Acknowledgemeplz, Kazushi Kimura (5-2); Thirsty Rebel, Abel Lezcano (8-1).

STARK CONTRAST, LA VILLE LUMIERE ON THE ASCENT FOR MCCARTHY

By sweeping Santa Anita’s early season turf stakes for 2-year-olds—or, in the case of Thursday’s delayed Eddie Logan Stakes, newly turned 3-year-olds—trainer Michael McCarthy looks to have a pair of young aces on the shedrow.

In Thursday’s Eddie Logan at one mile on turf, which had been scheduled for Dec. 28, McCarthy-trained Stark Contrast rolled to a dominant 2 ¼-length victory under jockey Kazushi Kimura. Previously, the colt by Caravaggio won the GIII Zuma Beach at Santa Anita and then finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar at odds of 58-1.

“His race in the Breeders’ Cup was no fluke and he proved it,” McCarthy said.

The Eddie Logan also provided McCarthy with his 500th career victory.

Previously on Dec. 29 at Santa Anita, McCarthy won the Blue Norther for 2-year-old fillies on turf with La Ville Lumiere. The dual-surface performer last year also was third in the GII Oak Leaf on dirt at Santa Anita. By City of Light, La Ville Lumiere is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Sabby Racing LLC and Ken T. Reimer.

“Keeping her on the grass for now but we have a lot of options coming up in the next couple of months—maybe we will go back on the dirt,” McCarthy said.

Stark Contrast is a homebred for Amerman Racing. McCarthy already has a spring target for Stark Contrast—the Grade I American Turf for 3-year-olds on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs on May 2.

Early in 2024, McCarthy and the Amerman’s had another young turf graded stakes winner in Endlessly. After Endlessly added wins in the GIII Jeff Ruby and El Camino Real, both on synthetic, the son of Oscar Performance tested dirt in the Kentucky Derby and finished ninth.

“We’ll probably get on the road when spring comes and also take advantage of a few of the races here,” McCarthy said of Stark Contrast. “Hopefully on Derby day we’ll find ourselves in Kentucky. This time on turf.”

WORKS: IMAGINATION, CORNUCOPIAN, LITMUS TEST ON TAB

Imagination, who was scratched from the GII Joe Hernandez on turf Dec. 29 and stablemate Cornucopian, who was scratched from the GI Malibu a day earlier on opening day of the Classic Meet, both worked five furlongs on the main track in 59.80 seconds for trainer Bob Baffert Friday at Santa Anita. Baffert-trained Litmus Test, winner of the GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 13, worked four furlongs in 47.80 seconds.

Imagination, a 5-year-old horse by Into Mischief, most recently finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 1 at Del Mar. In a report Thursday by Daily Racing Form’s Steve Andersen, Baffert said Imagination was a candidate to run in the GII Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 14.

Cornucopian, a 4-year-old colt also by Into Mischief, hasn’t started since April when finishing second in an allowance race at Aqueduct.

British Isles, who was scratched from the GII Laffit Pincay Jr. on opening day, worked six furlongs in 1:13.0 for trainer Richard Baltas. A 5-year-old gelding by Justify, British Isles most recently returned to dirt and was narrowly beaten by Grade I winner Nevada Beach in the GIII Native Diver Stakes going 1 1/8 miles on Nov. 22 at Del Mar.

FINISH LINES: There is a $12,700 carryover in Friday’s $1 Sunset Pick Six, which combines the final three races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park. The sequence starts at 12:50 p.m. PT with the eighth race from Gulfstream…Friday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5, which includes select races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream, starts at 12:20 p.m. with the seventh race from Gulfstream. Horseplayers can access free past performances for Friday’s Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 at https://promos.drf.com/coast-to-coast-pick5 .Both the Sunset Pick Six and Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 feature a low 15 percent takeout and are open to retail customers only…The co-features on a 10-race card Sunday are the Santa Ynez Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs and the GIII Las Cienegas for older fillies and mares on the hillside turf course. First post Sunday is 12 p.m…Eastern-based trainer Robert Falcone Jr., who setup a six-horse stable at Santa Anita this winter, got his first win of the meet Thursday when Gratefully ($4) scored as the favorite in the fifth race under Umberto Rispoli… Santa Anita has added a makeup card for Thursday, Jan. 15 following multiple cancellations because of rain. It will begin five straight days of racing ending with a special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday program on Monday, Jan. 19. On MLK Day, on-track patrons will receive free parking via Gate 3 and be treated to $2 hot dogs, $2 beers and $2 sodas, …Joe Vida, winner of the $1,500 opening day live money handicapping tournament, will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Saturday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 10:50 a.m. PT.

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