Santa Anita Stable Notes Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

SO HAPPY WILL LIKELY GET 2-TURN TEST IN GII SAN FELIPE MARCH 7
WORKS: 4 BREEDERS’ CUP WINNERS ON STAR-STUDDED TAB
CAL CUP DAY THIS SATURDAY FEATURES 5 STAKES FOR STATEBREDS
LAS VIRGENES, GIII SANTA YSABEL BOTH PUSHED BACK A WEEK
$19K CARRYOVER IN SUNDAY’S $1 SUPER HIGH 5 IN 10th RACE
FREE PP’S AVAILABLE FOR SUNDAY’S $1 SUNSET PICK 6

SO HAPPY LIKELY TO GET 2-TURN TEST IN GII SAN FELIPE

Trainer Mark Glatt Sunday morning reported all was well with So Happy the day after winning the GII San Vicente going seven and improving to 2-for-2 for co-owners Norman Stables LLC and Saints or Sinners.

“He’s doing fine,” said Glatt, who purchased So Happy as agent for $150,000 at last year’s OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training.

So Happy won the San Vicente by two lengths over odds-on favorite Buetane. Ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, So Happy sat comfortably behind a sharp pace and then rallied in the stretch to win in a time of 1:21.12. Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free reported the effort earned 96 Beyer Speed Figure. Buetane, who was making his first start in more than four months for trainer Bob Baffert, got a 92 Beyer.

So Happy won the San Vicente in just his second start. Previously, the colt by champion sprinter Runhappy was a debut winner at odds of 38-1 sprinting 6 ½ furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 27.

The San Vicente was the first 3-year-old dirt stakes of the year at Santa Anita leading into the Grade I Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles on April 4. Bridging the gap between the San Vicente and Santa Anita Derby are the GIII Robert B. Lewis going a mile on Feb. 7 and the GII San Felipe at 1 1/16 miles on March 7.

“I’m sure he’ll run in one of these preps coming up here and we’ll see if he can go two turns.” Glatt said. “My first inclination would be to run in the San Felipe, but things change.”

While So Happy’s sire was strictly a sprinter, the bottom side of his pedigree suggests additional distance could be within his scope. Most notably, his dam-sire—Blame—won the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic going 1 ¼ miles.

As for Smith, a two-time Kentucky Derby winner, he came away optimistic that So Happy could be successful at further distances.

“The way he handled the seven-eighths, usually that’s a pretty good indication they will go two turns,” Smith said from the Winner’s Circle. “He was well within himself running underneath the wire.”

WORKS: SPLENDORA, NYSOS, SUPER CORREDA, FULL SERRANO ON TAB

A quartet of Breeders’ Cup winners—Splendora, Nysos, Super Corredora and Full Serrano—all recorded workouts Sunday at Santa Anita.

Splendora and Nysos both worked for trainer Bob Baffert. Splendora, winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, drilled four furlongs in 49.0 seconds. It was the third work back since the Breeders’ Cup for the 5-year-old daughter of Audible. She is a candidate for the GII D. Wayne Lukas Stakes for fillies and mares going seven furlongs on Feb. 7. Previously the Santa Monica Stakes, the race was renamed this year in honor of the legendary trainer who died in June at the age of 89.

Nysos, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner, worked for the first time since winning the GII Laffit Pincay Jr. on Dec. 28 at Santa Anita. The 5-year-old Nyquist horse was timed going four furlongs in 48.20. He is being pointed to the Saudi Cup on Feb. 22.

Also being pointed to the Saudi Cup by Baffert is Nevada Beach, who worked four furlongs in 48.20 seconds Sunday. He finished second to Nysos in the Laffit Pincay Jr.

Super Corredora and Full Serrano are both trained by John Sadler. Super Corredora, winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, worked five furlongs in 59.20 seconds. It was the fastest of 50 works at the distance. By Gun Runner, Super Corredora is slated to make sophomore bow in the one-mile Las Virgenes Stakes, which was pushed back a week to Feb. 8 following the postponement of the Santa Ynez earlier in the meet.

Full Serrano, the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner, worked six furlongs in 1:11.40. Most recently, Full Serrano finished fifth in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. He is a candidate to run in either GII San Pasqual going 1 1/8 miles on Jan. 31 at Santa Anita or the GI Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 24.

Meaning, off since finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, worked five furlongs in 59.60 seconds for trainer Michael McCarthy. Prior to the Breeders’ Cup, the Gun Runner filly was a debut winner at Los Alamitos.

Also working for McCarthy was La Ville Lumiere, winner of the Blue Norther for 2-year-old fillies going a mile on turf on Dec. 29 at Santa Anita. The City of Light filly returned to the tab with a four-furlong drill in 48.80 seconds.

Grade I winner Lovesick Blues, off since finishing sixth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint, worked four furlongs in 49.0 seconds for trainer Librado Barocio. It was his third work since the Breeders’ Cup.

Returning to the tab for Baffert was 3-year-old colt Kristofferson. A debut winner at Del Mar in August, Kristofferson has been off since finishing sixth in the GI American Pharoah on Oct. 4 at Santa Anita. In his first work since the American Pharoah, Kristofferson promptly fired a bullet when blazing four furlongs in 46.80 seconds. He is a son of Nyquist.

CAL CUP DAY THIS SATURDAY FEATURES 5 STAKES FOR STATEBREDS

Horses bred or sired in California will be in the spotlight Saturday on California Cup Day at Santa Anita. Featuring five stakes for statebreds, the full Cal Cup program will be set later Sunday.

The stakes lineup includes three races worth $175,000 apiece. They are the California Chrome Cal Cup Derby at 1 1/16 miles, Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks at one mile on turf and Unusual Heat Turf Classic for older horses going 1 1/8 miles on the lawn. They will be joined by the $125,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint for older horses going six furlongs and the $125,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint on the hillside turf course.

FINISH LINES: As shown in the second condition book, both the Las Virgenes Stakes and GIII Santa Ysabel for 3-year-old fillies have been pushed back a week as a result of the Santa Ynez being delayed a week because of rain earlier in the meet. The one-mile Las Virgenes now goes on Feb. 8 and the 1 1/16-mile Santa Ysabel will be run on March 8…There is a $19,444 carryover in Sunday’s $1 Super High 5, which is offered in the 10th and final race at approximately 4:30 p.m. PT…Free past performances for Sunday’s $1 Sunset Pick Six are available through a partnership between 1/ST Racing and Daily Racing Form. They can be accessed at https://promos.drf.com/sunset-pick6. The sequence begins at 12:49 p.m. PT with the ninth race from Gulfstream Park. Free past performances for the Sunset Pick Six will be offered every Sunday throughout the Classic Meet…Santa Anita will host a makeup card this Thursday following multiple cancellations because of rain. First post is 12:30 p.m. for a nine-race card. It begins five straight days of racing concluding 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.

About The Stronach Group and 1/ST

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