SANTA ANITA STABLE NOTES; GRADE II SANTA YNEZ STAKES PREVIEW

By Ed Golden —-

Arrogate; Zoe Metz/Clockers Corner

• BAFFERT HOPES TO WORK ARROGATE TODAY
• HOLLENDORFER: TWO FOR THE $$ IN SANTA YNEZ
• DOLLAR DAY ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HOLIDAY

ARROGATE JOGS, COULD BREEZE TODAY FOR PEGASUS

Bob Baffert hopes to work Arrogate Sunday if the weatherman cooperates and track conditions are suitable.

The Hall of Fame trainer plans to run the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and finalist for Horse of the Year honors in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at GulfstreamPark on Jan. 28, but needs to get a work into the four-year-old gray son of Unbridled’s Song and has no margin for error time wise.

Arrogate last worked on Dec. 27, going six furlongs in 1:12.20 but Baffert has been unable to maintain a regular training regimen since due to a spate of wet weather.

Arrogate jogged two miles the wrong way on Santa Anita’s main track at 9 a.m. Saturday with Dana Barnes aboard.

“If we can get a breeze in tomorrow, I don’t see why we can’t make it (the Pegasus),” Baffert said after the jog. “It’s very important.”

Arrogate has won five straight races including a dramatic half-length victory over 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome in the Classic at Santa Anita last Nov. 5 and a record-setting 13 ½-length romp in the Grade I Travers last August.

California Chrome, winner of 16 of 26 starts and earner of a record $14,502,650 for a North American-based Thoroughbred, left Friday for Florida and arrived safely to prepare for the inaugural running of the Pegasus, to be decided at 1 1/8 miles.

It will be the last race for the immensely popular six-year-old California-bred son of Lucky Pulpit, who will be retired to stud following the Pegasus, which could pair him against Arrogate in a widely anticipated rematch, if the fates allow.

HOLLENDORFER PAIR HAVE SIMILARITIES IN SANTA YNEZ

It Tiz Well and Unique Bella have more in common than each winning their last race by virtually the same margin—10 lengths.

Actually, It Tiz Well won a maiden allowance race at six furlongs by 10 lengths at Los Alamitos on Dec. 18; Unique Bella won a 6 ½ furlong maiden allowance at Del Mar Nov. 26 by 10 ¼ lengths. Both are entered in Sunday’s Grade II, $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes for three-year-old fillies at seven furlongs.
“They’re both big, tall, nice-looking fillies that look like they want to go further, so we’ll see,” said Dan Ward, assistant to Jerry Hollendorfer, who trains the pair for Tommy Town Thoroughbreds LLC and Don Alberto Stable, respectively.

Unique Bella and It Tiz Well each worked four furlongs Wednesday at Santa Anita, the former going in 47.80 and the latter in 47.20.

The Santa Ynez: Resilient Humor, Kent Desormeaux, 30-1; Sandy’s Surprise, Mario Gutierrez, 15-1; Unique Bella, Mike Smith, 8-5; Carrie, Modesto Linares, 50-1; Princess Karen, Rafael Bejarano, 8-1; Noted and Quoted, Martin Garcia, 5-1; Go On Mary, Jamie Theriot, 20-1; Shane’s Girlfriend, Flavien Prat, 9-5; and It Tiz Well, Drayden Van Dyke, 6-1.

FINISH LINES: Santa Anita offers holiday racing and Dollar Day on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 16. Beers, sodas and hot dogs will be a buck apiece all day long. The feature race is the Grade III, $100,000 Megahertz Stakes for older fillies and mares at one mile on turf . . . There is a single ticket Pick Six Jackpot carryover into Saturday of $85,520.50 . . . Through seven racing days, Flavien Prat holds an 8-7 lead over Tyler Baze in the jockeys’ race, while among trainers, Doug O’Neill is one up on runners-up Peter Miller and John Sadler, 5-4 . . . Of the 98 Early Bird nominations to the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 8, Bob Baffert had 21, but three are owned by Kaleem Shah who recently transferred them to other trainers. Doug O’Neill has 12 nominated, followed by Jerry Hollendorfer with 11.

SANTA ANITA STATISTICS

(Current Through Friday, Jan. 6)
Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Flavien Prat 34 8 3 5 24% 47% $537,983
Tyler Baze 39 7 3 4 18% 36% $282,847
Martin Pedroza 22 5 5 3 23% 59% $177,685
Norberto Arroyo, Jr. 31 5 2 0 16% 23% $237,180
Kent Desormeaux 28 4 3 5 14% 43% $373,228
Rafael Bejarano 27 4 2 7 15% 48% $327,648
Drayden Van Dyke 30 3 5 0 10% 27% $164,844
Luis Contreras 19 3 2 4 16% 47% $143,289
Mario Gutierrez 17 3 2 3 18% 47% $130,626

Trainer Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Doug O’Neill 33 5 2 5 15% 36% $200,803
Peter Miller 17 4 4 3 24% 65% $272,295
John Sadler 11 4 4 2 36% 91% $198,344
Jerry Hollendorfer 22 3 6 4 14% 59% $334,609
Richard Baltas 23 3 3 4 13% 43% $190,563
Philip D’Amato 11 3 2 3 27% 73% $339,435
William Spawr 8 3 0 2 38% 63% $90,861

NOTED AND QUOTED, SHANE’S GIRLFRIEND & UNIQUE BELLA HEAD STRONG CAST OF NINE SOPHOMORE FILLIES IN SUNDAY’S GRADE II, $200,000 SANTA YNEZ STAKES
RIVALS BAFFERT, O’NEILL & HOLLENDORFER CLASH IN PREP TO GRADE I SANTA ANITA OAKS APRIL 8

—Bob Baffert’s Grade I winning Noted and Quoted, along with Doug O’Neill’s Grade III winner Shane’s Girlfriend and Jerry Hollendorfer’s rousing maiden winner Unique Bella head a strong field of nine sophomore fillies in Sunday’s Grade II, seven furlong Santa Ynez Stakes—an important steppingstone to the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks here on April 8.

NOTED AND QUOTED: A half length winner of Santa Anita’s Grade I Chandelier Stakes on Oct. 1, this grey daughter of The Factor made an easy lead in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies here on Nov. 5, but tired badly to finish seventh, beaten 10 lengths. Owned by Speedway Stable, LLC, she’ll try to rebound with a cutback in distance from 1 1/16 miles to seven furlongs and will be ridden for the first time by Martin Garcia. With two wins from five starts, she was fourth in her only other try at seven eighths of a mile, the Grade I Del Mar Debutante, three starts back on Sept. 3.

SHANE’S GIRLFRIEND: A handy 5 ¾ length first out maiden winner going six furlongs here on Oct. 28, this Florida-bred daughter of Adios Charlie followed that up with a devastating 13 ¼ length win in the Grade III, one mile Delta Downs Princess Stakes on Nov. 19. Owned by ERJ Racing, LLC, W.C. Racing and Dennis O’Neill, she brings an abundance of speed and ability to the Santa Ynez party and could go favored if doubts linger regarding Noted and Quoted’s disappointing Breeders’ Cup run. She’ll be ridden back by Flavien Prat.

UNIQUE BELLA: A Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Tapit, she disappointed as the 1-5 favorite in her five furlong maiden debut here on June 23, but blitzed the opposition by 10 ¼ lengths in her second start, a maiden special weight affair at 6 ½ furlongs on Nov. 26 at Del Mar. Freshened since and with three recent bullet works on her tab, Unique Bella could prove tough to catch in her first start versus winners on Sunday. Owned by Don Alberto Stable, she retains the services of Mike Smith.

IT TIZ WELL: Owned by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, LLC, this Kentucky-bred filly by Arch comes off a smashing 10 length maiden win going six furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 18 and looms “The other Hollendorfer” in a talent-laden lineup. A solid third in her six furlong maiden debut here Oct. 28 at 3-1, It Tiz Well was hammered to 2-5 favoritism in her maiden win. Although her stablemate, Unique Bella, will no doubt command more pari-mutuel respect on Sunday, It Tiz Well would appear to have plenty of upside with Drayden Van Dyke back for a return engagement.

THE GRADE II SANTA YNEZ STAKES IN POST POSITION ORDER WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS
Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PST

1. Resilient Humor—Kent Desormeaux–120
2. Sandy’s Surprise—Mario Gutierrez—120
3. Unique Bella—Mike Smith—120
4. Carrie—Modesto Linares—120
5. Princess Karen—Rafael Bejarano—120
6. Noted and Quoted—Martin Garcia—124
7. Go On Mary—Jamie Theriot—120
8. Shane’s Girlfriend—Flavien Prat—122
9. It Tiz Well—Drayden Van Dyke—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. Admission gates open at 10:30 a.m. For scratches, changes and complete morning line information, please visit santaanita.com.

About Us
Santa Anita Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is North America’s premier supplier of virtual online horseracing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.

Santa Anita Park

@santaanitapark

@SAPublicity

@ClockersCorner