AMERICAN ANTHEM & TOUCHING RAINBOWS HEAD SATURDAY’S GII SAN CARLOS STAKES

By Mike Willman —-

American Anthem and jockey Mike Smith are guided into the winner’s circle after their victory in the Grade III, $100,000 Lazaro Barrera Stakes, Saturday, May 13, 2017 at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia CA.
© BENOIT PHOTO

AMERICAN ANTHEM & TOUCHING RAINBOWS HEAD SATURDAY’S GRADE II, $250,000 SAN CARLOS STAKES AT SEVEN PANELS
TRIPLE CROWN CHAMPION JUSTIFY TO BE PARADED FOLLOWING RACE FOUR

ARCADIA, Calif. (June 20, 2018)—Bob Baffert’s American Anthem and Phil D’Amato’s Touching Rainbows, a pair of horses in top form, head a field of eight 3-year-olds and up going seven furlongs in Saturday’s Grade II, $250,000 San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita.

Fresh off a stirring gate to wire win in a high level allowance June 1 at Churchill Downs, American Anthem seeks his third graded stakes victory in the San Carlos, while Touching Rainbows, a California-bred gelding by Aragorn, has four consecutive allowance wins to his credit and he’ll be making his first-ever stakes start.

Please note, there is a special early first post time of 12 noon on Saturday in order to accommodate an appearance by Triple Crown Champion Justify between the fourth and fifth races. Bob Baffert and Mike Smith will accompany the horse in the Winner’s Circle following an appearance in Santa Anita’s Seabiscuit Walking Ring.

AMERICAN ANTHEM

Owner: WinStar Farm LLC and China Horse Club International Limited & SF Racing, LLC
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Third to eventual Grade I Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Roy H in the Grade I Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Oct. 7, this 4-year-old Bodemeister colt came off the bench to register an impressive 1 ¾ length win going seven furlongs in a third condition allowance at Churchill Downs on June 1. A winner of a pair of seven furlongs stakes at age three; the Grade III Lazaro Barrera Stakes here in May, 2017 and of the Grade II Woody Stephens at Belmont Park a year ago, American Anthem, who was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, is three for four at seven furlongs and merits top billing.

TOUCHING RAINBOWS

Owner: KM Racing Enterprise, Inc. Trainer: Phil D’Amato
A maiden $30,000 claiming winner in his third start, July 3, 2016, he was claimed for $25,000 on Sept. 30, 2016 and at age five, tries stakes completion on the heels of an impressive four-game winning streak. Although he’s a California-bred, Touching Rainbows has faced open company in his last three races, his most recent a gutty nose win over three-time graded stakes placed Moe Candy going six furlongs here on June 1. Along with two wins and a second place finish from three starts at seven furlongs, Touching Rainbows has posted impressive Beyer Speed figures of 95 (June 10) and 99 (April 27) in both of his 2018 starts.

THE GRADE II SAN CARLOS STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 11 of 12 Approximate post time 5:50 p.m. PT

1. Top of the Game—Israel Ocampo—121
2. St. Joe Bay—Tyler Baze—121
3. El Huerfano—Geovanni Franco—121
4. American Anthem—Mike Smith—121
5. Horse Greedy—Stewart Elliott–121
6. Touching Rainbows—Flavien Prat—121
7. Stone Hands—Mario Gutierrez—121
8. Dabster—Martin Garcia—121

There will be a special early first post time of 12 noon for a 12-race card on Saturday that will also include a public appearance by Triple Crown Champion Justify. Admission gates will open at 10 a.m. Please visit santaanita.com for additional racing information.

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.