Santa Anita Stable Notes Friday, March 8, 2024

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN
FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2024

Sweet Azteca; Benoit Photos
GI BEHOLDER MILE: PRAT STICKS WITH ASCENDING SWEET AZTECA
GIII SANTA YSABEL: NAY V BELLE, ULTIMATE AUTHORITY STEP UP
SATURDAY’S $1 COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 FEATURES ALL STAKES
FRIDAY’S 4 TURF RACES MOVED TO MAIN TRACK

GI BEHOLDER MILE: PRAT STICKS WITH ASCENDING SWEET AZTECA
North America’s top-earning jockey this year, Flavien Prat, and agent Brad Pegram had a decision to make ahead of Saturday’s Grade I, $300,000 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita.
Prat could either ride Desert Dawn, who he just piloted to victory in the GIII La Canada Jan. 20, or stay with the ascending Sweet Azteca, who he guided to a 12-length blowout win in a 6 ½-furlong allowance here Feb. 2.
Prat and Pegram chose Sweet Azteca. Picking up the mount on Desert Dawn for trainer Phil D’Amato is Antonio Fresu, whose 33 wins at the Classic Meet rank third behind Juan Hernandez and Prat.
D’Amato took the jockey switch in stride.
“Antonio has been by main guy since the beginning of the year” he said. “He breezed her really nicely the other day. He’s gotten to know her, has done his homework and is quite capable of winning big races.”
The morning line indicates Prat went the right direction. Sweet Azteca, trained by Michael McCarthy is the 3-1 second choice for her two-turn debut. Desert Dawn, a two-time graded stakes winner and earner of $955,525, is 8-1.
Both will try to knock-off Grade I winner Adare Manor, the 5-2 favorite for Bob Baffert.
Sweet Azteca is a 4-year-old daughter of Sharp Azteca out of multiple stakes winner So Sweetitiz, by Grand Slam. She is campaigned by breeder Pamela C. Ziebarth. According to McCarthy, Sweet Azteca has been one to watch from the start.
“Since day one this filly has shown plenty of quality,” McCarthy said. “I thought her allowance win the other day was spectacular. She also galloped out well, which gives us confidence she’ll handle the added distance Saturday.
Sweet Azteca won her debut last May going six furlongs at Churchill Downs. She did not race again the remainder of the year. On Jan. 1, Sweet Azteca resurfaced here in the GIII Las Flores going six furlongs. Sent off the 6-5 favorite, Sweet Azteca led to the quarter pole but gave up the victory when drifting-out badly at the top of the stretch. She finished third.
A month later, Sweet Azteca earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure with her dominant allowance win. Now comes a major class test for the talented filly.
“Obviously you don’t expect Grade is to be easy and this one certainly isn’t,” McCarthy said. “But we’re going to lead her over there with confidence she can get the job done. It seems to me she is doing about as well she could be.”
Sweet Azteca and Prat, whose $4.33 million in earnings this year leads all jockeys, break from post six in a nine-horse field.
As for Desert Dawn, she will try and improve on her fourth-place effort in last year’s Beholder Mile. She has a pair of quick five-furlong drills on the tab, which has D’Amato encouraged.
“This is the track where she got her two graded stakes race. This is the race we’ve been pointed too. Hopefully it’s all systems go,” D’Amato said.
The Beholder Mile goes as the eighth race Saturday. Post time is set for 4:11 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Coffee in Bed, Geovanni Franco (15-1); Adare Manor, Juan Hernandez (5-2); Green Up, John Velazquez (3-1); Desert Dawn, Antonio Fresu (8-1); Interstatedaydream, Frankie Dettori (4-1); Sweet Azteca, Flavien Prat (3-1); Kirstenbosch, Hector Berrios (15-1); Turnerloose, Edwin Maldonado (30-1); Window Shopping, Kazushi Kimura (4-1).

GIII SANTA YSABEL: NAY V BELLE, ULTIMATE AUTHORITY STEP UP
Among those trying to knock off 4-5 program favorite Kinza in Saturday’s GIII Santa Ysabel for 3-year-old fillies are Nay V Belle and Ultimate Authority, the 4-1 co-second choices on Jon White’s morning line.
Both Nay V Belle, trained by Mark Glatt, and Ultimate Authority for trainer Tim Yakteen exit maiden victories at Santa Anita. Less than three weeks ago on Feb. 18, Nay V Belle was a two-length debut winner going 6 ½ furlongs when coming from off the pace under Frankie Dettori. Ultimate Authority on Feb. 2 earned an eye-catching 90 Beyer Speed Figure when graduating at a mile in her third start.
Nay V Belle is a chestnut daughter of Midshipman out of the unraced Medaglia d’Oro mare Café Belle. She was a $200,000 auction purchase last year for owner Saints or Sinners.
“We were pretty high on her going heading into her debut,” Glatt said. “For her first start, she showed a lot of versatility. I thought she ran like a pro. You always expect a first-time starter to make a little mistake here or there, but she didn’t make any. She was ratable, never got keen and was pretty wide the whole trip. She took care of business.”
Nay V Belle will again be ridden by Dettori. She returned to work eight days ago when drilling five furlongs in 1:00.80. Glatt noted the relatively quick turnaround for her stakes debut.
“It’s back a little quick, but she is very good mentally,” he said. “She really has it all together upstairs. If anyone can handle it, it would be her.”
Ultimate Authority will break from the rail with Prat again in the saddle. By Practical Joke out of the Tiznow mare Arbitress, Ultimate Authority was a $100,000 auction buy last year by owners Pierre J. Amestoy, Leslie A. Amestoy and Roger K Beasley.
“She’s a big, scopey filly,” Yakteen said Friday morning. “She’s improved with each of her outs and is coming into this race really well. Hopefully she can get a good trip and there’s more improvement there.”
The Santa Ysabel is scheduled for 3:07 p.m. PT. It is the final major prep for the GII Santa Anita Oaks April 6 and awards eligible horses qualifying points to the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs May 3. The field in post position order: Ultimate Authority, Flavien Prat (4-1); Shiloh’s Mistress, John Velazquez (12-1); Pacific Rose, Antonio Fresu (30-1); Kinza, Juan Hernandez (4-5); She’s a Tempest, Tiago Pereira (8-1); Nay V Belle, Frankie Dettori (4-1); Where’s My Ring, Victor Espinoza (8-1); Ifuaintfirsturlast, Kyle Frey (50-1).

SATURDAY’S $1 COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 IS AN ALL STAKES AFFAIR
It’s nothing but stakes races in Saturday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.
The sequence kicks off at 1:06 p.m. PT with the ninth race from Gulfstream, the $100,000 Silks Run Stakes at five furlongs on turf. It continues with Gulfstream’s 10th, the GIII Hurricane Bertie at 6 ½ furlongs on dirt.
Santa Anita joins the action starting with its sixth race, the GIII Santa Ysabel for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 on dirt. The sequence concludes with the GIII San Simeon on the hillside turf course, which goes as Santa Anita’s seventh, before concluding with the GI Beholder Mile from Santa Anita.
The sequence averages 8.4 starters per race before scratches.
The $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 with player-friendly 15 percent takeout rate is offered every Saturday and Sunday through the end of Santa Anita’s Classic Meet April 7.

FINISH LINES: Friday’s four turf races have been moved to the main track after periods of intense rain pelted Santa Anita yesterday afternoon and evening…The first 1,000 fans with paid admission Saturday will get a free print of the Santa Anita Classic Meet Jockey Colony. The print giveaway and autograph signing will be from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the East Paddock Gardens…Sunday’s feature is the $100,000 China Doll for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf. Medoro is the 2-1 morning line favorite for trainer Peter Eurton… Happy Birthday to Santa Anita Bugler Jay Cohen, who turned 68 Friday…Starting Sunday, first post moves to 1 p.m. PT most days for the remainder of the meet. The only exception this month is Easter Sunday, March 31, when first post is 12 p.m.

SANTA ANITA STATISTICS
(Current Through Monday, March 4, 2024 Inclusive)
Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Juan Hernandez 172 40 32 28 23% 58% $2,661,788
Flavien Prat 127 35 29 14 28% 61% $2,614,634
Antonio Fresu 170 33 25 27 19% 50% $2,026,012
Lanfranco Dettori 132 25 21 22 19% 52% $1,798,900
Umberto Rispoli 102 19 13 23 19% 54% $1,322,702
Hector Berrios 85 16 21 13 19% 59% $1,147,920
Edwin Maldonado 64 12 5 12 19% 45% $719,626
Armando Ayuso 90 11 13 10 12% 38% $464,420
Tiago Pereira 89 11 11 13 12% 39% $755,242
Kazushi Kimura 115 10 17 16 9% 37% $795,424

Trainer Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won
Doug O’Neill 107 21 18 15 20% 50% $1,154,530
Mark Glatt 68 21 16 8 31% 66% $1,072,284
Philip D’Amato 113 18 19 11 16% 42% $1,545,340
Bob Baffert 62 17 17 6 27% 65% $2,005,260
Steve Knapp 81 16 9 11 20% 44% $597,160
Richard Mandella 38 13 5 3 34% 55% $939,240
John Sadler 70 12 15 12 17% 56% $971,586
Michael McCarthy 57 10 7 12 18% 51% $715,220
Peter Eurton 64 9 14 9 14% 50% $594,920
Jeff Mullins 58 9 8 13 16% 52% $509,820

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