Santa Anita Stable Notes Sunday, March 17, 2024

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN
SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2024

The Chosen Vron; Benoit
THE CHOSEN VRON EARNS 101 BEYER; STAY HOT DOING WELL
NEWGATE, HOPKINS, TWO RIVERS OVER HEADED TO DUBAI
3-YEAR-OLDS IMAGINATION, MUTH AMONG NOTABLE WORKERS
NEW SYNTHETIC TRAINING TRACK OPENS FOR GALLOPERS MONDAY

THE CHOSEN VRON EARNS 101 BEYER; STAY HOT DOING WELL
The Chosen Vron was walking the shedrow at trainer Eric Kruljac’s barn about 8:30 a.m. the day after collecting his 15th stakes win in Saturday’s GIII San Carlos Stakes.

While Kruljac was on his way home to Del Mar and unavailable for comment, reports from his team at Santa Anita were all was well with the California-bred millionaire.

The Chosen Vron pushed his lifetime earnings to $1,299,678 with a gate-to-wire victory by one length in the seven-furlong San Carlos. With regular rider Hector Berrios in the irons, The Chosen Vron won in a final time of 1:20.96. The effort returned a 101 preliminary Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free.

The Chosen Vron is now 16-1-2 in 21 starts for Kruljac and fellow co-owners Sondereker Racing, Robert S. Fetkin and Richard Thornburgh. In his only previous start this year Jan. 16, the 6-year-old Vronsky gelding bred by Tiz Molly Partners won the California Cup Sprint Stakes against statebreds at Santa Anita.

The Chosen Vron has won 11 of his last 12 starts with his only defeat coming in last November’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita.

Saturday’s other stakes winner, Stay Hot, was also doing well following his game victory in the Pasadena Stakes at a mile on turf, trainer Peter Eurton reported. Stay Hot prevailed in the Pasadena by a head over Guy Named Joe for his third-straight stakes wins, all coming in a photo finish.

Previously, the 3-year-old Summer Front ridgling won both the Baffle Stakes by a head when sprinting on the hillside turf course here Feb. 17 and the GIII Cecil B. DeMille by a neck when going a mile on turf at Del Mar Dec. 3.
A $130,000 auction purchase, Stay Hot is 4-0-1 in seven starts with $236,940 in earnings. He is campaigned Burns Racing, Exline-Border Racing, SAF Racing, William Dan Hudock and The Estate of Brereton C. Jones. Jones, the former governor of Kentucky who died last September at age 84, bred Stay Hot from his Smart Strike mare Etsu.

Eurton said there are no immediate plans for Stay Hot, but he could travel out of state for his next start.
“I know the owners would love to travel with him, probably Kentucky, but we haven’t discussed anything further as of yet,” Eurton said Sunday morning.

NEWGATE, HOPKINS, TWO RIVERS OVER HEADED TO DUBAI
Newgate and Hopkins for trainer Bob Baffert and Two Rivers Over for trainer Doug O’Neill are all scheduled to depart Santa Anita Sunday night for a trip to Dubai.
According to Santa Anita Stall Superintendent Jeff Metz, the trio are vanning to a boarding facility near Los Angeles International Airport where they will stay the night before departing to Dubai Monday morning.
The rich Dubai World Cup program, which offers $30.5 million in total purses, is set for March 30 at Meydan Racecourse.
Newgate, winner of the GI Santa Anita Handicap March 3, is ticketed for the $12 million Dubai World Cup at 1 ¼ miles on dirt. Hopkins, most recently second in the GIII Palos Verdes at six furlongs here Feb. 10, will have a second try in the $2 million Golden Shaheen at six furlongs on dirt. Last year, the now 6-year-old Quality Road horse finished fourth in the Golden Shaheen.
Two Rivers Over is scheduled to run in the $1 million Godolphin Mile on dirt. Santa Anita-based jockey Edwin Maldonado will also make the trip to ride Two Rivers Over. A 4-year-old Tamarkuz gelding, Two Rivers Over most recently was fourth in the GII San Pasqual at 1 1/8 miles here Jan. 27. Last year, Two River Over earned his only stakes win in the Zia Park Derby.

IMAGINATION, MUTH AMONG BAFFERT WORKERS SUNDAY
Graded-stakes winning 3-year-olds Imagination and Muth were among several notable workers for trainer Bob Baffert Sunday.
Imagination worked for the first time since winning the GII San Felipe here March 3. The Into Mischief colt went an easy four furlongs in 50.40 seconds. Muth, who has been off since winning the GII San Vicente at seven furlongs here Jan. 6, drilled six furlongs in 1:12.00.
Also working for Baffert were older horses Du Jour and Reincarnate. Du Jour went three furlongs in 38.00 seconds in his first work since winning the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile March 3 off a four-month layoff. Reincarnate returned to the tab following a third-place finish in the GI Santa Anita Handicap also on March 3. The 4-year-old Good Magic colt went three furlongs in 37.60 seconds.
Also returning to the tab following the San Felipe was Scatify for trainer John Sadler. In the San Felipe, Scatify ran himself into trouble on the first turn and was later eased in the stretch. The Justify colt drilled four furlongs in 47.20 seconds, which was the second-fastest of 93 moves at the distance Sunday.
In all, there were 131 timed workouts on the main track Sunday morning.

FINISH LINES: Deuces were wild Saturday at Santa Anita as the first five winners all wore the No. 2 saddle cloth. The all-deuces Pick 5 paid $292.35 for 50 cents…Santa Anita-based Endlessly, recent winner of the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate is entered in this Saturday’s GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park, which is a point-paying prep for the Kentucky Derby. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Endlessly is the 5-2 morning line favorite in an oversubscribed field set to go 1 1/8 miles on synthetic…The $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 continues to produce healthy payouts. On Saturday, the wager returned $10,430.10 for 17 winning tickets…Gallopers will be permitted on Santa Anita’s new synthetic training track starting Monday …Live racing resumes Friday at Santa Anita with first post at 1 p.m. PT. All fans in attendance will receive free parking and admission plus $3 beers and $5 margaritas.

SANTA ANITA STATISTICS
(Current Through Saturday, March 16, 2024 Inclusive)
Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won

Juan Hernandez 196 46 42 29 23% 60% $3,124,208
Flavien Prat 146 39 33 16 27% 60% $2,994,654
Antonio Fresu 199 36 33 28 18% 49% $2,291,172
Lanfranco Dettori 148 28 23 27 19% 53% $1,954,220
Hector Berrios 95 20 23 14 21% 60% $1,349,920
Umberto Rispoli 120 20 14 27 17% 51% $1,408,222
Edwin Maldonado 79 15 8 13 19% 46% $863,346
Tiago Pereira 104 13 11 16 13% 38% $842,602
Kazushi Kimura 128 12 18 19 9% 38% $891,724
Kyle Frey 128 12 13 20 9% 35% $683,822

Trainer Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% ITM% Money Won
Doug O’Neill 124 25 20 16 20% 49% $1,323,050
Bob Baffert 72 21 20 7 29% 67% $2,264,460
Mark Glatt 82 21 17 11 26% 60% $1,130,404
Philip D’Amato 119 20 21 11 17% 44% $1,676,040
Steve Knapp 96 18 13 15 19% 48% $693,400
John Sadler 83 16 16 15 19% 57% $1,184,166
Richard Mandella 44 14 5 4 32% 52% $986,540
Peter Eurton 71 12 15 9 17% 51% $769,720
Michael McCarthy 72 11 9 14 15% 47% $965,020
Jeff Mullins 63 11 8 13 17% 51% $574,320

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