Santa Anita Stable Notes Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN
SUNDAY, DEC. 29, 2024

STAKES NOMS: GII SAN VICENTE, SANTA YNEZ AND GIII LAS FLORES
Three-year-olds will be in the spotlight next weekend when the roads to both the GI Santa Anita Derby and GII Santa Anita Oaks kick off at The Great Race Place.

This Saturday, Santa Anita will host the GII San Vicente for sophomores going seven furlongs. Headlining the nominees are unbeaten Bullard winner of the GIII Bob Hope at Del Mar Nov. 17; Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Gaming and highly regarded maiden winner Barnes.

On Sunday, sophomore fillies will get their turn in the seven-furlong Santa Ynez Stakes. Among the nominees for the Santa Ynez are Tenma and Look Forward, the one-two finishers in the GII Starlet at Los Alamitos Dec. 7.

Both the Santa Anita Derby and Santa Anita Oaks are scheduled for April 5.

The field for the San Vicente will be set on Monday. Bullard, trained by Michael McCarthy, romped by 4 ¾ lengths when coming from off the pace to win the seven-furlong Bob Hope at Del Mar Nov. 17. In his debut at Santa Anita going six furlongs in September he rallied from last in a field of seven and won going away by 1 ¼ lengths.

Bullard is a son of Gun Runner who sold for $675,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September yearling sale. He is campaigned by St. Elias Stable, Talla Racing LLC, Three Chimneys Farm and West Point Thoroughbreds.

Gaming, trained by Bob Baffert, followed his runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar with a disappointing third-place effort as the 1-2 favorite in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 14. The $250,000 Game Winner colt is owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.

Barnes is also trained by Baffert. He shipped to Churchill Downs for his debut on Nov. 27 going 5 ½ furlongs and promptly scored by a head under Martin Garcia. Barnes, by Into Mischief, was purchased by owner Zedan Racing for $3.2 million at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale.

On Sunday, Barnes worked four furlongs with company in 48.80 seconds. Last Sunday, he fired a bullet when working six furlongs from the gate in 1:12.80.

Baffert also nominated Romanesque, a $435,000 son of Practical Joke who won his debut going 6 ½ furlongs at Del Mar Nov. 23.

Also nominated for trainer Tim Yakteen is McKinzie Street, who finished third behind Bullard in the Bob Hope. The McKinzie colt was previously second in the GI Del Mar Futurity and third in the GI American Pharoah in October.

In addition to the San Vicente, Saturday’s card also includes the GIII Las Flores for fillies and mares going six furlongs.

The Santa Ynez field will be set when entries are taken on Tuesday. Grade I winner Tenma and Look Forward were separated by 1 ¾ lengths when filling the exacta in the 1 1/16-mile Starlet.

Tenma, trained by Baffert for owner Baoma Corp., also won the GI Del Mar Debutante in September. The Nyquist filly was an $850,000 auction buy earlier this year.

Look Forward, a $285,000 daughter of Bolt d’Oro owned by Reddam Racing, won her first start going six furlongs at Del Mar Nov. 8. She debuted for trainer Ben Cecil, who tragically died of cancer three weeks later. Look Forward is now trained by Michael McCarthy.

Also looming for Baffert is Cipriani. An $875,000 daughter of Bernardini, Cipriani rolled to an 8 ¼-length victory in her debut going 6 ½ furlongs on Oct. 27 for owner Speedway Stable.

The Santa Ynez is an official prep for the Kentucky Oaks on May 2 at Churchill Downs. It awards qualifying points of 10-5-3-2-1 to the top five finishers.

MOTORIOUS WILL GET BREAK AFTER GII JOE HERNANDEZ WIN
Motorious, who won Saturday’s GII Joe Hernandez in his first start since a close-up second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, is headed for a vacation. Trainer Phil D’Amato said Motorious will take the rest of the winter off before returning for a 7-year-old campaign in April or May.

In the Joe Hernandez sprinting on the hillside turf course, Motorious got up just in time under Antonio Fresu to win by a head over Sumter and Mike Smith. In August, prior to finishing a neck back in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar, he won the GIII Green Flash at Del Mar for the second year in a row.

By Muhaarar, Motorious was bred in England where he made his first seven starts. He is campaigned domestically by owner Anthony Fanticola. In 21 career starts, Motorious is 8-5-2 with $807,604 in earnings.

D’Amato’s other entrant in the Joe Hernandez, Sorrento Sky, was scratched. D’Amato said the 3-year-old colt by Prince of Lir was being rerouted to the restricted Clockers’ Corner Stakes on Jan. 26 going six furlongs on turf. Sorrento Sky, most recently second by a half-length in the Stormy Liberal Stakes at Del Mar Dec. 1, is 9: 3-3-1 with $158,058 in earnings.

JOCKEY JOSE RODRIGUEZ WINS WITH FIRST-EVER SANTA ANITA MOUNT
Among an influx of jockeys at Santa Anita this season is Jose Elias Rodriguez, a 28-year-old native of Mexico who spent most of this year in Oregon riding at such outposts as Tillamook Fair, Grants Pass Downs and Crooked River.

On Saturday, Rodriguez got his first taste of the big stage and proved he was up to the task. In his first-ever mount at Santa Anita, Rodriguez piloted Notch to a 1 ¼-length victory in an $8,000 maiden-claimer for trainer Angela Aquino.

“It feels good. For my first week, I’m really happy,” Rodriguez said.

The win was Rodriguez’s 91st career victory from 909 mounts. In addition to the Oregon tracks, Rodriguez has also ridden in Northern California and at Emerald Downs in Washington among other locales. began his career in 2016, according to Equibase. His first mount in Southern California came on Dec. 7 at Los Alamitos. He also rides Thoroughbreds at night at Los Alamitos.

Rodriguez is represented by agent Marcos Figueroa, whose brother is former jockey Omar Figueroa.

FINISH LINES: Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Straight No Chaser worked four furlongs in 48.0 seconds Sunday for trainer Dan Blacker…Saturday’s $2 Pick 6 paid $7,734.80 for 10 winning tickets…Santa Anita will host a special New Year’s Day card Wednesday. First post for a nine-race program is at 12 p.m. PT. On-track fans will receive $1 beers and sodas and $2 hot dogs…Following a dark day Thursday, Santa Anita will have live racing this Friday through Sunday…Sunday’s feature, the $100,000 Eddie Logan Stakes for 2-year-olds going a mile on turf, goes as the seventh race at approximately 3:06 p.m…Sunday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 12:18 p.m. PT with the seventh race from Gulfstream Park…Happy birthday to legendary jockey Laffit Pincay Jr., who turned 78 Sunday.

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