Santa Anita Stable Notes Friday, April 18, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

WORKS: CITIZEN BULL, MADAKET ROAD DRILL FOR KENTUCKY DERBY

Kentucky Derby contenders Citizen Bull and Madaket Road each worked Friday at Santa Anita for trainer Bob Baffert.

Citizen Bull worked in company with stablemate Lionel, an unraced 3-year-old colt by Authentic. Citizen Bull was clocked going six furlongs in 1:11.80, while Lionel was credited with a five-furlong work in 1:00.00. Citizen Bull’s drill was the fastest of four at six furlongs on the main track.

Madaket Road worked five furlongs by himself in 1:00.80.

Citizen Bull and Madaket Road are expected to be joined by stablemate Rodriguez in the 151st Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs. Citizen Bull, last year’s champion 2-year-old male, most recently was a disappointing fourth in the GI Santa Anita Derby on April 5. Friday’s work was his second since that effort. On Sunday, the Into Mischief colt returned to the tab with a four-furlong drill in 47.60 seconds.

Madaket Road most recently finished fourth in GI Florida Derby after setting the pace on March 29 at Gulfstream Park. This was his second work since that effort. On Saturday, the colt by Quality Road earned a bullet when working four furlongs in 47.0 seconds.

Returning to the work tab for trainer Jeff Mullins was rising star Queen Maxima, who exits a dominant victory in the GIII Monrovia sprinting about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course April 5. The 4-year-old filly by Bucchero worked four furlongs on the synthetic training track in 47.00 seconds. It was the fastest of 14 moves at the distance.

Queen Maxima is a perfect 3-for-3 this year and sports an overall record of 8: 5-2-0 with $270,900 in earnings for owners Dutch Girl Holdings LLC and Irving Ventures LLC.

There were a combined 121 workouts between the main track and synthetic training track.

SIEGEL STEPS DOWN AS MORNING LINE MAKER CITING HEALTH ISSUES

Jeff Siegel has officially stepped down as Santa Anita’s morning line maker due to health concerns, but the longtime dean of California handicappers said he’s on the mend and tracking towards an expected return to his other roles at Santa Anita.

“I had a very serious illness and have been getting treatment. I’ve had to take care of that first and foremost,” Siegel said Thursday by phone. “But I’m feeling good. I hope to come back as soon as possible and continue with my other duties for Santa Anita and (1/ST TV).”

Siegel, 74, has been sidelined since providing the morning line for the Feb. 28 program at Santa Anita. For the following day’s card on March 1, which was Santa Anita Handicap Day, Horse Racing Nation was enlisted to set the morning lines. Horse Racing Nation continued to provide the early odds for the remainder of the Classic Meet and will also do so at Hollywood Meet, which opens Friday and ends June 15.

“Horse Racing Nation is excited to continue providing the morning lines for Santa Anita,” said Mark Midland, CEO of Horse Racing Nation. “The last couple years we’ve been focusing on using machine learning and automation to build better lines to help horseplayers. We’re thrilled we were tapped to do the lines at The Great Race Place.”

Horse Racing Nation also sets the morning lines at Colonial Downs in Virginia and Louisiana Downs. Its odds-making process includes a combination of machine learning and a team of experts that follows with any necessary adjustments. Company officials noted that given the proliferation of complex algorithms that are now employed by the most sophisticated bettors, “the public is best served using similar tools to project post time odds.

“In today’s environment of shifting odds, it is more important than ever to have good lines for horseplayers to depend on,” Midland said.

Horse Racing Nation’s morning lines are also able to update in real time following scratches and surface changes. At the Classic Meet, Horse Racing Nation reported their morning lines successfully identified the post-time favorite in 72 percent of all races. That’s well above what company officials reported is the industry average of 64 percent.

2028 OLYMPIC GAMES: SANTA ANITA TAPPED AS EQUESTRIAN VENUE

(From International Federation of Equestrian Sports)

Santa Anita Park, located in proximity to the Los Angeles city area, has been confirmed as the venue of the equestrian events of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (LA28).

“Santa Anita Park will be a spectacular venue for the LA28 Olympic equestrian events,” said Ingmar De Vos, president of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI).

“The FEI has very fond memories of Santa Anita, which had hosted the equestrian events at the 1984 Olympic Games. The venue is set to offer a breathtaking stage for all the Olympic equestrian competitions and the proximity to LA City will undoubtedly attract many spectators to Santa Anita. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with LA28 to deliver spectacular equestrian events at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.”

“I would like to thank the FEI on behalf of the IOC for the active engagement in all the discussions regarding the venue,” IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell said. “We have created a strong partnership with the Organizing Committee and the city of Los Angeles, which enjoys the full support of the local equestrian community.”

“We have the utmost confidence in the LA2028 Organizing Committee, and we anticipate exceptional equestrian sport will take place at this special legacy venue from the 1984 Olympic Games. We are also extremely pleased that the IOC has confirmed the athlete quotas across the disciplines for 2028 and they remain unchanged from 2024,” said Bill Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of US Equestrian.

Santa Anita features an on-course veterinary clinic and has hosted some of the major Thoroughbred events in the U.S. including the Breeders Cup. The famous champion thoroughbred racehorse Seabiscuit won his last race at Santa Anita in 1940. The facility also hosts a CSI3* as well as a FEI Jumping World Cup™ Qualifier CSI5*-W, which this year will take place in November.

Santa Anita covers 320 acres and includes an 1,100-foot long grandstand that seats 26,000 spectators. The track infield area, which resembles a park with picnic tables and large trees, can accommodate a crowd of 50,000. The Park has 61 barns that can house more than 2,000 horses.

The venue for the Para Equestrian events will be announced at a later date following the review and approval of the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board.

CLASSIC MEET: TOTAL HANDLE UP 14% ON SANTA ANITA RACES

At the recently concluded Classic Meet, wagering on Santa Anita races was up more than 14 percent from last year’s Classic meet. The total mutuel handle on Santa Anita’s races was $390,111,273 as compared to $342,111,313 for the 2023-24 Classic Meet. The rise in total handle was fueled by Santa Anita offering 15 percent more races this season and 22 percent more runners as compared to last year’s Classic Meet.

FINISH LINES: This weekend’s stakes action includes the GII Santa Maria Stakes for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on Saturday and GIII American for older horses going a mile on turf Sunday…The highly anticipated Netflix documentary Race for the Crown will be available for viewing beginning on Tuesday. Race for the Crown provides viewers an inside look at jockeys, trainers, owners and horses as they strive to reach the Triple Crown…Friday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 1:32 p.m. PT with the second race from Santa Anita…Sunday’s 10-race card on Easter day has an early first post of 12 p.m. PT. On-track fans can enjoy an array of family-fun activities including an Easter egg hunt and Infield Carnival…Horseplayer David Nance will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Saturday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m. PT.

About The Stronach Group and 1/ST

The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The Stronach Group’s 1/ST business (pronounced “First”) is North America’s preeminent Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company and includes the 1/ST RACING & GAMING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY and 1/ST EXPERIENCE businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING & GAMING drives the best-in-class racing operations and gaming offerings at the company’s premier racetracks, training centers and premier events including: Santa Anita Park and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); Laurel Park, The Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the operating group for 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, TSG Global Wagering Solutions (GWS) and 1/ST TV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is racing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred racing on and off the track. The Stronach Group’s TSG Properties is responsible for the development of the company’s live, play and work communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). For more information, visit www.1st.com or follow @1ST_racing on Twitter or @1stracing on Instagram and Facebook.