Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

ANOAKIA: CHAMP UNIQUE BELLA’S DAUGHTER AMONG 2 FOR SADLER
WORKS: FULL SERRANO, BAEZA AMONG BC HOPEFULS ON TAB
1/ST TV’S BREEDERS’ CUP WORKOUT PORTAL LIVE AND UPDATED
$1 COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 STARTS AT 1:04 P.M. SUNSET 6 AT 1:35 P.M.
JOCKEY HERNANDEZ HAS ANOTHER 3-WIN DAY TO EXTEND LEAD

ANOAKIA: DAUGHTER OF CHAMP UNIQUE BELLA AMONG 2 FOR SADLER

Among those looking to upend 4-5 favorite Himika in Sunday’s Anoakia Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs are a pair of runners from the John Sadler barn, second-choice Revera (6-5) and regally bred Umbralle (5-1).

Umbralle is by top sire Into Mischief out of Unique Bella, the 2018 champion older dirt female and 2017 champion female sprinter. She races as a homebred for Don Alberto Stable, who also campaigned Unique Bella.

Umbralle, who debuted on dirt, will be returning to the main track following a pair of turf efforts. In her unveiling on Aug. 2 going 5 ½ furlongs at Del Mar, Umbralle set the pace for a half mile before weakening late and finishing third. She was then switched to turf for her next two starts. Umbralle finished second going five furlongs on the lawn on Aug. 24 at Del Mar, then graduated at six furlongs on turf on Sept. 26 at Santa Anita.

“She broke her maiden pretty impressively last out, and I really liked the way she worked on dirt here last week,” Sadler said. “By pedigree, she should like the dirt. This is a good opportunity for both fillies.”

Revera will also be facing winners for the first time after a pair of encouraging starts. From the first crop of Lexitonian, who stood this season for $7,500, Revera was purchased for $85,000 at the OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training.

In her debut going 5 ½ furlongs at Del Mar, Revera tipped her hand when finishing a solid second to highly regarded Explora, who would come back to win the GII Oak Leaf at 1 1/16 on Oct. 4 at Santa Anita. Revera came back to earn her diploma with an impressive 5 ½-length win going 5 ½ furlongs at Del Mar Sept. 5.

“Those were two very nice races,” Sadler said.

Revera is owned by a partnership that includes U Racing Stable, Titletown Racing Stables and Saints or Sinners. U Racing Stables was the listed buyer of Revera at the OBS March sale.

“Lexitonian is a young stallion and she was just a solid individual when we bought her,” Sadler said. “We were hoping she could run early and she’s done that. This is the logical spot for her and we’ll find out if she can take another step forward.”

Race favorite Himika will return to sprinting for trainer Bob Baffert after finishing fifth in the Oak Leaf. By Curlin, Himika was a $900,000 purchase at the OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training. Prior to the Oak Leaf, she won the GIII Sorrento at six furlongs in August at Del Mar and was fourth in the GI Del Mar Debutante going seven furlongs on Sept. 6.

Himika will be reunited with Santa Anita’s leading rider Juan Heranndez in the Anoakia. He previously was aboard for both her debut win in June at Santa Anita and the Sorrento.

The Anoakia goes as the second race on a nine-race card Sunday. First post is 1 p.m PT and the Anoakia is set to go at approximately 1:30 p.m. The field in post position order: Revera, Antonio Fresu (6-5); Umbralle, Hector Berrios (5-1); Heavenly Princess, Geovanni Franco (20-1); Himika, Juan Hernandez (4-5); Stuffy Mist, Tyler Baze (15-1).

WORKS: FULL SERRANO, BAEZA, BRANT AMONG BC HOPEFULS ON TAB

Full Serrano, working for an expected title defense in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Grade I winner Baeza, promising 2-year-old Brant and potential Breeders’ Cup favorites Seismic Beauty and Ag Bullet were among the Breeders’ Cup hopefuls on the work tab Saturday at Santa Anita.

Full Serrano worked for the second time since a runner-up effort in the GI Goodwood going 1 1/8 miles on Sept. 27 at Santa Anita. He was timed for five furlongs in 59.40 seconds, which was the second-fastest of 48 works at the distance.

“He’s right where we want him two weeks out,” Sadler said.

Full Serrano, a 6-year-old horse by Full Mast, won last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile by 1 ½ lengths at 13-1. Prior to that effort, he was slated to run in the Goodwood but got sick and had to miss the race. His win in the Dirt Mile came two months after finishing second in the GI Pacific Classic.

“It’s a little different this year because we ran in the Goodwood and will be cutting back to a mile,” Sadler said. “We were just looking to keep him crisp. He’s already ready. Just trying to keep him nice and sharp.”

Baeza worked six furlongs in 1:14.20 with jockey Hector Berrios aboard. Trained by John Shirreffs, Baeza most recently had a graded-stakes breakthrough when winning the GI Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 20 at Parx Sept. 20. In four previous graded stakes tries, he was second in both the GI Santa Anita Derby and GII Jim Dandy and third in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

Brant (Juvenile) worked six furlongs for trainer Bob Baffert as did stablemates Litmus Test (Juvenile) and Imagination (Sprint).

Brant was timed in 1:11.80. By Gun Runner, Brant was purchased for $3 million by owner Zedan Racing at the OBS March Sale of 2-year-olds in training. The Juvenile would be his first time racing around two turns. In two starts, Brant was a debut winner going 5 ½ furlongs at Del Mar in July and then came back to win the GI Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs on Sept. 7.

Litmus Test, an $875,000 auction buy as a yearling, worked six furlongs in 1:12.40. The Nyquist colt was fourth in the Del Mar Futurity and then came back to finish third in the GI Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland when stretched to 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 4.

Imagination worked six furlongs in 1:11.60. The 4-year-old Into Mischief colt earned an automatic berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint when winning the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Sept. 28.

Seismic Beauty and Splendora (Filly & Mare Sprint) each worked five furlongs for Baffert. Seismic Beauty, winner of the GI Clement L. Hirsch on Aug. 2, was timed in 59.60 seconds. Splendora earned the bullet work for the distance when completing her drill in a sharp 58.20 seconds. The 4-year-old Audible filly exits a win in the one-mile Tranquility Lake on Sept. 1 at Del Mar.

Ag Bullet worked five furlongs on the synthetic training track in 59.60 for trainer Richard Baltas. The Grade I-winning daughter of Twirling Candy is slated to for another try against males in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at five furlongs. Last year, Ag Bullet finished third in the Turf Sprint.

Trainer Richard Mandella worked both Tamara and Kopion. Tamara, targeting the Filly & Mare Sprint, worked five furlongs in 1:01.0. Kopion, who is candidate for either the seven-furlong Filly & Mare Sprint or six-furlong Sprint against males, worked six furlongs in 1:14.20.

Other Breeders’ Cup candidates on the tab included Dr Venkman (Dirt Mile or Sprint), Gold Phoenix (Turf) and Formidable Man (Mile). Dr. Venkman worked five furlongs in 59.80 for trainer Mark Glatt. Gold Phoenix drilled five furlongs on the training track in 1:02.0 for trainer Phil D’Amato and Formidable Man went five furlongs on the main track in 1:01.0 for trainer Michael McCarthy.

1/ST TV’S BREEDERS’ CUP WORKOUT PORTAL LIVE AND UPDATED

1/ST TV has begun curating the workouts of potential Breeders’ Cup horses on a dedicated portal on the 1ST.TV website. It can be found at https://1st.tv/breeders-cup/. The portal categorizes the horses by their likely Breeders’ Cup divisions ahead of pre-entries being taken for the 42nd Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Monday.

The 1/ST TV team captured 17 horses Saturday working at Santa Anita Park in their all-important penultimate tune-ups before shipping to Del Mar for the Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup races. They will be added to the dozens of workouts already housed on the portal.

The 1/ST TV workouts are available free of charge and will continue to be populated as the world championships approach. Horseplayers can utilize the workout videos to aid in handicapping and overall wagering strategies.

During Breeders’ Cup week, workout analysis form 1/ST TV’s stable of experts will be available and will include side-by-side comparisons of workouts from Breeders’ Cup entrants.

FINISH LINES: Jockey Antonio Fresu won three races on Friday’s card to move into a tie for fifth place in the jockey’s standings at the Autumn Meet. Fresu, who earned his first Santa Anita jockey’s title earlier this year at the Hollywood Meet, won the fourth race aboard Dakota Country ($9.20) for trainer Doug O’Neill, the fifth race with Runamileinmyshoes ($5) for trainer Steve Knapp and the ninth and final race with Cosmic Heat ($25.40) for trainer Peter Eurton. Fresu is now 7-for-39 (18 percent) at the stand…Saturday’s $1 Sunset Pick Six starts at 2:38 p.m. PT with the 10th race from Gulfstream Park…The $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 1:04.p.m. with the seventh race from Gulfstream…Horseplayer and equine scout Larry Zap will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m. PT.

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