Santa Anita Stable Notes Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

WORKS: KOPION BLITZES 3F, STRAIGHT NO CHASER DRILLS HALF MILE

Breeders’ Cup pre-entrants Kopion, Straight No Chaser, Explora, Goal Oriented and Motorious all had their final works Sunday at Santa Anita.

Kopion, trained by Richard Mandella, blitzed three furlongs in 33.20 seconds with Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith aboard. A 4-year-old daughter of Omaha Beach, Kopion was pre-entered in both the Filly & Mare Sprint going seven furlongs and six-furlong Sprint where she would be facing males. Over the weekend, Mandella said Kopion would be entered in the Sprint where she will be joined by Mandella-trained stablemate Big City Lights. Kopion will attempt to become the fourth female to win the Sprint joining Desert Stormer (1995), Safely Kept (1990) and Very Subtle (1987).

Straight No Chaser worked four furlongs in 49.0 seconds ahead of a title defense in the Sprint. Trained by Dan Blacker, Straight No Chaser most recently finished third in the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Sept. 28. Last year, Straight No Chaser won the Sprint by a half-length to clinch the Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding sprinter. He’ll look to join Elite Power (2022-23), Roy H (2017-18) and Midnight Lute (2007-08) as back-to-back winners of the Sprint.

Explora and Goal Oriented both worked for trainer Bob Baffert. Explora, pre-entered in the Juvenile Fillies, drilled five furlongs in 1:00.20. The daughter of Blame most recently won the GII Oak Leaf on Oct. 4 at Santa Anita.

Goal Oriented, ticketed for the Dirt Mile, worked four furlongs with company in 47.40 seconds. It was the fastest of 66 works at the distance. A 3-year-old colt by Not This Time, Goal Oriented most recently finished third in the GI Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 20 at Parx.

Motorious, who’ll be making his third attempt at winning the Turf Sprint, worked five furlongs on the synthetic training track in 1:01.20. Trained by Phil D’Amato, Motorious most recently won the GIII Green Flash via disqualification at Del Mar on Aug. 30. The 7-year-old gelding by Muhaarar was second in last year’s Turf Sprint at Del Mar and fifth in the 2023 Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

Final entries for the 42nd Breeders’ Cup will be taken on Monday. Post positions will be drawn in the Del Mar paddock starting at 4 p.m. PT.

D’AMATO, BAFFERT DOWN TO THE WIRE IN TRAINER’S RACE

Entering the final day of the Autumn Meet, only a single victory separates Phil D’Amato and Bob Baffert in the race for leading trainer at the stand.

On Saturday, Baffert cut into D’Amato advantage when Privman scored in the Tokyo City Cup. It was Baffert’s 11th win at the meet from 40 starters. D’Amato has won 12 races with 50 starters.

Entering Sunday, D’Amato would have to be considered the betting favorite to claim his eighth Santa Anita trainer’s title. He has four horses entered in three races, while Baffert’s lone starter is 3-2 favorite Midland Money in the third race. D’Amato’s starters are 2-1 favorite Rehearsal in the first race; favorite Slick (2-1) and Innovative (6-1) in the featured GIII Autumn Miss, which goes as the eighth race; and Dare to Fly (6-1) in the 10th race.

At last year’s Autumn Meet, Baffert won 14 races to best D’Amato by a single victory. D’Amato’s was leading trainer at the Hollywood Meet earlier this year.

MANDATORY PAYOUTS IN ALL PARI-MUTUEL POOLS SUNDAY

There are mandatory payouts in all pari-mutuel pools Sunday, closing day of the Autumn Meet. This includes the early and late Pick 5’s, $2 Pick Six, $1 Super High 5 in the 10th and final race, $1 Sunset Pick Six and $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5.

The $2 Pick Six starts at 3:06 with Santa Anita’s fifth race. The competitive sequence averages a robust 11.5 starters per race before scratches.

The $1 Sunset Pick Six, which combines the final three races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, starts at 1:35 p.m. PT with the eighth race from Gulfstream Park. Saturday’s Sunset Pick Six paid $28,182 for a single winning ticket.

The Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 1:05 p.m. with the seventh race from Gulfstream Park. The sequence also includes the ninth race Gulfstream and the second, third and fourth races from Santa Anita.

Both the Sunset Pick Six and Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 feature a player-friendly 15 percent takeout rate and are open to retail players only.

BREEDERS’ CUP SIMULCAST WAGERING AVAILABLE AT SANTA ANITA

Those looking to watch and wager on the 42nd Breeders’ Cup this Friday and Saturday are invited to come to Santa Anita to enjoy all the action. Parking and admission are free.

The Breeders’ Cup features the world’s best horses competing in 14 races over two days. Dozens of horses who are based at Santa Anita will be part of the international extravaganza at Del Mar. Among that group are Straight No Chaser, who’s seeking a repeat win in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint for trainer Dan Blacker and My Racehorse; and Full Serrano, who’ll try and make it back-to-back victories in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile for trainer John Sadler and owner Hronis Racing.

Fans can park for free through Gate 5 and then enter through the East Gate at no charge. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday.

On Friday, first post at Del Mar is 11:35 a.m. for a 10-race card. The first Breeders’ Cup race, the Juvenile Turf Sprint, goes at 2:45 p.m.

On Saturday, first post at Del Mar is 10:05 a.m. for a 12-race card. The first Breeders’ Cup race, the Filly & Mare Sprint, goes at 12 p.m.

Santa Anita will also serve as a host site for the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge. The Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge is horse racing’s biggest “live money” handicapping tournament. Each contestant deposits $10,000, of which $2,500 goes to the prize pool and the remaining $7,500 will be used as the player’s bankroll for wagering during the tournament. The total prize pool is expected to be around $1.25 million.

For more information, visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

FINISH LINES: Jockey Juan Hernandez has clinched his ninth riding title at Santa Anita. Entering Sunday, he has won 26 races from 87 mounts (30 percent) at the Autumn Meet. On Saturday, Hernandez swept the two stakes with Privman ($3.80) in the Tokyo City Cup and Test Score ($3.20) in the GII Twilight Derby. His seven stakes wins at the stand also lead all jockeys…After Sunday’s card, live racing will return to Santa Anita on Friday, Dec. 26 for the traditional day-after-Christmas start of the Classic Meet.

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.