Santa Anita Stable Notes Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

SUNDAY, JAN 4, 2026

ECLIPSE AWARDS: SUPER CORREDORA AMONG 9 SA-BASED FINALISTS
SANTA YNEZ, GIII LAS FLORES RESCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEKEND
SYNTHETIC TRAINING TRACK PROVING VALUE AMID RAINSTORMS
RACING RESUMES THURSDAY WITH MAKEUP CARD; JAN. 15 ADDED

ECLIPSE AWARDS: SUPER CORREDORA AMONG 9 SA-BASED FINALISTS

Led by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Super Corredora, nine Santa Anita-based horses were named as finalists for 2025 Eclipse Awards on Sunday morning.

Super Corredora is a finalist for champion 2-year-old filly along with Santa Anita-based Explora and Cy Fair, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Explora finished second to Super Corredora in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies after previously winning the GII Oak Leaf at Santa Anita.

Super Corredora is trained by John Sadler and owned by Spartan Equine Racing LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, Robert C. Gardiner and Michael W. Olszewski. Explora is trained by Bob Baffert for owners Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.

In the 3-year-old male division, GI Santa Anita Derby and Preakness winner Journalism and Santa Anita-based Grade I winner Baeza were both named as finalists along with dual classic winner Sovereignty. Journalism is trained by Michael McCarthy for an extensive ownership group that includes Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm and Don Alberto Stable. Baeza is trained by John Shirreffs and co-owned by C R K Stable and Grandview Equine.

Journalism and Baeza are both scheduled to return for their 4-year-old seasons.

In the female sprint division, Santa Anita-based Kopion and Splendora are both finalists. Splendora, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, is also a finalist for older dirt female. She is trained by Baffert for owner By Talla Racing LLC. Kopion, trained by Richard Mandella for Spendthrift Farm, won the GI Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs and was second in the both the GI Clement L. Hirsch going long and GII Great Lady M at Los Alamitos.

Also named as finalists were the Baffert-trained duo of Nysos and Brant. Nysos, who won four graded stakes including the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, is up for championship honors in both the male sprint and older dirt male divisions. He is owned by Baoma Corp. Brant, who won the GI Del Mar Futurity and was third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, is up for champion 2-year-old male honors.

The winners will be announced at the 55th Eclipse Awards ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 22 at The Breakers resort in Palm Beach, Fla.

2025 Eclipse Award Finalists (Santa Anita-based horses in bold):

SANTA YNEZ, GIII LAS FLORES RESCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEKEND

Both the Santa Ynez Stakes for 3-year-old fillies and GIII Las Flores for older fillies and mares will be run next weekend at Santa Anita after being postponed because of rain.

The seven-furlong Santa Ynez, which kicks off the road to the GII Santa Anita Oaks on April 4, will be run this Saturday with the seven-furlong Las Flores going a day later. In addition to the rescheduled Santa Ynez, Saturday’s card will also feature the Grade II San Vicente for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs. The San Vicente begins the road to the GI Santa Anita Derby, also on April 5. Entries for the Santa Ynez, San Vicente and the rest of Saturday’s card will be drawn on Monday.

Previously entered in the Santa Ynez were Revera for trainer John Sadler; Explora, Himika and Toaster for trainer Bob Baffert; and La Wally for trainer Mark Glatt. The Santa Ynez also awards qualifying points for this spring’s Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

Among the nominees for the San Vicente are GI Hopeful runner-up Buetane and GI American Pharoah runner-up Desert Gate, both for Baffert; GII Los Alamitos Derby runner-up Acknowledgemeplz and stakes-placed Thirsty Rebel, both for trainer Doug O’Neill; and promising maiden winners Bust Out for trainer Michael McCarthy and So Happy for Glatt.

Joining the Las Flores on Sunday’s card will be the GIII Las Cienegas for older fillies and mares at about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course. That card will be set on Tuesday.

Previously entered in the Las Flores were Magnificat for trainer Richard Mandella; Nafisa and Ooty for Baffert; Thermal for Sadler and Margarita Girl for Glatt.

SYNTHETIC TRAINING TRACK PROVING VALUE AMID RAINSTORMS

The all-weather, synthetic training track Santa Anita installed last March has proven its worth during a rainy start to the 2025-26 racing season.

Since Dec. 23, Santa Anita has received over nine inches of rain with more coming throughout Sunday before a clearing pattern begins. The series of rainstorms has resulted in multiple race days to be canceled and for only limiting training on the dirt main track. But on the all-weather training track, which is made of Tapeta Footings and was installed at a cost of approximately $8 million, training has gone on largely uninterrupted.

On Saturday, 69 horses were able to register high-velocity workouts on the training track despite the wet conditions. Among that group were all three of trainer Phil D’Amato’s stakes runners that are entered to run Thursday in either the Grade III Robert J. Frankel or Eddie Logan Stakes.

D’Amato’s two runners in the Frankel for older fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf—expected favorite Public Assembly and Sun Of Hill—each worked five furlongs on the training track Saturday. Iriseach, who is entered in the Eddie Logan at one mile on turf, also worked five furlongs.

“It’s of the utmost importance,” D’Amato said of having a synthetic training track Sunday morning. “Given California’s rules and regulations, I don’t think we could do without it. They did a great job of ironing it out and getting it to where it needs to be. It’s a huge asset for California racing.”

On Sunday, despite the main track again being closed, multiple horses that are entered in next weekend’s stakes races were able to record timed workouts. Explora, the expected favorite in Saturdays Santa Ynez Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, worked five furlongs on the training track in 1:00.00 for trainer Bob Baffert. Also working for Baffert were Beutane, Desert Gate and Greenwich Village, who are all nominated to Saturday’s GII San Vicente for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs; and Himika, who is expected to run in next Sunday’s GIII Las Flores.

Other notables working on the training track Sunday included Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Super Corredora and Grade I winner Full Serrano, both for trainer John Sadler. Super Corredora, who Sunday morning was announced as a finalist for the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old filly, worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds. She is targeting the Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going a mile on Feb. 1. Full Serrano worked six furlongs in 1:13.20. The 2024 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner, who finished fifth in this year’s edition of that race in his most recent start, is a candidate to run in the GII San Pasqual on Jan. 31, Sadler said recently.

In all, there were 174 workouts recorded on the training track Sunday under wet conditions.

FINISH LINES: Starting off a four day race week, Santa Anita has a nine-race card set for Thursday headlined by the GIII Robert J. Frankel and Eddie Logan, which had both been postponed because of rain. First post is at 12 p.m. PT. On-track fans will receive free parking and admission along with an “All-Day Happy Hour” featuring 50 percent off select beer and cocktails…Veteran jockey Emisael Jaramillo won his first-ever race at Santa Anita Friday when guiding favorite Dirty Words ($3.60) to victory in the fifth race for trainer Doug O’Neill. Jaramillo, a 48-year-old native of Venezuela, had previously been based at Gulfstream Park for many years. Entering Sunday, he had won 1,883 races in North America.

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