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Santa Anita Week 6 Racing, Stakes and Connections Recap
Week six is now completed at Santa Anita Park for their long six month venue perched just below the San Gabriel Mountains. Rain came into play this past week with about 2 inches of rain falling mid week and taking the races off the turf on Friday. But the weekend played to a fast main track and a turf course which was rated good. For the first time this meet, the softer turf course seemed to help speed hold on much better than it has in the past, as many horses all week long were able to wire the fields, even in route races.
More rain is on the way this week starting on Wednesday, raining most of Thursday and into Friday morning. Management scheduled all 8 races on Friday this coming week on the main track but turf racing should be back in full force by Saturday. The dry weather has helped this track to get off to a good start with regards to overall handle and with the closure of racing in Northern California, field size is up a full horse vs. this time last year. In fact, based on Santa Anita’s web site, it looks as if this track is going to try and run four days per week for the second half of this meet, though no formal announcement has been made as of today. Handle is up 7% vs. last year and that has happened even with Santa Anita shut down for a full week due to the Eaton fires that surrounded the area a few weeks back. Santa Anita will race four days this coming week as they celebrate President’s Day on Monday the 17th.
LAST WEEK’S STAKES ACTION: They ran two stakes over the weekend, one each Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, 7 went to the post in the Grade 3 San Marcos stakes for older runners traveling 10 furlongs on the turf. Truly Quality, gunning for four stakes in a row, went off as the even money choice, but this was not his best distance after running marathon routes. In a race without much early speed, Frankie Dettori took There Goes Harvard, a 9/2 shot, right to the lead and he carved out moderate fractions of 48.08 for the half and 1:12.72 for the ¾. He had two on the field down the back side, still had two at the top of the lane, and then re-broke again at the 1/8 pole and won comfortably by three and a half at the wire. There Goes Harvard paid $11.20 on the front end and was a Turfdom Best Bet on the day. Easter rallied late for second but he is not the same horse he was in 2023. Lord Bullington, a stable mate of the winner, both trained by Michael McCarthy, was third at 41/1. On Sunday, 9 went to the post in the Sweet Life stakes for soph fillies coming down the hill. Casalu from the Bob Baffert barn was made the odds on 3 to 5 favorite with Prat aboard, and she didn’t disappoint her backers as she took control of the race early and pretty much wired the field winning off by two at the wire. Long shot As Catch Can ran on well for second under Rispoli while the Turfdom Best Bet, Schilflied, got bottled up in the lane with nowhere to run and ended up 4th. Once again Berrios tried to find a seam on the rail and couldn’t get through when he had plenty of horse. You’re a hero when you get through on the rail and a goat when you don’t. The smarter riders take the overland route and don’t risk getting stopped. You live by the sword, you die by the sword. None of the 9 horses entered Sunday had ever been down the hill so the favorite certainly seemed to be vulnerable, but Casalu handled it like a pro and the outcome was never in any doubt at any point in the race. She has now won 3 times from 8 starts and totaled $234,546 in prize money.
THIS WEEKS STAKES ACTION:  Four stakes are lined up for this week but only one of them is graded and that’s the six furlong Palos Verdes on the main track for older runners, which is a Grade 3. There will be six runners for that race headed up by Big City Lights for trainer Richard Mandella. But he drew the rail, never a good thing going six furlongs, and that may very well compromise his chances. With Prat riding out of town for the third consecutive Saturday, J.J. takes over on Big City Lights and he will have to try and work out a trip from the fence. The other five are all pretty evenly matched and every one of them has a realistic shot if the favorite does get hampered by the rail post position. The Baffle stakes for sophomores coming down the hill was scheduled for Saturday but it looks like they will move that race to Sunday or Monday due to the rain this week. Then two Cal bred stakes round out the four race format with the Spring Fever on Sunday, a six furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, and then the Tiznow stakes for older runners going a flat mile on Monday on the main track.
THE RIDERS: Flavien Prat took to the air waves on a cross country trip and once again won a stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on this past Saturday. The he flew back home to Santa Anita, got the hat trick on Sunday while J.J. Hernandez blanked, and Prat got within one of the lead, 28 to 27 in the rider standings. Prat is gone again this week as he is booked on 10 mounts at the Fair Grounds this Saturday, which is just outside of New Orleans and will be riding Septarian in the Grade 2 Risen Star stakes, a key prep for the Louisiana Derby on March 22. Jockey Umberto Rispoli blanked both days over the weekend and remains in third with 18 victories. Hot riding Tiago Pereira won three over the weekend and all three were long shots. Trainer Bob Baffert won the stakes on Sunday and has now opened up three on Jeff Mullins 16 to 13 in the trainer standings. Mark Glatt blanked over the weekend and remains in third with 12 wins. Mike Puype got his 9th win on Saturday and his win percentage of 31% puts him right up there with Baffert and Mullins. 84 year old Hector Palma doubled on Saturday with back to back winners, Wishtheyallcouldbe at $43.20 and Tam’s Little Angel at $35.80. Both horses were ridden by Tiago Pereira and both horses were on our sheet listed as contenders. The $2 Daily Double paid $427 and the $1 pick three with There Goes Harvard in race 7, a Turfdom Best Bet on the day, came back at $848. That all led to a pick six c/o of $53,273 heading into Sunday.