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El Potente Back To Defend Title In GIII Thunder Road Stakes For Older Horses Going A Mile On Turf Saturday At Santa Anita

2/3/2026

__EL POTENTE BACK TO DEFEND TITLE IN GIII THUNDER ROAD STAKES FOR OLDER HORSES GOING A MILE ON TURF SATURDAY AT SANTA ANITA __

ARCADIA, CA (Feb. 2, 2026)— The winner of last year’s Grade III Thunder Road Stakes, El Potente, looks for a repeat victory in the one-mile turf event for older horses Saturday at Santa Anita.

Trained by Dan Blacker, El Potente most recently finished fourth by 3 ¾ lengths behind winner Gas Me Up in the GII Joe Hernandez Stakes sprinting about 6 ½ furlongs on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course Dec. 29. The 7-year-old full horse by Temple City is winless in two starts since his victory in last year’s Thunder Road. Prior to the Joe Hernandez, El Potente was a narrowly beaten third by a half-length in the GII Seabiscuit going a mile at Del Mar in November. Having never been off the board at the Thunder Road distance, El Potente has an overall record of 16-6-2-3 with $284,796 in earnings for owner My Way Racing. He will have regular rider Hector I. Berrios aboard.

Gas Me Up rallied from last in a field of 10 to win the Joe Hernandez by 1 ¼ lengths for trainer Peter Eurton. The career-best performance earned a lofty 100 Beyer Speed Figure. The 6-year-old Hard Spun gelding last year when trained by Kevin Attard won the GII King Edward Stakes at a mile on turf at Woodbine and then was third the GI Woodbine Mile.

Gas Me Up ended the 2025 campaign with a seventh-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar. Owned by Exline Boarder Racing, Michael Jawl, Aaron Kennedy and Tom Zwisler, Gas Me Up is 11-5-1-1 with $490,262 in earnings. He will have Mirco Demuro in the irons.

THE GRADE III THUNDER ROAD WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 5 of 9 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

  1. Gas Me Up – Mirco Demuro – 124
  2. Lord Bullingdon – Kazushi Kimura – 122
  3. Watsonville – Antonio Fresu – 124
  4. El Potente – Hector I. Berrios – 124
  5. Namaron – Florent Geroux – 124

First post Saturday is 12:30 p.m.