Santa Anita Stable Notes Friday, April 24, 2026

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2026 Photo: Candice Chavez/Eclipse Sportswire

- GIII ROYAL HEROINE: GII WINNER MAY DAY READY MAKES LOCAL BOW - SHIRREFFS, KONA GOLD ELECTED TO RACING HALL OF FAME - WORKS: BAFFERT STARS, QUEEN MAXIMA AMONG NOTABLES ON TAB - PDJF TELETHON RAISES RECORD-BREAKING $575,000

GIII ROYAL HEROINE: GII WINNER MAY DAY READY MAKES LOCAL BOW Set to make her local debut Saturday in the Grade III Royal Heroine Stakes is May Day Ready, a Grade II winner last summer at Saratoga who is now based at Santa Anita with trainer Richard Mandella. In the Royal Heroine, which is for fillies and mares at one mile on turf, May Day Ready is installed as the 9-2 co-third choice on the morning line.

Owned by KatieRich Stable, May Day Ready was previously trained by Joseph Lee. Last year, the 4-year-old filly by Tapit won the GII Lake Placid, also at one mile on turf, at Saratoga. Also at Saratoga last year, May Day Ready was fourth in the GI Belmont Oaks and third in the GIII Wonder Again. She has not started since October when she finished off the board in the GII Valley View at Keeneland.

“The owners approached me last year at Del Mar and said she was at the farm resting and asked if I would take her,” Mandella said. “She’s looked very nice since we’ve had her.” May Day Ready is 10: 4-1-1 with $1,306,775 in earnings. As a 2-year-old, she won two stakes including the GII Jessamine at Keeneland prior to finishing runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar.

May Day Ready has worked eight times since Feb. 27 for her local unveiling.

“We don’t really know her yet and it’s possible she could need a race under her belt. But it wouldn’t surprise me if she runs well. In fact, I expect her to,” Mandella said. May Day Ready will be ridden by Antonio Fresu.

The two top choices in the Royal Heroine are Grand Slam Smile (5-2) and Take A Breath. Grand Slam Smile, a 5-year-old California-bred mare by Smiling Tiger, has won 10 stakes and banked $912,120 for owners-breeders Larry Williams and Marianne Williams. Trained by Sean McCarthy, Grand Slam Smile is seeking her first win at the graded level. In her most recent attempt, the GII Buena Vista in February, Grand Slam Smile finished second behind the well-regarded Thought Process after setting the pace and leading in the stretch.

Take A Breath is seeking a second consecutive graded-stakes win for trainer Mark Glatt. Last month, Take A Breath rallied from mid-pack under Emisael Jaramillo to prevail by a nose in the GIII Santa Ana at 1 1/8 miles on turf. The 4-year-old filly by Bated Breath was imported from England last summer by owners Chivalry Thoroughbred Racing and Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners.

First post Saturday is at 1 p.m. PT. The Royal Heroine goes as the ninth and final race at 5:09 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Innovative, Ricky Gonzalez (15-1); Tirupati, Kazushi Kimura (9-2); A Thousand Miles, Mike Smith (15-1); Ripassare, Armando Ayuso (10-1); May Day Ready, Antonio Fresu (9-2); Rosie Jeeks, Florent Geroux (15-1); Watchtower, Welfin Orantes (6-1); Take A Breath, Emisael Jaramillo (4-1); Grand Slam Smile, William Antongeorgi III (5-2).

SHIRREFFS, KONA GOLD ELECTED TO RACING HALL OF FAME Late trainer John Shirreffs and Kona Gold, the Santa Anita-based sprint star who raced from 1998-2003, were among 11 new members elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Sprints, N.Y.

The announcement of Shirreffs’ inclusion in the Hall of Fame comes two-plus month after he died unexpectedly in his sleep at the age of 80. Born in Leavenworth Kan., Shirreffs won 593 races including 113 graded stakes. In 2005, Shirreffs won the Kentucky Derby with 50-1 longshot Giacomo. He also trained one of racing’s all-time greats, Hall of Fame member Zenyatta, to four Eclipse Awards and 19 consecutive victories including 13 Grade Is. Zenyatta was Horse of the Year in 2010 and champion older female each year from 2008 through 2010.

Shirreffs had been a finalist for induction in the Hall of Fame multiple times before finally being voted in.

Kona Gold was trained by Bruce Headley and owned by Headley, Irwin Molasky, Andrew Molasky, Michael Singh and partners. In 30 starts, Kona Gold was 14:7-2 with more than $2.2 million in earnings. In 2000, Kona Gold won the Eclipse Award as champion sprinter. That year he set a Churchill Downs track record of 1:07.77 for six furlongs when winning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Kona Gold, a son of Java Gold, was ridden to all of his victories by Hall of Fame jockey Alex Solis. He registered Beyer Speed Figures of 110 or more a remarkable 17 times. To illustrate Kona Gold’s longevity and excellence at the highest level, he made five consecutive appearances in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

The 2026 Hall of Fame class will be enshrined on Friday, Aug. 17 in Saratoga Springs. It is open to the public and free to attend. It will also be streamed live at racingmuseum.org.

WORKS: BAFFERT STARS, QUEEN MAXIMA AMONG NOTABLES ON TAB Splendora, Imagination, Cornucopian and Crude Velocity all drilled six furlongs for trainer Bob Baffert and top turf mare Queen Maxima also worked to lead Friday’s work tab at Santa Anita. Working the fastest of the Baffert quartet was Crude Velocity, who was clocked in 1:11.0. The 3-year-old colt by Beau Liam is slated to make his stakes debut a week from Saturday in the GII Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs.

Splendora, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner, worked six furlongs in 1:11.6. The 5-year-old mare by Audible most recently won the GI B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile on March 7 at Santa Anita.

Cornucopian worked in 1:12.2. A 4-year-old Into Mischief colt, Cornucopian on March 29 earned his first stakes victory in the GIII San Carlos going seven furlongs at Santa Anita. Imagination worked in 1:12.4. A 5-year-old horse by Into Mischief, Imagination won the GII Riyadh Dirt Sprint in February in his only start this year.

Queen Maxima worked four furlongs on the synthetic training track in 47.0 seconds. Trained by Jeff Mulilns, Queen Maxima is expected to make a title defense in the GII Unbridled Sidney next Friday at Churchill Downs.

PDJF TELETHON RAISES RECORD-BREAKING $575,000 The eighth annual PDJF Telethon held last Saturday raised a record-breaking $575,000 for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), over $100,000 more than the previous year, event officials announced Friday.

“On behalf of Santa Anita Park, congratulations to the PDJF for their record telethon,” said Nate Newby, General Manager of Santa Anita. “We are proud to support the PDJF throughout the year and are so pleased that public and racing industry contributed in supporting the men and women who are assisted by the PDJF.”

FINISH LINES: Friday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 1:36 p.m. PT with the eighth race from Gulfstream Park…The $1 Sunset Pick 6 starts at 1:04 p.m. with the seventh race from Gulfstream… Dylan Donnelly, winner of the 2026 National Horseplayers Championship, will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Saturday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m. PT.