Santa Anita Stable Notes Friday, Jan. 24, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

FRIDAY, JAN. 24, 2025

• 3 SANTA ANITA-BASED HORSES, PRAT CROWNED 2024 CHAMPIONS • WORKS: EAGLES FLIGHT DRILLS IN 58.80 FOR SADLER • JOCKEY HERNANDEZ HAS MONSTER DAY WITH 5 WINS THURSDAY • INTRIGUING MAIDEN HEATS ADD TO DEEP 10-RACE CARD SATURDAY

3 SANTA ANITA-BASED HORSES, PRAT CROWNED 2024 CHAMPIONS

At the 54th Eclipse Awards Thursday night in South Florida, a trio of Santa Anita-based horses—Straight No Chaser, Citizen Bull and National Treasure—plus Santa Anita-based jockey Flavien Prat were all crowned 2024 champions in their respective categories.

Straight No Chaser was named champion sprinter for trainer Dan Blacker and owner My Racehorse. Winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint and GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship, Straight No Chaser received 125 first-place votes while runner-up Cogburn had 38 votes. Santa Anita-based The Chosen Vron, the third finalist in the category, had 23 votes.

Voting for the Eclipse Awards is conducted by the National Turf Writers and Broadcaster Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Thoroughbred Association.

Straight No Chaser is the first champion trained by Blacker, a 42-year-old native of Oxford, England. The 6-year-old Speightster horse is currently gearing up for his seasonal debut, which is slated to come Feb. 22 in Saudi Arabia in the $2 million, GII Riyadh Dirt Sprint going six furlongs.

Citizen Bull and National Treasure are both trained by Bob Baffert and have similar ownership groups led by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson and Stonestreet Stables.

National Treasure won the Eclipse Award as champion older dirt male after receiving 148 first-place votes. Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Full Serrano, who is also based at Santa Anita and trained by John Sadler, finished second with 19 first-place votes.

National Treasure was the only two-time Grade I winner last year in the older dirt male division. He won the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in January and the Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga in June. The now 5-year-old horse by Quality Road is the second older dirt male champion trained by Baffert, joining Improbable in 2020.

Citizen Bull, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, was named champion 2-year-old male after receiving 204 votes. In addition to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar, the Into Mischief colt also won the GI American Pharoah at Santa Anita. Citizen Bull is Baffert’s seventh champion 2-year-old male and first since Corniche in 2021.

Flavien Prat earned his first Eclipse Award as champion jockey. The 31-year-old native of Melun, France, in 2024 set single-year records in both stakes wins (82) and graded stakes wins (56). Prat is currently the leading rider at the Santa Anita Classic Meet.

WORKS: EAGLES FLIGHT DRILLS IN 58.80 FOR SADLER

Royally bred Eagles Flight, who finished second as the favorite when facing winners for the first time Jan. 4 at Santa Anita, worked five furlongs in a sharp 58.80 seconds Friday at The Great Race Place. It was the third-fastest of 22 works at the distance.

By Hall of Famer Curlin out of graded stakes winner Feathered, by Indian Charlie, Eagles Flight is a half brother to undefeated 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline. Trained by John Sadler, Eagles Flight won his debut sprinting six furlongs last May at Santa Anita. He resurfaced earlier this month in a one-mile allowance at Santa Anita and finished second by 4 ½ lengths to front-running winner Mirahmadi, who is a leading candidate for the GI Santa Anita Handicap on March 1.

Stakes winners Casalu and Silent Law, both 3-year-old fillies, worked for trainer Bob Baffert. Casalu, who scored in the Blue Norther going a mile on turf Dec. 28 at Santa Anita, drilled four furlongs in 51.40 seconds. It was her first work since the Blue Norther.

Silent Law, winner of the Anoakia Stakes in the fall at Santa Anita, worked five furlongs in 1:00.60. The Tiz the Law filly most recently was third in the Fasig-Tipton Santa Ynez going seven furlongs Jan. 5 at Santa Anita.

Artislas, winner of the Eddie Logan Stakes going a mile on turf Dec. 29 at Santa Anita, fired a bullet when working four furlongs on the synthetic training track in 46.60 seconds. Trained by Jeff Mullins, the 3-year-old Catalina Cruiser colt also won last year’s GIII Del Mar Juvenile Turf and was disqualified from victory in the GIII Zuma Beach at Santa Anita in October.

JOCKEY HERNANDEZ HAS ANOTHER MONSTER DAY WITH 5 WINS THURDSAY

For the second time at the current Classic Meet, jockey Juan Hernandez won five races on a single program Thursday at Santa Anita.

Hernandez, a 32-year-old native of Veracruz, Mexico, won the third race on Malibu Rocks ($3.20) for trainer Mike Puype and then four straight beginning with the fifth race. In the fifth, Hernandez scored with How About Pavel ($4.80) for trainer Doug O’Neill. He then won the sixth race aboard Spotted Haze ($2.80) for trainer Jeff Mullins, the seventh on Queen Maxima ($2.80) for Mullins and the eighth on Nene Diamond ($5) for Puype.

Hernandez now has 21 wins at the Classic Meet, which is one fewer than current leading rider Flavien Prat. Hernandez also won five races on Jan. 4, which included the GII San Vicente on Barnes for trainer Bob Baffert.

Hernandez, a seven-time leading rider at Santa Anita, finished 2024 ranked 14th among all jockeys in North America in earnings ($13,436,692) and 15th in wins (189).

Hernandez is not riding on Friday. On Saturday, he will be at Oaklawn Park where he is booked on seven mounts including morning-line favorite Gaming in the GIII Southwest for trainer Bob Baffert. Hernandez will be back in action at Santa Anita on Sunday.

PAIR OF INTRIGUING MAIDEN RACES ADD TO DEEP 10-RACE CARD SATURDAY

While Saturday’s feature is the GII San Pasqual for older horses going 1 1/16 miles on dirt, a pair of intriguing maiden races add to what is a deep and competitive 10-race card at Santa Anita.

The third race is for older maidens going 6 ½ furlongs on dirt. Set to debut for trainer John Shirreffs and owner C R K Stables is Dr. Park (4-1), a half-brother to 2022 champion 2-year-old colt Forte. By Uncle Mo out of the Blame mare Queen Caroline, Dr. Park was an $850,000 auction buy as a yearling. He will break from the rail under Hector Berrios.

Debuting for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella is Stockbridge, a $350,000 auction buy owned by Spendthrift Farm. Stockbridge (7-2) is by Omaha Beach out of the Indian Charlie mare Silent Circle.

The fourth race is for maiden 3-year-olds going 6 ½ furlongs on the main track. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has two entered, first-time starter Varney (4-1) and San Saba (3-1). Both colts were part of last weekend’s Kentucky Derby Future Wager. San Saba, a son of Triple Crown winner Justify, closed at 44-1. San Saba finished third in his debut going six furlongs at Santa Anita on Dec. 26. Varney, by Vekoma, closed at 80-1.

The 8-5 morning line favorite in the fourth is Father Ted for trainer Mark Glatt. He debuted in the same race as San Saba, finishing second behind well-regarded Madaket Road. A $475,000 auction buy, Father Ted is by Practical Joke out of the Uncle Mo mare Cry Uncle.

First post Saturday is 12 p.m. PT.

FINISH LINES: A “Celebration of Life” for late trainer Eddie Truman is being held Friday at Clockers’ Corner from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Truman, who won 763 races in five decades as a trainer, died on Dec. 11 at the age of 77…There is a $1 Super High 5 carryover of $8,869.52 in Friday’s ninth and final race…Friday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 1:42 p.m. PT with the ninth race from Gulfstream Park…Sunday’s feature is the Clockers’ Corner Stakes going six furlongs on turf. It goes as the eighth race at approximately 3:30 p.m…Nominations close Friday for next weekend’s GII Santa Monica, GIII Robert B. Lewis, GIII Thunder Road, GIII Megahertz and GIII Fasig-Tipton Las Virgenes.