Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, April 18, 2026

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2026

Photo Credit : Eclipse Sportswire

• GIII SANTA MARIA: GALLAGHER AIMS FOR UPSET WITH LEMON MUFFIN • WORKS: THE PADRE, START THE RIDE RETURN SO TAB • $44K CARRYOVER IN $2 PICK 6; $21K CARRYOVER IN $1 SUPER HIGH 5 • LEPAROUX HONORED WITH WOOLF AWARD SUNDAY; RIDES 3rd RACE

GIII SANTA MARIA: GALLAGHER AIMS FOR UPSET WITH LEMON MUFFIN

Following the passing of D. Wayne Lukas last summer, the legendary horsemen’s former pupil Lemon Muffin was sent to Saratoga for one start before eventually making her way to Southern California and the barn of Patrick Gallagher.

On Sunday at Santa Anita, Lemon Muffin will make her third start for Gallagher as the 7-2 third choice in the Grade III Santa Maria Stakes going 1 1/16 miles. She’ll look to upend the top two choices, 6-5 favorite Simply Joking for trainer Michael McCarthy and Nafisa (7-5), who is trained by Bob Baffert.

Lemon Muffin is owned by Julie Gilbert, Aaron Sones and Harrison Sones. Gallagher said he was called by the group last year after Lukas’ passing inquiring if he would like to train the 5-year-old mare by Collected.

“I’ve had horses for them before,” Gallagher noted.

Serendipitously, Lemon Muffin’s most recent start came in the first running of the GII D. Wayne Lukas Stakes at Santa Anita, which the track renamed this year from the Santa Monica. In the seven-furlong sprint, Lemon Muffin pressed the pace before finishing fourth behind winner Splendora, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint heroine.

“She was up close and then looked like she was going to drop back, but she kept at it the last part which I liked to see,” Gallagher said. “She was well-beaten, but we liked her race.”

There are no Splendora’s in the Santa Maria field. Additionally, the return to two turns could play to Lemon Muffin’s liking. Prior to the Lukas, she had raced almost exclusively around two turns.

“She’s been training well since her last race and she does give the impression two turns could be better. I guess we’ll find out Sunday,” Gallagher said.

Lemon Muffin will be ridden by Antonio Fresu, who was also aboard in the Lukas.

Simply Joking and Nafisa are both exiting the GI B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile, which was also won by Splendora. Simply Joking finished fourth, almost four lengths in front of Nafisa in fifth.

The Santa Maria goes as the eighth race on a nine-race card Sunday. Post time is 4:33 p.m. The field in post position order: Catalina Cocktail, Hector Berrios (12-1); Lemon Muffin, Antonio Fresu (7-2); Syntax, Kyle Frey (10-1); Simply Joking, Emisael Jaramillo (6-5); Nafisa, Juan Hernandez (7-5).

WORKS: THE PADRE, START THE RIDE RETURN TO TAB

After finishing second in a high-level allowance after a seven-month layoff on April 3 at Santa Anita, graded stakes winner The Padre returned to the work tab Saturday at Santa Anita. Also returning to the tab was Start the Ride, who two weeks ago finished fifth in the GI Santa Anita Derby.

The Padre worked four furlongs on the synthetic training track in 48.2 seconds. Trainer Phil D’Amato said the 5-year-old Irish-bred is likely to return in the GII Charles Whittingham at 1 ¼ miles on turf on May 2.

“That’s the tentative plan,” D’Amato said following the work.

Last summer Del Mar, The Padre won both the La Jolla Handicap and GII Del Mar Derby before hitting the sidelines.

Start the Ride worked five furlongs in 1:01.8 for trainer Dan Blacker. In the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby, the California-bred by Upstart stalked the pace before weakening in the stretch.

Blacker said he planned to enter Start the Ride in a statebred allowance for 3-year-olds at one mile on dirt that’s listed as an “extra” for Friday’s program. Blacker also has his eyes on the Snow Chief Stakes for statebreds going 1 1/8 miles on turf on May 23 for Start the Ride.

Trainer Bob Baffert’s workers included Nysos, Cornucopian, Imagination, Seismic Beauty and Greenwich Village.

Nysos, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner, drilled four furlongs in 48.2 seconds. It was his fourth work since finishing second in the GI Saudi Cup on Feb. 14.

Cornucopian worked five furlongs in 59.0 seconds. It tied for the third-fastest of 72 works at the distance. A 4-year-old colt by Into Mischief, Cornucopian most recently won the GIII San Carlos going seven furlongs on March 29.

After the works by Nysos and Cornucopian, Baffert said he is in the “thinking stage” of where each would make their next start.

Imagination also drilled five furlongs in 59.0 seconds. It was his sixth work since winning GII Riyad Dirt Sprint on Feb. 14.

Grade I winner Seismic Beauty hasn’t started since finishing 11th as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 1. She worked five furlongs in 1:00.60. It was the fourth work on the comeback trail for the 5-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo.

Secured Freedom, who earned minor awards in both the GIII Robert B. Lewis and GII San Felipe, worked five furlongs in 59.40 seconds for trainer Tim Yakteen. It was the third work since the March 7 San Felipe for the colt by Practical Joke.

$44K CARRYOVER IN $2 PICK 6; $21K CARRYOVER IN $1 SUPER HIGH 5

There is a $44,734 carryover in Saturday’s $2 Pick Six, a $21,214 carryover in the $1 Super High 5 and a $11,646 carryover in the $1 Sunset Pick Six, which combines the final three races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park. Santa Anita officials estimate the $2 Pick Six will have a total pool of $300,000.

First post Saturday is 1 p.m. for a 10-race card at Santa Anita. The $2 Pick Six begins with the fifth race at 3:05 p.m. PT. After scratches, the competitive sequence averages 9.0 starters per race.

The Super High 5 carryover will be up for grabs in the 10th race at 5:35 p.m. The Sunset Pick Six kicks off at 2:08 p.m. PT with the ninth race from Gulfstream.

The $2 Pick Six carryover was clinched in Friday’s ninth and final race. In a field of eight, only one horse was covered in the Pick Six—#2 Mio Bambino (5-1). Ultimately prevailing in the nightcap was #1 Refocus, who scored under Edwin Maldonado for trainer Doug O’Neill and paid $15.40. The consolation payout for tickets with 5-of-6 winners was $2,738.80.

The winning horses in Friday’s Pick Six starting with the fourth race were #6 Soi Ngern ($4.80), #1 Invincible Molly ($15.60), #2 Daddygaveittome ($38), #2 Grazed ($11.60), #3 Mighty Kai ($4.40) and #1 Refocus ($15.40).

FINISH LINES: Kentucky-based jockey Julien Leparoux will be at Santa Anita Sunday to accept the 2026 George Woolf Memorial Award. He will be presented with the prestigious trophy in a winner’s circle ceremony following the sixth race. Additionally, Leparoux has one mount on Sunday’s card. In the third race, he’ll ride Wildfire Princess (4-1) for trainer Bob Hess. Jr…Saturday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts 1:36 p.m. PT with the eighth race from Gulfstream Park…After a slow Classic Meet, trainer Peter Miller got off to a quick start at the Hollywood Meet Friday with two winners on a nine-race card. Miller won the second race with favorite Blame It on Jack ($3.80), ridden by Juan Hernandez, then came back to score again in the seventh race with Grazed ($11.60), who had Hector Berrios aboard…Trainer Librado Barocio will be host Tom Quigely’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m. PT… Nominations close Sunday for the GII Charles Whittingham Stakes to be run on Saturday, May 2 and also the Santa Barbara Stakes scheduled for Sunday, May 3.