Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, April 26, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2025

Photo: Ernie Belmonte

- • GIII SENORITA: CLOE COMES WEST ON GRADED STAKES HUNT __- • CARRYOVER, LONGSHOTS FUEL $68K PICK 6 PAYOUT FRIDAY __ - • WORKS: SWEET AZTECA ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL FOR BALTAS - • JOCKEY RISPOLI OFF ALL MOUNTS SATURDAY

GIII SENORITA: CLOE COMES WEST ON GRADED STAKES HUNT

Eastern-based trainer Jose D’Angelo received a new addition earlier this year when Cloe, who at the time was a maiden winner, was transferred to his South Florida stable. D’Angelo quickly realized he had a promising prospect on his hands.

“The plan was to run her back in an allowance since she still had the condition,” D’Angelo recalled Saturday. “But then after about a month of training, when I saw her talent, I thought let’s go for more.”

Cloe was entered in the Melody of Colors Stakes at five furlongs on turf on March 23 at Gulfstream Park. She proved her trainer’s observation correct. The daughter of Tiz the Law blitzed through fractions of 21.32 and 43.19 for a half mile before cruising under the wire in 54.83 seconds to earn a comfortable 1 ¾-length victory under Luis Saez.

Cloe has now made the cross-country trip to Santa Anita seeking bigger game, a coveted graded stakes victory, in Sunday’s GIII Senorita Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course.

“She’s the kind of horse that makes you happy as a trainer,” D’Angelo said. “You train her and she just continues to improve every day, every week. After the Melody of Colors, we looked all around for her next opportunity. This race was perfect. Timing-wise it works for her, it’s graded, and we can see if she can handle a little more distance. We felt it was the perfect opportunity.”

D’Angelo, 35, was a former leading trainer in Venezuela before shifting his operation to South Florida in 2019. His father, Francisco D’Angelo, was also a former leading trainer in Venezuela. Since arriving in the U.S., Jose D’Angelo has won 479 races and trained three millionaires—Grade I winner Howard Wolowitz, Grade II winner Bentornato and Jesus’ Team, who most notably was second in both the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and 2021 Pegasus World Cup.

As for Cloe, she was purchased at auction as a yearling for $80,000 by owner Lugamo Racing Stable. She was entered in last year’s OBS March sale of 2-year-old in training but remained with Lugano Racing after failing to meet her reserve on a final bid of $145,000. In the Senorita, Cloe will break from the one hole in a field of seven. Jockey Luis Saez, who was aboard for both her debut maiden win and the Melody of Colors, will also come west to ride.

The Senorita goes as the seventh race on an 11-race card Sunday. Post time is set for 4:08 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Cloe, Luis Saez (2-1); Jungle Peace, Umberto Rispoli (5-2); Schilflied, Antonio Fresu (5-1); Velocity, Reylu Gutierrez (6-1); Polythene Pam, Kyle Frey (20-1); Maximum Gold, Armando Aguilar (30-1); Amorita, Juan Hernandez (3-1).

CARRYOVER, LONGSHOTS FUEL $68K PICK 6 PAYOUT FRIDAY

Fueled by a $68,635 carryover and a pair of longshot winners, Friday’s $2 Pick Six paid a cool $68,097 for five winning tickets.

An additional $508,857 was pumped into the Pick Six Friday bringing the total pool to $577,492. The consolation payout for tickets with 5-of-6 winners was $303.40.

The two longshot winners came in the fifth and sixth races. Big Celebration, ridden by Adrian Escobedo for trainer Steve Knapp, won the fifth race and paid $28.80. In the sixth race, Princess Snow, with Mike Smith aboard for trainer James Cassidy, won and paid $52.80.

The winning horses in Friday’s Pick Six were #1 Devilinthebluegrass ($8.20), #7 Kikuride ($4.60), #9 Big Celebration ($28.80), #8 Princess Snow ($52.80), #9 Barbara T ($4.20) and #6 Garden Party ($5.40).

With an 11-race card set for Saturday, the Pick Six starts with the sixth race at approximately 3:38 p.m. PT.

WORKS: SWEET AZTECA ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL FOR BALTAS

Grade I winner Sweet Azteca, sidelined since October, worked for the second time this month at Santa Anita Saturday.

Trained by Richard Baltas, Sweet Azteca worked five furlongs in 1:00.0. Last Saturday, the 5-year-old daughter of Sharp Azteca worked four furlongs in 47.60 seconds.

Previously trained by Michael McCarthy, Sweet Azteca hasn’t started since finishing fourth in the GIII Chillingworth at Santa Anita on Oct. 5, which snapped a four-race winning streak. Prior to that effort, her victories included the GI Beholder Mile at Santa Anita, GII Great Lady M at Los Alamitos and GIII Rancho Bernardo at Del Mar. A homebred for Pamela C. Zeibarth, Sweet Azteca is 7: 5-0-1 with $487,200 in earnings.

Working on the comeback trail for trainer Bob Baffert was multiple Grade I-placed Hejazi. Off since January 2024, Hejazi worked five furlongs in 1:00.40. It was the sixth work since March 17 for the 5-year-old horse by Bernardini. Prior to the layoff, Hejazi most notably finished second in the GI Malibu in 2023 and third in the GI American Pharoah in 2022, both at Santa Anita.

Top California-bred King River Knight, a winner of six statebred stakes on turf for trainer John Sadler, worked five furlongs in 1:01.20. King River Knight most recently returned from a 10-month layoff and finished off the board in the Sensational Star Stakes sprinting about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course March 30. The 7-year-old gelding by Acclamation is 17: 10-5-0 with $650,330 in earnings for owners Integrity Thoroughbred Racing, The Ellwood Johnston Family Trust and Kenneth A. Tevelde.

FINISH LINES: Jockey Umberto Rispoli, the second-leading rider at the Hollywood Meet, is off all his mounts Saturday. He flew to Churchill Downs overnight to work Kentucky Derby favorite Journalism, but the work was postponed to Sunday because of rain…The post position draw for the 151st Kentucky Derby is Saturday beginning at 4:25 p.m. PT. This year’s edition of the 1 ¼-mile classic will feature Santa Anita-based colts Journalism, Citizen Bull, Rodriguez and potentially Baeza.. …Longshot Baltic Fire (30-1) was scratched from Saturday’s GIII Royal Heroine Stakes…Saturday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 2:09 p.m. PT with the ninth race from Gulfstream Park…Santa Anita has another 11-race card on Sunday starting at 1 p.m. PT…Horseplayer and owner Bryan Carney will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m. PT.