Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN SATURDAY, FEB. 1, 2025

- GIII LAS VIRGENES: GI WINNER TENMA, CIPRIANI GO FOR BAFFERT - WORKS: BARNES, BULLARD, GETAWAY CAR, STRAIGHT NO CHASER ON TAB - SATURDAY’S $2 PICK 6 INCLUDES 56K CARRYOVER - ROYALLY BRED EAGLES FLIGHT RETURNS IN SUNDAY ALLOWANCE - GIII LEWIS, GII SANTA MONICA PART OF 2-HOUR NATIONAL BROADCAST

GIII LAS VIRGENES: GI WINNER TENMA, CIPRIANI GO FOR BAFFFERT

Grade I winner Tenma will make her 3-year-old debut Sunday as the 2-5 program favorite in the Grade III, $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes going a mile at Santa Anita.           The Las Virgenes is part of Santa Anita’s Fasig-Tipton 3-Year-Old Filly Series leading to the GII Santa Anita Oaks on April 5 and also awards qualifying points to this year’s Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Tenma will be seeking a third graded stakes win. Last year, the Nyquist filly won the GI Del Mar Debutante in September and ended the year with a front-running victory in the GII Starlet going 1 1/16 miles at Los Alamitos on Dec. 7. The Starlet runner-up, Look Forward, came back to win the Fasig-Tipton Santa Ynez going seven furlongs Jan. 5 at Santa Anita.

Tenma has made one previous start at Santa Anita. In the GII Oak Leaf going 1 1/16 miles in October, she finished a disappointing third at 2-1.

“She didn’t run well here in the Oak Leaf, which is why I didn’t run her in the Breeders’ Cup,” Baffert said this week. “But she came back with a nice effort in the Starlet. She seems to be doing well and we’ll see what happens.

Tenma will be ridden by Juan Hernandez, who was also aboard in the Starlet win. Tenma will be joined in the Las Virgenes by stablemate Cipriani. Cipriani, who is 8-1 on the morning line, hasn’t started since a 6 ¼-length debut win sprinting at Del Mar Oct. 27.

“She’s still green,” Baffert said. “I didn’t want to run her in another short race. She wants to go two turns. But she’s a big, immature filly who will get better with racing.” Cipriani, a daughter of Bernardini who sold for $875,000 at auction last year, will have Martin Garcia in the irons.

The Baffert duo’s chief rivals are Just as Fancy (4-1) for trainer Michael McCarthy and Our Moonlight for trainer Dean Pederson.

Just as Fancy earned her diploma with a front-running win going a mile at Santa Anita on Jan. 3. She had two sprint tries against maidens before graduating on the stretch-out.  The daughter of Volatile, a $285,000 auction buy, has lured the services of 2024 Eclipse Award-winning jockey Flavien Prat for her stakes debut.

Our Moonlight was a debut winner going six furlongs on Dec. 27 at Santa Anita. The daughter of Tapit was purchased for $325,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September yearling sale. She will have Tiago Pereira in the irons.

The Las Virgenes goes as the third race Sunday at approximately 1 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Lolos Le Plume, Mario Gutierrez (15-1); Just as Fancy, Flavien Prat (4-1); Our Moonlight, Tiago Pereira (5-1); Tenma, Juan Hernandez (2-5); Cipriani, Martin Garcia (8-1).

WORKS: BARNES BULLARD, GETAWAY CAR, STRAIGHT NO CHASER ON TAB

Three-year-olds Barnes, Bullard and Getaway Car plus champion sprinter Straight No Chaser were among the notable workers Saturday at Santa Anita.

Barnes, who won the GII San Vicente going seven furlongs in his stakes debut Jan. 4, worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds for trainer Bob Baffert. The Into Mischief colt closed the most recent Kentucky Derby Future Wager as the 6-1 individual favorite to win this year’s Run for the Roses.

Graded stakes winner Bullard, most recently third in the GII San Vicente going seven furlongs Jan. 4 at Santa Anita, worked five furlongs in 1:00.20. Trainer Michael McCarthy recently told Daily Racing Form’s Steve Andersen Bullard would likely make his next start in the GII Rebel Stakes going 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 22 at Oaklawn Park.

Graded stakes winner Getaway Car worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 for Baffert. Getaway Car most recently was second in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 14.

Also continuing to work steadily for Baffert is a regally bred 3-year-old colt by Curlin out of Hall of Fame mare Beholder, who has not been named. A $4 million auction buy as a yearling for owner Zedan Racing, the colt drilled four furlongs in 48.80 seconds. It was his ninth work since Dec. 8.

Straight No Chaser fired a bullet when working five furlongs in 59.20 seconds for trainer Dan Blacker. Off since winning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint Nov. 2 at Del Mar, Straight No Chaser is targeting the GII Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 22.

Mrs. Astor, who has won consecutive graded stakes on turf for trainer Jonathan Thomas, worked four furlongs in 49.60 seconds. The 5-year-old Lookin at Lucky mare won the GIII Robert J. Frankel at Santa Anita Dec. 27 and the GIII Red Carpet at Del Mar in November. She is possible to return in the GIII Santa Ana Stakes going 1 ¼ miles on March 15 at Santa Anita.

SATURDAY’S $2 PICK 6 INCLUDES $56K CARRYOVER

With no winning tickets in Friday’s $2 Pick Six at Santa Anita, a carryover of $56,186 will be up for grabs Saturday on a 10-race card. The total pool is estimated to approach $500,000.

First post Saturday is 12 p.m. PT and the Pick Six starts with the fifth race at approximately 2 p.m. Full entries are available at santaanita.com

The carryover into Saturday was triggered in the eighth race on Friday’s nine-race card when Positivity, ridden by Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux for trainer George Papaprodromou, scored by a head at 11-1 to win an allowance/optional claimer going 6 ½ furlongs on dirt. There were no winning favorites in Friday’s Pick Six sequence. The consolation payout for tickets with 5-of-6 winners was $1,046.80

The winning horses in Friday’s Pick Six beginning with the fourth race were #5 Robin’s Tough Love ($5.60), #6 Can’t Sleep ($5.40), #2 Damazio ($29.80), #7 Ashleys Sandcastle ($10.40), #5 Positivity ($24) and #7 Zalamo ($5.60).

ROYALLY BRED EAGLES FLIGHT RETURNS IN SUNDAY ALLOWANCE

Eagles Flight, a 4-year-old half brother to undefeated 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline, gets his second crack against allowance foes Sunday in the seventh race going 1 1/16 miles. Eagles Flight, by Hall of Fame inductee Curlin, is the 6-5 morning line favorite in a field of eight.

Eagles Flight was an impressive debut winner sprinting six furlongs last May at Santa Anita for trainer John Sadler. After being sidelined the remainder of the year, Eagles Flight resurfaced Jan. 4 in a first-level allowance going a mile at Santa Anita. Sent off the 4-5 favorite under Umberto Rispoli, Eagles Flight was second throughout behind front-running winner Mirahmadi, who is ticketed for a start in the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap March 1 for trainer Bob Baffert.

Eagles Flight will break from post seven Sunday under Flavien Prat. Exiting the same allowance race as Eagles Flight is New King, also trained by Baffert, who is the 2-1 second choice on the morning line. Also facing winners for the first time that day, New King checked in fourth by 7 ¼ lengths under Kazushi Kimura. The Into Mischief colt will have Juan Hernandez aboard Sunday.

Sunday’s seventh race will go at approximately 3 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: New King, Juan Hernandez (2-1); Ghazaaly, Manuel Americano (15-1); Awesome Road, Orlando Mojica (5-1); Shofner, Umberto Rispoli (12-1); Rimprotector, Assael Espinoza (15-1); Tranche, Geovanni Franco (20-1); Eagles Flight, Flavien Prat (6-5); Mici’s Express, Tiago Pereira (15-1).

FINISH LINES: Saturday’s stakes action from Santa Anita and Gulfstream will air nationally on CNBC and Peacock from 1-3 p.m. PT…Jockeys Frankie Dettori and Assael Espinoza and trainer George Paparodromou each bagged a pair of wins Friday. Dettori won the opener for Papaprodromou on Thirst for Passion ($6.20) and the ninth and final on Zalamo ($5.60) for trainer Leonard Powell. Papaprodromou also won the eighth with Positivity ($24) under Kent Desormeaux. Espinoza won the third on Grubauer ($2.40) for trainer Tim McCanna and the fourth with Robin’s Tough Love ($5.60) for trainer Steve Miyadi…Saturday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5, which is for retail customers only, starts at 1:43 p.m. PT with the 10th race from Gulfstream. The entire Coast to Coast sequence will be shown live as part of the broadcast on CNBC and Peacock…Friday’s Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 paid $7,105.90 for 13 winning tickets…Daily Racing Form reporter Steve Andersen will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 10:50 a.m. PT.