Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, June 13, 2026

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2026

• • 2YO KENNYTEN SPARKLES IN DEBUT FOR CERIN; MR. A.P. GEARING UP
• • $53K CARRYOVER IN $2 PICK 6; $3K CARRYOVER IN $1 SUNSET 6
• • WORKS: EL POTENTE BACK ON TAB AFTER GI SHOEMAKER SCRATCH
• • FRESU, AYUSO EACH WIN 1 FRIDAY, REMAIN TIED IN JOCKEY’S RACE
• • BONUS MONDAY CARD HAS 8 RACES WITH FIRST POST AT 1 P.M.

2YO COLT KENNYTEN SPARKLES IN DEBUT FOR CERIN; MR. A.P. GEARING UP

After guiding Mr. A.P. to a runner-up finish in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, trainer Vladimir Cerin has another talented 2-year-old for owners David and Holly Wilson.

This time around it’s Kennyten, a colt from the first crop of Drain the Clock, who on Friday served notice with a dazzling 7 ½-length victory going five furlongs. Equally as impressive as the winning margin was the final time. Kennyten stopped the clock in 56.99 seconds, which according to Daily Racing Form research was the fastest five furlongs by a 2-year-old at Santa Anita since June 5, 2015. On that day, a 2-year-old blitzed five furlongs in 56.43 seconds. The horse? Nyquist, who went on to win that year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the 2016 Kentucky Derby for trainer Doug O’Neill and Reddam Racing.

Cerin Sunday morning reported Kennyten “is doing great” after his standout performance.

“Nothing bothers him,” Cerin said. “He’s just very level-headed.”

Out of the Goldencents mare Fairywren, Kennyten was purchased by the Wilsons for $140,000 at the OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training in Florida. While the Wilsons are longtime clients of Cerin, and signed the bill of sale, Cerin said it was fellow trainer Michael McCarthy who identified the colt at the auction.

“(McCarthy) bought five or six 2-year-olds for them at the sales and I got a couple,” Cerin said, while adding of McCarthy, “He’s an incredible horseman. A future Hall of Famer.”

Following a string of workouts that were solid but not particularly noteworthy, Kennyten was let go as the 8-1 third choice in his debut. The heavy favorite, bet down to 1-5, was first-time starter Nayar for trainer Bob Baffert and owner Zedan Racing Stables. Nayar, by Tiz the Law commanded $850,000 at the OBS March sale. He proved no match for Kennyten.

With Ricky Gonzalez aboard, Kennyten was quickest out of the gate, he zipped through fractions of 22.02 and 44.72 seconds while receiving early pressure to his outside and poured it on in the stretch to win going away. Nayar in second finished 6 ½ lengths clear of the third-place finisher.

“Only thing I was pretty sure was he would break very well,” Cerin said. “I worked him from the gate with older horses and he outbroke them. But after that, I really didn’t think he was good enough (to beat the favorite.) Apparently, he’s better than I thought.”

Kennyten will now point to the GIII Best Pal going six furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 8.

“If everything goes well, that seems to be a logical spot,” Cerin said.

As for Mr. A.P., he has yet to race since finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Oct. 31 at Del Mar. The ridgling by American Pharoah on Sunday is slated to work for the sixth time since May 11. This past Monday, Mr. A.P. worked five furlongs for the first time, completing the drill in 1:00.4.

“He’s about ready, but we’re going to go ahead and wait until Del Mar and run him either in an allowance or the Oceanside,” Cerin said.

The Oceanside Stakes on July 17 is for 3-year-olds at one mile on turf. It would be Mr. A.P.’s first time racing on turf.

$53K CARRYOVER IN $2 PICK 6; $3K CARRYOVER IN $1 SUNSET PICK 6

Saturday’s card has a $53,569 carryover in the $2 Pick and a $3,113 carryover in the $1 Sunset Pick 6. First post is 1 p.m. PT for a big 12-race card.

The $2 Pick Six starts with the seventh race on the program at 4:05 p.m. Track officials estimate a total pool of $350,000. The $1 Sunset Pick 6, which combines the final three races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, begins at 2:08 p.m. with the seventh race from Gulfstream.

The $2 Pick 6 includes both stakes on the program, the GIII Daytona (eighth race) and GIII Summertime Oaks (11th race). The competitive sequence averages 9.2 starters per race.

WORKS: EL POTENTE BACK ON TAB AFTER GI SHOEMAKER SCRATCH

El Potente on Saturday worked for the first time since being scratched from the GI Shoemaker Mile on May 25. Also returning to the tab was Grade I winner Nevada Beach, who worked for the first time since contesting the GI Saudi Cup in Riyadh on Feb. 14.

El Potente, trained by Dan Blacker, worked four furlongs on the synthetic training track in 50.60 seconds. The multiple Grade III winner was the second choice on the morning line for the Shoemaker Mile, which was ultimately won by Formidable Man, the favorite on both the morning line and at post time.

Nevada Beach returned to the tab with a four-furlong work in 49.6 seconds. Trained by Bob Baffert, Nevada Beach finished 12th in the Saudi Cup in his only start this campaign. Last year, the 4-year-old colt by Omaha Beach won both the GI Goodwood at Santa Anita and GIII Native Diver at Del Mar.

Grade I-placed Mirahmadi, who hasn’t started since July, also worked for Baffert. The 5-year-old horse by Into Mischief sizzled six furlongs from the starting gate in 1:10.6. It was his first time working six furlongs on the comeback trail and eighth work overall since April 23.

Trainer Michael McCarthy’s workers included graded stakes winners Simply Joking and Mondego and stakes-winning 3-year-old Bust Out. Simply Joking, most recently second in the GII Santa Margarita on May 30, returned to the tab with a four-furlong drill in 48.0 seconds.

Mondego, winner of the GII Charles Whittingham on May 2, worked five furlongs in 1:02.4. Bust Out, winner of the Cinema Stakes on turf May 17, worked five furlongs in 1:01.6.

Other notables on the tab included Unrivaled Time (4f, 48.2), winner of the Snow Chief for California-breds on May 23 for trainer Leonard Powell; Big City Lights (5f, 1:00.8) for trainer Richard Mandella and Grand Slam Smile (4f, 48.6) for trainer Sean McCarthy.

South American Group I winner The Goat, who finished fourth in the GIII Triple Bend in his U.S. debut May 31, returned to the tab with a four furlong work in 48.0 seconds. He is trained by John Sadler.

FINISH LINES: Antonio Fresu and Armando Ayuso remain tied atop the jockey’s standings after each won one race on Friday’s program. Ayuso scored in the fifth race with Owl ($4.20) for trainer Neil Drysdale. Fresu won the seventh race, the Possibly Perfect Stakes, with Kentucky Gal ($18.60) for trainer Phil D’Amato. Both jockeys have 29 wins at the Hollywood Meet with three days remaining…Trainer George Papaprodromou won three races Friday, two with young French jockey Cesar Belmont. Papaprodromou and Belmont teamed to win both the sixth race with Hankering ($10.20) and ninth race with Long Mayshe Reign ($22.40). Papaprodromou also won the second race with Can’t Say That ($2.80), who was ridden by Kazushi Kimura. Papaprodromou is now tied for third among trainers with 10 wins at the stand….Saturday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 1:36 p.m. PT with the eighth race from Gulfstream Park…An eight-race card is set for Monday with first post at 1 p.m. The program was added after Thursday’s card was canceled after the fifth race due to a power failure…Horseplayer Gino Buccola will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m.