Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, March 1, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2025

• 3-YEAR-OLD FILLIES TAKE CENTER STAGE IN GIII SANTA YSABEL • STAKES SCRATCHES: ALPHA BELLA, EL POTENTE, TARANTINO OUT • WORKS: CITIZEN BULL, NYSOS AMONG NOTABLES ON TAB • SANTA ANITA ADDS ST. PATRICK’S DAY RACING MONDAY, MARCH 17

3-YEAR-OLD FILLIES TAKE CENTER STAGE IN GIII SANTA YSABEL

Sunday’s GIII Fasig-Tipton Santa Ysabel Stakes for 3-year-old fillies serves as the final major prep for the GII Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita Oaks on April 5 and also awards qualifying points to this year’s Kentucky Oaks.

In a field of six set to go 1 1/16 miles, Supa Speed is pegged as the 2-1 morning line favorite for trainer John Sadler. She will be making her first start on dirt. By Justify out of the American Pharoah mare Elfin Queen, Supa Speed in five starts has been stakes-placed on turf twice and most recently was an impressive allowance winner going a mile on the lawn Jan. 24 at Santa Anita.

“She’s been training really well on the dirt lately and we wanted to give it a try,” Sadler said of the surface switch.

Prior to her allowance win, Supa Speed was second in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf in September at Del Mar and third in the Blue Norther Stakes Dec. 28 at Santa Anita, both going a mile on the lawn. She sports a mark of 5: 2-1-1 with $114,000 in earnings for owner Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing LLC.

“She’s a nice filly obviously by her record,” Sadler said. “We think she can handle the dirt but you never know. We’re going to give it a go tomorrow and see how it works out.”

Supa Speed will have the services of Flavien Prat, last year’s Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s outstanding jockey.

Trainer Bob Baffert has won the Santa Ysabel the last four years and eight times overall. He has three runners entered—Maysam (3-1), Cipriani (5-2) and Howin (7-2).

Maysam, owned by Michael Lund Petersen, wheels back just 13 days after a frustrating run in the Sunland Oaks in New Mexico on Feb. 16. The Game winner filly, who was the 1-9 favorite, broke poorly after acting up in the gate and finished second-to-last in a seven-horse field.

“She had a disastrous trip in the Sunland Oaks,” Baffert said. “She was behaving really well, but when she got to the gate something startled her and she acted up. She threw a little tantrum and never really wanted to run after that.”

Maysam will race without blinkers after wearing them in both the Sunland Oaks and her debut win sprinting 6 ½ furlongs at Santa Anita Jan. 24.

“I gave her a little breeze the other day and took the blinkers off. I think that might help,” Baffert said.

Maysam will be ridden by Juan Hernandez, who was also aboard in the Sunland Oaks.

Cipriani romped by 8 ¼ lengths in her debut back in October sprinting 6 ½ furlongs at Santa Anita. The Bernardini filly resurfaced in the GIII Fasig-Tipton Las Virgenes Feb. 2 and finished second, beaten 6 ½ lengths by stablemate Tenma, who is waiting for the Santa Anita Oaks for her next start.

“Cipriani is still immature and has a ways to go,” Baffert said. “But you have to run these fillies and try to figure them out.”

Cipriani will have Hall of Famer Mike Smith aboard for the first time.

The Santa Ysabel goes as the sixth race on an 11-race card Sunday. First post is 12 p.m. PT with the Santa Ysabel set to go at around 2:30 p.m. The field in post position order: Just as Fancy, Kyle Frey (12-1); Howin, Umberto Rispoli (7-2); Supa Speed, Flavien Prat (2-1); Cipriani, Mike Smith (5-2); Maysam, Juan Hernandez (3-1); Hey Jessie, Antonio Fresu (10-1).

STAKES SCRATCHES: ALPHA BELLA, EL POTENTE, TARANTINO OUT

Among Saturday’s scratches are Alpha Bella, the 2-1 program favorite in Saturday’s GII Buena Vista Stakes; El Potente, the 2-1 second choice in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile; and Tarantino, who was 12-1 on the morning line in the GI Santa Anita Handicap.

Trainer John Sadler said Alpha Bella will wait for next Saturday’s GI B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile on dirt rather than go in the Buena Vista at a mile on turf. “She’s going to the Beholder. We looked at both spots because she’s been good on both surfaces, but that will be her choice of races,” Sadler said.

Prior to being transferred to Sadler last summer, Alpha Bella was a Grade III winner on turf when racing almost exclusively on the lawn for trainer Todd Pletcher. In three starts for Sadler, all graded stakes on dirt, Alpha Bella has been second three times. She was runner-up in the GII Zenyatta in September at Santa Anita, the GIII Bayakoa in November at Del Mar and again in the GIII La Canada Jan. 19 at Santa Anita.

El Potente is trained by Dan Blacker, who was unavailable for comment. As for Tarantino, trainer Peter Eurton said via text that he’s “just looking for another spot.”

The Buena Vista goes as Saturday’s third race with post time set for 1:01 p.m. PT. The Kilroe Mile is the ninth race at approximately 4:15 p.m. and the Santa Anita Handicap goes as the 10th race at about 4:47 p.m.

WORKS: CITIZEN BULL, NYSOS AMONG NOTABLES ON TAB

Champion Citizen Bull and graded stakes winners Cavalieri and Nysos, all trained by Bob Baffert, were among several notable workers Saturday at Santa Anita.

Citizen Bull, who most recently won the GIII Robert B. Lewis for 3-year-olds Feb. 1, drilled five furlongs in 1:00.60. It was his third work since the Lewis. Cavalieri, winner of the GIII La Canada in her stakes debut Jan. 19 at Santa Anita, worked five furlongs in 59.60 seconds. It was the second fastest of 57 works at the distance. The 4-year-old Nyquist filly is nominated to next Saturday’s GI B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile.

Undefeated Nysos continued on the comeback trail with a five-furlong work in 1:02.40. It was his fifth work since Jan. 30. Also by Nyquist, Nysos has been sidelined since winning last year’s Robert B. Lewis in February.

Baffert also worked Romanesque, who finished second to Barnes in the GII San Vicente when making just his second start Jan. 4. The Practical Joke colt drilled five furlongs from the gate in 1:01.40.

Also working were recent stakes winners Queen Maxima and Scipio. Queen Maxima, trained by Jeff Mullins, drilled four furlongs in 50.80 seconds. It was her first work since winning the Wishing Well Stakes for fillies and mares going six furlongs on turf Feb. 22. Scipio, trained by Richard Baltas, returned to the tab after winning the Baffle Stakes for 3-year-olds sprinting on the hillside turf course Feb. 16. Scipio worked four furlongs in 48.80 seconds.

There were a combined 174 workers between the main track and training track.

SANTA ANITA ADDS ST. PATRICK’S DAY RACING MONDAY, MARCH 17

St. Patrick’s Day has been added to the Santa Anita racing calendar. The festive holiday card will create a four-day week of live racing action from Friday, March 14 through Monday, March 17.

The St. Patrick’s weekend $30,000 Pot o’ Gold Jackpot, will also be extended through that Monday. The Pot o’ Gold Jackpot give 1/ST Rewards members a free mutuel ticket ranging from $5 to $5,000, Admission will be free on St. Patrick’s Day, with food and drink specials also offered to celebrate the day.

The additional live race day was approved by the California Horse Racing Board on Friday. Entries for the racing program will be drawn on Wednesday, March 12.

FINISH LINES: Jockey Antonio Fresu won three races Friday and is now tied for fourth in the jockey’s standings with Umberto Rispoli. Both riders have 18 wins at the stand entering Saturday. Fresu won Friday’s opener with favorite Jai Ho ($4.20) for trainer Peter Miller, the seventh race on favorite Lee’s Baby Girl ($3.20) for trainer Doug O’Neill and eighth race aboard Lisa’s Nonno ($17.40) for trainer Mark Glatt…Trainer Sergio Ledezma and jockey Alejandro Gomez broke their Santa Anita maidens Friday when teaming to win the sixth race with Captain Willis ($13.80)…Saturday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast 5 is an all-stakes sequence from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park. It starts at 2:07 p.m. PT with the 12th race from Gulfstream Park, the GIII Honeyfox…Trainer Gary Mandella will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 10:50 a.m PT.