Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, March 21, 2026

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2026

• ROBUSTA, SO HAPPY, START THE RIDE WORK FOR GI SA DERBY • SENSATIONAL STAR: MAN O ROSE SEEKS 6TH STRAIGHT STAKES WIN • CTHF HEALTH FAIR FOR BACKSTRETCH WORKERS SET FOR TUESDAY • $10K CARRYOVER IN SATURDAY’S $1 SUNSET PICK 6 • NOMINATIONS CLOSE SUNDAY FOR SA DERBY AND SA OAKS

ROBUSTA, SO HAPPY, START THE RIDE WORK FOR GI SA DERBY

Robusta, So Happy and Start the Ride all returned to the work tab Saturday after running in the GII San Felipe 14 days ago. All three will return to the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 4, their respective trainers confirmed following the drills.

Robusta, trained by Doug O’Neill, finished second by head at odds of 67-1 in the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe won by Potente. The colt by Accelerate worked an easy four furlongs in 51.0 seconds. Also working for O’Neill was Civil Liberty, who is slated to run in the GII Wood Memorial at Aqueduct also on April 4. The colt by Independence Hall was clocked going four furlongs in 49.4 seconds.

So Happy, trained by Mark Glatt, finished third in the San Felipe when making his first start around two turns. By Runhappy, So Happy worked five furlongs with company in 1:00.0. Hall of Famer Mike Smith was aboard for the drill.

“I thought he worked excellent,” Glatt said. “We’re really pleased with the work and are proceeding to the Santa Anita Derby.”

In the San Felipe, So Happy pressed pacesetter Brant in second through solid fractions of 22.88, 46.62 and 1:10.42. He then was overtaken in the stretch by the first two finishers. So Happy crossed the wire about 2 ¼ lengths back of the pair.

The decision to push forward to the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby with So Happy largely depended on his work Saturday, Glatt noted.

“He’s fit. We just wanted to see him work well off that last race and I think we got it,” Glatt said. “The work was maybe even a step up to his workouts prior to his last race. I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

Start the Ride, trained by Dan Blacker, finished sixth in the San Felipe after previously winning the California Chrome Cal Cup Derby for statebreds in January. By Upstart, Start the Ride worked four furlongs in 49.6 seconds.

“He’s doing good. We’re going to give him a shot in the Santa Anita Derby,” Blacker said.

In the San Felipe, Start the Ride trailed the field after a slow start and never really got involved. He wound up finishing sixth in a seven-horse field.

“I felt he didn’t run his best race in the San Felipe and have made some adjustments,” Blacker said.

Nominations for the Santa Anita Derby close on Sunday. The race is part of a stakes-laden program on April 4 that also includes the GII Santa Anita Oaks, GIII Monrovia and both the Echo Eddie Stakes and Evening Jewel Stakes for California-breds.

SENSATIONAL STAR: MAN O ROSE SEEKS 6th STRAIGHT STAKES WIN

Top California-bred Man O Rose looms as a likely heavy favorite Sunday when he shoots for a sixth straight stakes win in the Sensational Star Stakes for statebreds at about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course. Trained by Jeff Mullins, Man O Rose is tabbed at even money on the morning line.

Man O Rose most recently scaled new heights when winning the six-furlong Palos Verdes Stakes on dirt Feb. 15 at Santa Anita. It was his first stakes win against open company. That victory followed wins in the California Cup Sprint and The Chosen Vron, both sprinting on dirt; the California Flag on the hillside turf course; and E.B. Johnston Stakes around two turns at Los Alamitos. A 6-year-old gelding by Stanford, Man O Rose sports a sparkling record of 19: 12-3-0 with $632,965 in earnings for owner-breeder B & B Zeitz Stables.

Among those looking to upend the favorite are Flyover (2-1) for trainer John Sadler; On the Whim (4-1) for trainer Dean Pederson and Speedy Wilson (9-2) for trainer Phil D’Amato. 2/2/2

Flyover is dropping in with statebreds after a pair of stakes tries against open company sprinting on turf. Last month, Flyover set the pace in the Clockers’ Corner going six furlongs before weakening late to finish sixth. Prior to that effort on Dec. 29, Flyover tested the GII Joe Hernandez on the hillside turf course. He contested the pace that day and led in mid-stretch before flattening out late to finish eighth.

On the Whim finished fourth in last year’s Sensational Star and then was sidelined for the next 10 ½ months. He returned in an open allowance on Feb. 15 going a mile on turf. A 6-year-old gelding by Acclamation, On the Whim raced near the back of the pack in his comeback before rallying to just miss by a half-length in third. The winner, Captain Choochies, came back to win again last weekend at Santa Anita for his sixth-straight victory.

Speedy Wilson will be making just his second start on turf for D’Amato. Most recently, the 4-year-old colt by Tough Sunday finished fourth behind Man O Rose in the California Cup Sprint on Jan. 17. In Speedy Wilson’s only previous turf try, he finished fourth by 2 ½ lengths in an open first-level allowance going six furlongs on turf at Santa Anita.

The Sensational Star is part of a nine-race card Sunday. First post is 1 p.m. and the Sensational Star goes as the third race at 2:05 p.m. The field in post position order: Flyover, Antonio Fresu (2-1); Drop Um, Tyler Baze (15-1); Man O Rose, Edwin Maldonado (1-1); On the Whim, Tiago Pereira (4-1); Speedy Wilson, Armando Ayuso (9-2).

CTHF HEALTH FAIR FOR BACKSTRETCH WORKERS SET FOR TUESDAY

The California Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Foundation is hosting a health fair for backstretch employees on Tuesday at the Santa Anita Clinic from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Attendees can receive a free health screening and also make appointments with the CTHF’s medical, dental and optometry providers. There will also be free haircuts, raffle prizes and healthy snacks to enjoy. Attendees must have a valid license from the California Horse Racing Board to participate.

The CTHF is a non-profit organization that provides medical, dental, optometry, and referral services to the backstretch communities and their families in California. Clinics on-site at Santa Anita Park and Los Alamitos are staffed with a doctor, dentists, medical and dental assistants, receptionists, eligibility specialists and administrative professionals.

In the past year CTHP had a total of over 5,600 visits and with a variety of programs available they focused particularly on patients with diabetes, providing educational classes, support groups, meals, and cooking classes. They continue to partner with Santa Anita to support the backstretch community meals that take place twice a month.

For more information, please visit cthfcares.org or call (626) 446-0169.

FINISH LINES: Saturday’s $1 Sunset Pick 6 has a carryover of $10,766. The sequence starts at 2:41 p.m. PT with the 10th race from Gulfstream Park…The $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 1:37 p.m. with the eighth race from Gulfstream. Free Daily Racing Form past performances for the Coast-to-Coast are available at https://promos.drf.com/coast-to-coast-pick5 ... Nominations close Sunday for the GI Santa Anita Derby, GII Santa Anita Oaks, GIII Monrovia, Echo Eddie and Evening Jewel, all to be run on April 4. Also closing Sunday are nominations for the Providencia and John Shear, both to be run April 5 which is closing day of the Classic Meet…