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Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, May 11, 2024
5/11/2024
STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2024
• LAZARO BARRERA: SADLER PAIR LOOKS TO UPSET HEAVY FAVE • WORK TAB: FLIGHTLINE’S HALF BROTHER HAS BULLET GATE DRILL • CARRYOVER HELPS SPUR $16K PAYOUT IN FRIDAY’S $1 PICK 6 • SATURDAY’S $1 COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 STARTS AT 1:49 P.M. PT
LAZARO BARRERA: SADLER PAIR LOOKS TO UPSET HEAVY FAVORITE
Headlining Sunday’s $100,000 Lazaro Barrera Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs on dirt is Ball Don’t Lie, an eye-catching maiden winner last month for trainer Mark Glatt.
Installed as a heavy 4-5 favorite on the morning line, Ball Don’t Lie earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure for his graduation win and could prove a tough customer. But ready to take two shots at upending the favorite is trainer John Sadler. He will saddle both Tapalo, most recently fifth in the GI Santa Anita Derby, and Heart Headed, who returns to dirt after being stakes-placed on turf.
“The favorite looks pretty prohibitive,” Sadler said Saturday morning. “Hope we can knock him off.”
Tapalo set the pace in the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby after a poor start. As the chart notes, the Tapiture ridgling “threw his head at the break and came away poorly.” He then spurted through on the inside to seize the lead under Umberto Rispoli and showed the way until reaching the top of stretch where he began to falter.
“He didn’t break and it cost him,” Sadler said.
Prior to the Santa Anita Derby, Tapalo was second in the 1 1/8-mile El Camino Real Derby on synthetic Feb. 10 at Golden Gate. He now returns to seven furlongs. On Jan. 12 at Santa Anita, Tapalo earned his diploma going seven furlongs against $40,000 maiden claimers.
“He’s come back and has worked really well. He’s won at the distance. We’re giving him another chance,” Sadler said.
Owned by Hronis Racing, Tapalo was not nominated for the Barrera. A five-furlong work in 1:00.20 last Saturday prompted the connections to pay the $2,000 supplemental fee and enter.
“I initially wasn’t planning to run, but he worked so well last week I changed my mind,” Sadler said.
Jockey Hector Berrios, who rode Tapalo in his debut last September at Los Alamitos, has the call in the Barrera.
Heart Headed exits a pair of stakes tries sprinting on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course. On Feb. 17, he was a promising second, beaten just a head by well-regarded Stay Hot in the Baffle Stakes. But that followed with a disappointing fifth as the 4-5 favorite in the April 7 John Shear Stakes.
Heart Headed has a turf-heavy pedigree that led two to his two grass tries. He is by Oscar Performance out of the English Channel mare La Malaguena. Prior to the two stakes tries on turf, Heart Headed won back-to-back races on dirt. He earned his diploma going seven furlongs on dirt at Churchill Downs last November when trained by William Walden. He then was sold to Hronis Racing for $135,000 at the Keeneland November horses of racing age sale. In his first start for Sadler Jan. 15 at Santa Anita, Heart Headed scored in a starter/optional claimer at 6 ½ furlongs on dirt.
“He’s run better numbers on dirt than he did in his two starts on turf, so we’re switching him back,” Sadler said.
Juan Hernandez rode Heart Headed in both turf efforts and will again be in the irons.
The Lazaro Barrera goes as the fourth on a nine-race card Sunday. Post time is set for 2:38 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Heart Headed, Juan Hernandez (5-2); Tapalo, Hector Berrios (5-2); Tessuto, Umberto Rispoli (6-1); Ball Don’t Lie, Antonio Fresu (5-2).
WORK TAB: FLIGHTLINE’S HALF BROTHER HAS BULLET GATE DRILL
A busy Saturday morning at Santa Anita included a bullet gate work by Eagles Flight, an unraced half-brother to unbeaten 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline.
Trained by John Sadler, 3-year-old Eagles Flight drilled five furlongs in a swift 58.60 seconds. It was the fastest of 53 works at the distance on the main track.
By Curlin, Eagles Flight has worked nine times at Santa Anita since March 13. Sadler said he does not yet have a race in mind for the colt’s unveiling, but it will likely come before the close of the Santa Anita Hollywood Meet on June 16.
Returning to the tab Saturday was The Chosen Vron for trainer and co-owner Eric Kruljac. The Chosen Vron, who won his 16th stakes in the April 27 Kona Gold at Santa Anita, drilled three furlongs in 35.80 seconds under jockey Hector Berrios.
Trainer Leonard Powell worked a pair of graded-stakes winners who are pointed to Grade I turf assignments on Memorial Day, May 27, at Santa Anita. Three-time graded winner Anisette, off since a win in the GI American Oaks Dec. 26, worked five furlongs on the main track in 1:02.80. The 4-year-old Awtaad filly is slated to go in the GI, $300,000 Gamely Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf on Memorial Day.
Air Force Red worked four furlongs on the main track in 49.20 seconds. Most recently beaten a head in the GIII San Francisco Mile April 27 at Golden Gate. Air Force Red is targeting the GI, $300,000 Shoemaker Mile on Memorial Day. There were a combined 186 timed workouts between the main track and training track.
CARRYOVER HELPS SPUR $16K PAYOUT IN FRIDAY’S $1 PICK 6
Bolstered by a carryover of $104,580, Friday’s $1 Pick Six returned $16,133.70 for 35 winning tickets. The consolation payout for tickets with five winners was $98.40.
The total Pick Six pool Friday soared to $965,806. There were three winning favorites in the sequence. The payout was enhanced in the final leg when the longest shot on the board, Vronsky Feint, won under Tiago Pereira and paid $62.40. Vronsky Feint is trained by Ed Moger Jr.
The winning horses in Friday’s Pick Six starting with the third race were #1 Mastermind ($8), #7 She’s A Joker ($9.60), #5 Midnight Love ($4), #3 Yellow Sun Dress ($5.40), #2 Sabres ($3.40) and #3 Vronsky Feint ($62.40).
Saturday’s $1 Pick Six starts with the fourth race at 2:38 p.m. PT.
SATURDAY’S $1 COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 STARTS AT 1:49 P.M. PT
The $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 on Saturday includes three races from Gulfstream Park and two from Santa Anita. The sequence starts with the eighth race from Gulfstream at 1:49 PT.
This past Sunday, the Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 returned $110,643.40 for a single winning ticket.
The first leg Saturday is the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at five furlongs on turf. A field of 12 is signed up led by 9-5 favorite Perfect Shances for trainer Wesley Ward. Jockey Walter Rodriguez will be in the irons.
The ninth from Gulfstream is an allowance/optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up going seven furlongs on dirt. In a field of seven, Cape Trafalgar is the 2-1 favorite for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. with Edgard Zayas up.
Also from Gulfstream is its 10th race, the Royal Palm Juvenile at five furlongs on turf. Another field of 12 is entered led by 9-5 favorite Riase the Bar, who is also trained by Ward and will have Rodriguez aboard.
Santa Anita joins the action with its third and seventh races. The third is an allowance/optional claimer at six furlongs on turf. Soho, with Umberto Rispoli up, is the 2-1 favorite for trainer John Sadler. the seventh is a $25,000 claimer for non-winners of two races at 1 1/8 miles on turf. In a field of seven, What a Dude with Antonio Fresu is the 5-2 favorite for trainer Doug O’Neill.
The Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 features a player-friendly 15 percent takeout rate. It is offered every Saturday and Sunday through the end of the Santa Anita Hollywood Meet on June 16.
FINISH LINES: Jockey Emily Ellingwood won her first race of the year from her fifth mount Friday aboard 2-year-old filly Night Beacon ($3.80) in the second race for trainer Ryan Hanson. Night Beacon is also the first winner for freshman sire Spun to Run, winner of the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita…Jockey Kyle Frey won his 11th race of the Hollywood Meet aboard Yellow Sun Dress ($5.40) for trainer Mark Glatt. Frey now leads the jockey’s standings by three wins over Juan Hernandez, Umberto Rispoli, Edwin Maldonado and Hector Berrios…Friday’s $1 Golden Hour Pick 4 paid $4,347.40 for 25 winning tickets…Favorites are winning at a below-average rate of 28.4 percent through the first 10 days of the Hollywood Meet…Santa Anita simulcast host Millie Ball will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m. PT.