Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, May 3, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2025

- • GLATT COMEBACKERS FEATURED IN SUNDAY ALLOWANCE - • SATURDAY CARRYOVERS: 20K IN PICK 6, $13K IN SUPER HIGH 5 - • SANTA ANITA HORSES MAKE HAY DERBY WEEK AT CHURCHILL DOWNS - • TRAINER KNAPP, JOCKEY PEREIRA SCORE FRIDAY HAT TRICKS

GLATT COMEBACKERS FEATURED IN SUNDAY ALLOWANCE

The ninth race Sunday, an allowance/optional claimer going 6 ½ furlongs on dirt, features a trio of well-regarded runners for trainer Mark Glatt who are all returning from lengthy layoffs.

Judge Miller, the 5-2 second choice on the morning line, was third in the GII Hollywood Gold Cup and second in the GIII Californian last spring at Santa Anita before hitting the sidelines. Traegar, the 2-1 program favorite, hasn’t started since November 2023. Prior to the layoff, he was a three-time allowance winner sprinting and compiled a record of 8: 4-2-1 with $256,080. Glatt’s third comebacker, two-turn allowance winner Ultimate Gamble, hasn’t started since last July. The now 5-year-old horse by Medaglia d’Oro was a $1.75 million auction buy as a 2-year-old.

All three of Glatt’s horses have had similar preparations for their comebacks. Traegar, who will be ridden by Mike Smith, has worked nine times since March 3, while Judge Miller shows 10 works on the tab since Feb. 24. Judge Miller will break from the rail under Antonio Fresu with Traegar directly to his outside. Ultimate Gamble, who will have the services of Kazushi Kimura, has worked seven times since March 17.

“They are all coming off long layoffs,” Glatt noted Saturday morning. “Traegar is obviously the better sprinter. But we’re using the race to kind of shake the dust off of them, get a race into them and then hopefully on to bigger and better things.

The leading threats to Glatt’s trio are Mbagnick (9-2), Vlahos (5-1) and Chilean import Ga Mo Tak (6-1).for trainer John Sadler and owner Sumaya US Stable.

Mbagnick is in for the $80,000 claiming tag after being claimed by Jeff Mullins for $50,000 last out on March 29. He will have Hector Berrios aboard. Vlahos gets class relief for trainer Doug O’Neill after setting the pace in the GIII San Carlos going seven furlongs before fading to fifth on March 29. He will have regular rider Edwin Maldonado aboard. Ga Mo Tak was Group I-placed in Chile before being imported this winter. He has worked seven times since March 15 for his U.S. unveiling and will have Armando Ayuso in the irons.

With a 1 p.m. PT first post Sunday for a 10-race card, the ninth race is set to go at 5:08 p.m. The field in post position order: Judge Miller, Antonio Fresu (5-2); Traegar, Mike Smith (2-1); Ultimate Gamble, Kazushi Kimura (15-1); See Through It, Tiago Pereira (12-1); Vlahos, Edwin Maldonado (5-1), Ga Mo Tak, Armando Ayuso (6-1).

SATURDAY CARRYOVERS: $20K IN PICK 6, $13K IN SUPER HIGH 5

There is a $20,522 carryover in Saturday’s $2 Pick Six at Santa Anita after no one successfully selected all six winners in Friday’s Pick Six sequence. Additionally, the $1 Super High 5—which is offered on the 10th and final race—has a carryover of $13,280.

Track officials estimate the total pool for the Pick Six will exceed $200,000. With first post Saturday at 1 p.m. PT, the Pick Six starts with the fifth race at approximately 3:08 p.m. Post time for the Super High 5 is set for 6:15 p.m.

In Friday’s Pick Six, there were no winning favorites and four horses that paid double digits for a $2 wager. The biggest upset came in the sixth race when Coiffeur won under Edgar Payeras and paid $66.40. Coiffeur also provided Terri Eaton with her first-ever training win at Santa Anita. Additionally, Eaton co-bred and is the co-owner of the 4-year-old California-bred filly by Last Draw.

The consolation payout for tickets with 5-of-6 horses was $4,397.60. The winning horses in Friday’s Pick Six starting with the fourth race were #4 Tapatia Mia ($9.20), #1 Regal Patriot ($19), #10 Coiffeur ($66.40), #7 Buds N Suds ($7.60), #3 Wink and a Grin ($11.80) and #11 Haywood ($28.20).

Entries for Saturday’s card are available at santaanita.com, past performances courtesy of DRF are available at https://promos.drf.com/santaanita25.

SANTA ANITA HORSES MAKE HAY DERBY WEEK AT CHURCHILL DOWNS

Santa Anita-based horses, jockeys and trainers have been making a big impression at Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week. California racing fans will hope the trend continues Saturday when Santa Anita-based colts Journalism, Citizen Bull and Baeza go postward for the 151st Kentucky Derby at 3:57 p.m. PT.

On Thursday at Churchill Downs, Bob Baffert-trained Fort Bragg and Santa Anita leading rider Juan Hernandez teamed to win the St. Matthews Overnight Stakes going six furlongs on dirt. It was the second stakes win for the 5-year-old horse by Tapit.

Then on Friday, Santa Anita-based horses bagged two more stakes victories. Look Forward, trained by Michael McCarthy, cut back in distance and scored in the GII Eight Belles Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs. Rispoli will also ride Journalism for McCarthy in the Kentucky Derby. Following Look Forward’s win, Queen Maxima and Hernandez promptly took down the Unbridled Sidney Stakes for trainer Jeff Mullins going 5 ½ furlongs on turf. It was the fifth straight victory for Queen Maxima, 4-year-old filly by Bucchero.

In early wagering for the Kentucky Derby, GI Santa Anita Derby winner Journalism was the 7-2 favorite as of Saturday morning. Baffert-trained Citizen Bull, who will break from the rail under Martin Garcia, was 13-1. Baeza, with Flavien Prat up for trainer John Shirreffs, was 17-1.

JOCKEY TIAGO PEREIRA AND TRAINER STEVE KNAPP BENOIT PHOTO

TRAINER KNAPP, JOCKEY PEREIRA SCORE FRIDAY HAT TRICKS

Trainer Steve Knapp and jockey Tiago Pereira each had three wins on Friday’s nine-race card at Santa Anita. In the fourth race, the Knapp and Pereira teamed to win with 2-year-old filly Tapatia Mia ($9.20) going 4 ½ furlongs against California-breds. It was the first juvenile race this year at Santa Anita.

Then in the seventh race, Knapp and Pereira struck again with Buds N Suds ($7.60), who won a $12,500 maiden claimer going six furlongs on dirt.

Knapp also scored in the second race with Jerry’s Spirit ($5.20), who was ridden by Armando Aguilar. The third win for Pereira came in the fifth race when he guided Regal Patriot ($19) to victory for trainer Tim McCanna.

The big day for Pereira, a 48-year-old native of Brazil, moved him into fourth place in the jockey’s standings at the Hollywood Meet. He has six wins from 29 starts (21%) and is now two victories behind leading rider Juan Hernandez.

Knapp moved up to fourth place in the trainer’s standings. Entering Saturday, he has four wins from 17 starters (24%) and is three wins shy of leading trainer Phil D’Amato.

FINISH LINES: Wizard of Westwood (8-1) was scratched from Saturday’s GII Charles Whittingham Stakes at 1 ¼ miles on turf…Jockey Drayden Van Dyke, who is back riding regularly at Santa Anita, got his first win of the Hollywood Meet in Friday’s first race with Hudson Ridge ($5.60) for trainer Bob Baffert…Saturday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 2:45 p.m. PT with the 10th race from Gulfstream Park… Horseplayer Jay Friedlander will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m. PT.