Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, May 30, 2026

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2026

• GIII TRIPLE BEND: CHILEAN CHAMP THE GOAT MAKES U.S. DEBUT
• $51K CARRYOVER IN SATURDAY’S $2 PICK 6; STARTS AT 2:33 P.M.
• $1.9 MILLION AUCTION BUY MOONA LISA DEBUTS IN SUNDAY MAIDEN
• WORKS: MR A. P., BUST OUT, HONEYMOON NOMS AMONG NOTABLES
• MAKEUP DAY ADDED FOR CLOSING WEEK ON THURSDAY, JUNE 11

GIII TRIPLE BEND: CHILEAN CHAMP THE GOAT MAKES U.S. DEBUT South American import The Goat, the 2024-25 Horse of the Year in Chile, will make his U.S. debut and first start in more than 17 months Sunday in the Grade III Triple Bend Stakes going seven furlongs at Santa Anita. A 5-year-old horse by Midshipman, The Goat is trained by John Sadler and co-owned by breeder Don Alberto Stable and Paola Stable.

In 2024, The Goat won four of five starts in Chile including three Group Is to earn both Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old honors. His wins ranged in distances from a 6 ½-furlongs, a maiden victory, to 1 3/8 miles, which came in the Group I St. Leger. Sadler said The Goat was first sent to Kentucky early last year with an eye towards running in the Dubai World Cup. After those plans didn’t materialize, he subsequently joined Sadler’s barn in Southern California last fall.

“They thought he was a pretty nice horse, which his record certainly indicates, and wanted to give him a campaign here,” Sadler said of Don Alberto.

The Goat hit the work tab at Santa Anita at the end of February. Earlier this month he fired a bullet when working four furlongs in 46.6 seconds. On Monday, The Goat impressed onlookers with a six-furlong drill in 1:12.0.

“He’s had some really nice works and you can see the pattern is pretty steady,” Sadler said. “We’re anxious to get him going. We’re not sure what his best distance will be here, obviously he has some versatility winning at 6 ½ furlongs to a mile and three eighths. But this should be a good jumping off point for him.”

The Goat is installed as the 9-5 second choice on the morning line in the Triple Bend. He’ll have the services of Classic Meet leading rider Emisael Jaramillo for his local unveiling. Looming as the even-money favorite is Stronghold, the 2024 GI Santa Anita Derby winner trained by Phil D’Amato. On April 17 at Oaklawn Park, Stronghold returned from a nearly eight-month layoff and dead-heated for the win in a high-level allowance going 1 1/16 miles.

First post Sunday is 1 p.m. PT for a nine-race card. The Triple Bend goes as the eighth race at 4:32 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: The Last Straw, Mike Smith (12-1); Bartholdy, Tyler Baze (9-2); The Goat, Emisael Jaramillo (9-5); Simple Song, Kazushi Kimura (5-1); Stronghold, Antonio Fresu (1-1).

$51K CARRYOVER IN SATURDAY’S $2 PICK 6; STARTS AT 2:33 P.M. PT There is a $51,260 carryover in the $2 Pick 6 Saturday. The wager starts at 2:33 p.m. PT with the fourth race on the program. Track officials estimate a total pool of $350,000.

The carryover was clinched in Friday’s ninth and final race when Intuitivebynature won under Welfin Orantes for trainer Dean Pederson and paid $8.40. The consolation payout for tickets with 5-of-6 winners was $706.80.

The winning horses in Friday’s $2 Pick Six starting with the fourth race were #1 Need Mo Diamonds ($7.60), #3 Midnight Cowgirl ($19.20), #6 Danzing Wild Cat ($8.60), #1 Irish Prophet ($15.60), #1 A Z Wildcat ($6.60) and #3 Intuitivebynature ($8.40).

Free Past Performances courtesy of DRF for Saturday’s program are available at santaanita.com

$1.9 MILLION AUCTION BUY MOONA LISA DEBUTS IN MAIDEN RACE SUNDAY Moona Lisa, purchased for $1.9 million at the 2024 OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training sale, makes her long-awaited debut Sunday for trainer Bob Baffert and owner Michael Lund Petersen in a six-furlong maiden race on the main track. In the sixth race, Moona Lisa is the even-money favorite on the morning line.

Moona Lisa is by Tiz the Law out of the stakes-placed Sky Mesa mare Moonlight Sky. At the OBS sale’s under-tack show, Moona Lisa equaled the OBS track record when blazing a quarter mile in 20 1/5 seconds. Her lofty purchase price topped the second session of the sale.

Moona Lisa has worked nine times since the end of March for her debut. Her last four drills have all been from the gate and include three bullets. She’ll break from post two under Juan Hernandez.

Baffert also entered first-time starter Dainey, a 3-year-old. Also by Tiz the Law, Dainey is out of Wait Til Dawn, a stakes-winning daughter of Giant’s Causeway. She was purchased at auction as a yearling for $110,000 by owners Hal J. Earnhardt III and Patti Earnhardt.

Dainey has worked 10 times since mid-March. This past Sunday, she blazed five furlongs from the gate in 58.60 seconds to earn the bullet for the distance. Dainey drew the rail and will have the services of Emisael Jaramillo.

The other first-time starter in the field is 3-year-old filly Sugar Lovin, who is trained by Michael McCarthy for owner Mike Rutherford. Purchased for $210,000 as a yearling, Sugar Lovin is by McKinzie out of the unraced Speightstown mare Town Beauty. She’s worked seven times since April 9. On Sunday, she worked four furlongs from the gate in 48.2 seconds. Listed at 10-1 on the morning line, Sugar Lovin will be ridden by Kazushi Kimura.

Post time for Sunday’s sixth race is 3:32 p.m. The field in post position order: Dainey, Emisael Jaramillo (2-1); Moona Lisa, Juan Hernandez (1-1); Harmonique, Joel Rosario (12-1); Sugar Lovin, Kazushi Kimura (10-1); Saucier, Armando Ayuso (7-2); Maddog, Edwin Maldonado (20-1).

WORKS: MR. A. P., BUST OUT, HONEYMOON NOMS AMONG NOTABLES Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Mr. A. P., recent Cinema Stakes winner Bust Out and a host of 3-year-old fillies nominated to next Saturday’s Honeymoon Stakes were among the notables to record timed workouts Saturday at Santa Anita.

Mr. A. P. continued gearing up for his comeback with a four-furlong drill in 47.8 seconds. It was his fourth work since May 11. By American Pharoah, Mr. A. P. is trained by Vladimir Cerin for owners David Wilson and Holly Wilson. In the Juvenile at Del Mar on Oct. 31, Mr. A. P. finished one length back of winner Ted Noffey, who would claim the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male. Mr. A. P. then suffered an undisclosed injury during training in December that knocked him off the Triple Crown trail.

Bust Out, trained by Michael McCarthy, worked four furlongs in 48.60 seconds. It was his first work since winning the Cinema for 3-year-olds at one mile on turf on May 17. By Complexity, Bust Out is owned by Jacob M. Pegram and Timothy A. Pegram.

A total of eight horses nominated to next weekend’s Honeymoon at one mile on turf worked. Leading that group was recent Providencia Stakes winner Lilo Lil for McCarthy and Light Won Up for trainer Doug O’Neill.

Lilo Lil, a daughter of Caravaggio, worked five furlongs on the main track in 1:00.8. Lilo Lil set the pace in the 1 1/8-mile Providencia and held on to win by a nose over Wild Like the West, who is also nominated to the Honeymoon. The Cinema was Lilo Lil’s first time facing winners.

Light Won Up, winner of the Sweet Life on the hillside turf course in February, worked four furlongs on the main track in 48.2 seconds. Trained by Doug O’Neill, the daughter of City of Light most recently was second by a head in the GIII Senorita on May 9, also contested on the hillside turf course.

Other Honeymoon nominees working were Red Cherry (4f, 47.6), Peanutbutterbombe (4f, 48.0), Dreaming of Alys (4f, 48.8), Bella Lyra (4f, 49.2), Inbox (5f, 1:00) and Peppermint Dash (5f, 1:02.4).

FINISH LINES: Saturday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 1:34 p.m. with the eighth race from Gulfstream Park…The $1 Sunset Pick 6 begins at 2:05 p.m. with the ninth race from Gulfstream. On Friday, there was one winning ticket in the Sunset 6 that returned $11,877…Paula Capestro added to what’s been a strong Hollywood Meet when winning the fourth race as owner, breeder and trainer with Need Mo Diamonds ($7.60), a 3-year-old colt by Mo Forza. Capestro is now 3-for-11 (27 percent) at the stand with three additional board hits. Her stable has banked $132,180…Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario won two races Friday and is hitting at a 24 percent clip since recently relocating to Santa Anita full time. Rosario won the seventh race aboard Irish Prophet ($15.60) for fellow Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale and then scored in the eighth race on A.Z. Wildcat ($6.60) for trainer John Sadler…FanDuel TV’s Ruben Mendez Jr. will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m. PT… A makeup day of live racing has been added for Thursday June 11. It will kick off a four-day race week to close out the Hollywood Meet.