Santa Anita Stable Notes Sunday, April 26, 2026

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2026

- KY. DERBY: SO HAPPY DRAWS POST 8; 15-1 ON MORNING LINE - KY. OAKS: SANTA ANITA OAKS WINNER MEANING IN POST 5; 5-1 ON ML - 4-DAY RACE WEEK AHEAD; 3:15 P.M. FIRST POST FRIDAY - WORKS: WHITTINGHAM, SANTA BARBARA PROSPECTS DRILL - JOCKEYS FRESU, AYUSO EACH WIN 3 RACES SATURDAY

KY. DERBY: SO HAPPY DRAWS POST 8; 15-1 ON THE MORNING LINE Grade I Santa Anita Derby winner So Happy and Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will break from post 8 in a field of 20 in this Saturday’s 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. So Happy, who will be trainer Mark Glatt’s first starter in the 1 ¼-mile classic, is 15-1 on the morning line.

Potente, the Santa Anita Derby runner-up, drew post 14 in the Derby. He is 20-1 on the morning line. Trained by Bob Baffert, Potente will be Santa Anita-based jockey Juan Hernandez’s first mount in the Kentucky Derby. Baffert will be trying for a record-breaking seventh win in the Kentucky Derby.

Intrepido, who was fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, drew post 3. Trained by Jeff Mullins, Intrepido is 50-1 on the morning line. He’ll be the first Kentucky Derby mount for Santa Anita-based jockey Hector Berrios. Mullins has had four starters in the Kentucky Derby with the most recent being in 2005 with Buzzards Bay, who finished fifth.

Litmus Test, the GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner who was based with Baffert at Santa Anita before relocating in late February, drew next to Intrepido in post 4. He’ll be ridden by Martin Garcia and is 30-1 on the morning line.

The other two horses with local ties entered are Pavlovian and Robusta. Both are trained by Santa Anita-based Doug O’Neill, a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby. O’Neill won the Derby in 2016 with Nyquist and 2012 with I’ll Have Another.

Pavlovian was bred in California by owner Reddam Racing. He will break from post 16 and is 30-1 on the morning line. Pavlovian will be the first Kentucky Derby mount for Santa Anita-based jockey Edwin Maldonado. This year Pavlovian won the Sunland Derby in New Mexico and was second most recently in the GIII Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds.

Robusta is currently relegated to the also-eligible list and would need three scratches to ultimately make the starting gate. He is 50-1 on the morning line. Jockey Emisael Jaramillo has the call on Robusta.

The 4-1 morning line favorite is GI Arkansas Derby winner Renegade, who is trained by Todd Pletcher and will have Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard. Renegade will break down inside in post 1, which historically has been a difficult post position.

Post time for the Kentucky Derby is 3:57 p.m. PT.

On Kentucky Derby Day, Santa Anita will conduct a live racing program of its own while also hosting the “Biggest Derby Party West of Kentucky.” Admission starts at only $10. Gates open at 7:30 a.m. and the Santa Anita card will get underway at 1 p.m. More information on Kentucky Derby Day at Santa Anita can be found at https://www.santaanita.com/events/.

KY. OAKS: SANTA ANITA OAKS WINNER MEANING IN POST 5; 5-1 ON ML Grade II Santa Anita Oaks winner Meaning and jockey Juan Hernandez will break from post 5 in a 14-horse field set for the Kentucky Oaks Friday Churchill Downs. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Meaning is the 5-1 second choice on the morning line.

Also in the lineup for McCarthy is Brooklyn Blonde, who was second to Meaning in the Santa Anita Oaks. Listed at 30-1 on the morning line, Brooklyn Blonde will break from the far outside in post 14 with jockey Kazushi Kimura aboard.

Explora, who this year at Santa Anita won the Santa Ynez and was second in the Las Virgenes, will break from the inside in post 1. Trained by Bob Baffert, Explora is the 6-1 third choice on the morning line. She’ll be ridden by Flavien Prat.

Santa Anita-based Bottle of Rouge, also trained by Baffert, drew post eight but will be scratched after developing a cough Sunday morning at Churchill Downs.

The 4-1 morning line favorite in the Kentucky Oaks is Zany, who is trained by Todd Pletcher and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. Zany will break next to Explora in post 2.

Post time for the Kentucky Oaks is 5:40 p.m. PT. To align with the Kentucky Oaks program at Churchill Downs, Santa Anita will have a later first post time Friday of 3:15 p.m.

4-DAY RACE WEEK AHEAD; FIRST POST OF 3:15 P.M FRIDAY Santa Anita will host four consecutive days of racing starting this Thursday. While not originally scheduled, Thursday’s card was added as a makeup for weather-related cancellations incurred during the recent Classic Meet. First post Thursday is 1 p.m. PT for a nine-race card. The program includes the first 2-year-old race of the year at Santa Anita, which is for

For Friday’s card, Santa Anita will have a later first post time of 3:15 p.m. The change will allow on-track patrons to watch and wager on the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, which this year will be run in primetime in the east for the first time.

Saturday’s card is highlighted by GII Charles Whittingham Stakes for older horses at 1 ¼ miles on turf. Fans will also be able to watch and wager on the Kentucky Derby program at Churchill Downs.

Sunday’s card features the Santa Barbara Stakes for older fillies and mares at 1 ½ miles on turf.

WORKS: WHITTINGHAM, SANTA BARBARA PROSPECTS DRILL Four horses nominated to this Saturday’s GII Charles Whittingham and a trio of fillies and mares eyeing the Santa Barbara Stakes next Sunday worked at Santa Anita Sunday morning.

Working for potential starts in the Whittingham at 1 ¼ miles on turf were Packs a Wahlop, Flashiest, Balladeer and Friendly Confines.

Packs a Wahlop, trained by John Sadler, worked five furlongs on the synthetic training track in 59.8 seconds. Last year, Packs a Wahlop finished second by a head in the Whittingham behind Atitlan.

Flashiest worked four furlongs on the main track in 48.6 seconds. Trained by Leonard Powell, Flashiest most recently was second by three-quarters of a length in the GIII San Luis Rey at 1 ½ miles on turf on March 21.

Balladeer, trained by George Papaprodromou, worked four furlongs on the main track in 50.6 seconds. Balladeer last year was fourth in the Whittingham.

Friendly Confines worked five furlongs on the main track in 1:01.2. Trained by Richard Baltas, and co-owned by his wife Deby, Friendly Confines most recently was fourth by 1 ½ lengths in the GII Mathis Mile on Dec. 28 at Santa Anita.

Working for potential starts in the Santa Barbara at 1 ½ miles on turf were Public Assembly, Hey Jessie and Going Lucky.

Public Assembly worked four furlongs on the main track in 49.4 seconds for trainer Phil D’Amato. She most recently was fourth by 1 ½ lengths in the GIII Santa Ana going 1 ½ miles. The winner, Take A Breath, came back to win Saturday’s GIII Royal Heroine.

Hey Jessie, trained by Sean McCarthy, worked four furlongs on the main track in 48.4 seconds. She was sixth in the Santa Ana beaten 2 ¾ lengths.

Going Lucky worked four furlongs on the main track in 50.8 seconds. Trained by Jonathan Thomas, Going Lucky most recently set the pace and finished fifth in the GIII Megahertz going one mile on turf Jan. 31 at Santa Anita.

FINISH LINES: Jockeys Antonio Fresu and Armando Ayuso each won three races on Saturday’s nine-race card. Fresu now leads the Hollywood Meet jockeys’ standings with eight wins through the first five days of the stand. Fresu won the riding title at last year’s Hollywood Meet. Fresu’s wins Saturday came the fourth race aboard Savage Warden ($8.40) for trainer Phil D’Amato, the sixth race with Lonesome Slew ($4.20) for trainer Mark Glatt and the seventh race on Exington ($8.60) for trainer Steve Miyadi. Ayuso is now tied for second in the jockeys’ race with seven wins at the meet. He won the first race with Sneaking Candy ($14.80) for trainer Mike Puype, the third race aboard longshot Rags Over Riches ($40.40) for trainer Richard Baltas and the eighth race on Uncle Chilly ($4.40) for trainer Jeff Mullins…The $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 Sunday starts at 2:02 p.m. PT with the third race from Santa Anita…The $1 Sunset Pick 6 starts at 1:36 p.m. with the eighth race from Gulfstream Park…Nominations close Sunday for the GIII Senorita Stakes to be run on Saturday, May 9, and the Siren Lure Stakes set for Sunday, May 10.