Santa Anita Stable Notes Sunday, April 5, 2026

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2026

• SO HAPPY IN FINE FETTLE AFTER GI SANTA ANITA DERBY WIN •     MEANING, BROOKLYN BLONDE ‘BOTH DOING WELL’ AFTER OAKS 1-2 •     CARRYOVERS INCLUDE $97K IN $2 PICK 6, $54K IN $1 SUNSET 6 •     SANTA ANITA DERBY DAY ATTENDANCE OF 37,562 HIGHEST SINCE 2018 •     BAZE, 1 WIN FROM 3,000, HAS 3 MOUNTS ON CLOSING DAY

SO HAPPY DOING WELL AFTER GI SANTA ANITA DERBY WIN

So Happy was in fine fettle the morning after winning Saturday’s Grade I Santa Anita Derby.

“He ate good and looked great this morning,” trainer Mark Glatt said. “He seems to be in good spirits. “

So Happy won the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby by 2 ¾ lengths under Hall of Famer Mike Smith. The colt by Runhappy sat an ideal trip behind dueling leaders Potente and Robusta and then finished strong to earn his second graded stakes victory. Potente finished second while Robusta weakened to last.

So Happy’s winning time was 1:49.01, which earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form. The Santa Anita Derby was So Happy’s second time racing around two turns. Previously, in the GII San Felipe going 1 1/16, So Happy was up close to sharp pace and yielded late to finish third, 2 ¼ lengths back of winner Potente.

“I think that was the biggest part of it, having that two-turn race under his belt,” Glatt said. “I thought Mike rode a great race. We were a little more patient with him than last time. Maybe he would have won the San Felipe if he got that same kind of trip. But dealing with Brant that day, combined with first time two turns and having not raced for a couple of months, it all probably caught up with him.”

So Happy is owned by Norman Stables and Saints or Sinners. He was purchased for $150,000 at last year’s OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training.

In addition to becoming a Grade I winner, the Santa Anita Derby victory also earned So Happy a berth in this year’s Kentucky Derby. When So Happy ships to Churchill Downs for the 1 ¼-mile Classic at Churchill Downs is still to be determined.

“That needs to be thought out a little more than I’ve had a chance to do at this point,” Glatt said.

For Glatt, this was his first victory in the Santa Anita Derby. It was an especially emotional win for the 53-year-old native of Washington as less than two months ago, Glatt’s wife of 25 years Dena died of heart failure.

Glatt said he and the So Happy team had a celebratory dinner after the races to commemorate the achievement.

“We absolutely did,” Glatt said. “We had a nice dinner at my house. It was a special day for us all.”

MEANING, BROOKLYN BLONDE ‘BOTH DOING WELL’ AFTER OAKS 1-2

Meaning and Brooklyn Blonde, the one-two finishers in Saturday’s GII Santa Anita Oaks for trainer Michael McCarthy, were “both doing well” Sunday morning, McCarthy reported.

“No complaints,” he added.

Meaning bested her stablemate in the 1 1/16-mile Oaks by two lengths with Juan Hernandez aboard for the first. It was Meaning’s second stakes win and third victory overall in four starts. Previously, Meaning won the one-mile Las Virgenes on Feb. 8. For Brooklyn Blonde, a $510,000 auction purchase by Gun Runner, the Oaks was her first time facing winners. Last month, when stretched out to a mile for her third start, Brooklyn Blonde broke her maiden by 1 ¼ lengths.

“The two fillies had been training well here all winter,” McCarthy said. “Obviously Meaning’s reputation has been out there in front of her. Brooklyn Blonde, we’ve been high on her since last summer. Yesterday she showed the kind of quality filly that she is.”

Meaning, also by Gun Runner, was a $440,000 auction buy as a yearling. She is campaigned by Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. Brooklyn Blonde races for Sun-Kissed Stables and celebrity chef Bobby Flay.

Meaning will now be on to the Kentucky Oaks on May 1 at Churchill Downs. Brooklyn Blonde, who earned 50 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, would need some defections to be part of the maximum 14-horse field.

“It will be up to the racing gods how that plays out,” McCarthy said of Brooklyn Blonde. “But there are plenty of options for her. We’ll get a work into both of them here first and then play things by ear.”

McCarthy also reported that “everything’s on track” with his top older horse, Journalism, as he prepares for his 4-year-old debut. On Saturday, the classic-winning colt by Curlin worked five furlongs 1:01.6. Journalism is a candidate to make his return in 13 days in either the GII Oaklawn Handicap or GIII Ben Ali at Keeneland on April 18. Both are 1 1/8 miles.

“We still need to finalize some details on where we go, but we should have if figured out in the next few days,” McCarthy said.

Journalism last year won the Preakness Stakes, GI Santa Anita Derby, GI Haskell and GII San Felipe. He has banked $4,348,880 with an overall record of 11: 6-3-1 for an ownership group led by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm and breeder Don Alberto Stable.

SUNDAY CARRYOVERS INCLUDE $97K IN $2 PICK 6, $54K IN $1 SUNSET 6

Sunday’s 10-race program on closing day of the Classic Meet has a $97,983 carryover in the $2 Pick Six, $54,824 carryover in the $1 Sunset Pick Six and $36,476 in the $1 Super High Five. First post is 12 p.m. PT. With it being the final day of the meet, there are mandatory payouts in place for all pari-mutuel pools.

The $2 Pick Six starts with the fifth race at 2:08 p.m. The Sunset Pick Six, which links the final three races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, kicks off at 1:20 p.m. with the eighth race from Gulfstream Park. The $1 Super High 5 will be offered on Santa Anita’s 10th and final race at 4:40 p.m.

For the Sunset Pick Six, free past performances are available from Daily Racing Form. They can be accessed at https://promos.drf.com/sunset-pick6.

Saturday’s Pick Six consolation payout for tickets with 5-of-6 winners was $3,296.

The winning horses in Saturday’s Pick Six at Santa Anita starting with the seventh race were #5 Eugene Sledge ($12), #7 Mohaven ($3.20), #12 Call Me Sir ($7.40), #5 So Happy ($16.60), #7 Spirited Boss ($38), and #9 Peppermint Dash ($31).

SANTA ANITA DERBY DAY ATTENDANCE OF 37,562 HIGHEST SINCE 2018

Fans came out en masse for Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby program, as the on-track crowd of 37,562 was the highest for Santa Anita Derby Day since 2018.

The day began with a sold-out Derby Day 5K, now in its third decade, and continued throughout the afternoon with attractions that included an infield carnival, high-end culinary experiences in the grandstand, Red Bull Sky Divers, and the Compton Cowboys all helping to push the attendance up more than 9% over the 2025 number of 34,312.

The real stars, however, were on the racetrack with So Happy and Potente stamping their tickets to the Kentucky Derby via the Santa Anita Derby, and the Michael McCarthy barn running 1-2 in the Santa Anita Oaks enroute to next month’s Kentucky Oaks.

FINISH LINES: After scratches, jockey Tyler Baze will have three chances Sunday to earn career victory No. 3,000. The 43-year-old reinsman rides Kool Mariah (8-1) in the fifth race for trainer Ian Kruljaj, Three Georges (8-1) in the sixth also for Kruljac and Gypsy Tears (30-1) in the ninth for trainer Val Brinkerhoff …Following closing day Sunday, Santa Anita will take a one-week break before live racing resumes on Friday, April 17 with the start of the Hollywood Meet. The Hollywood Meet runs through June 14…Nominations close Sunday for the GIII American Stakes on April 18 and the GIII Santa Maria on April 19. The American is for older horses at one mile on turf. The Santa Maria is for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.