Santa Anita Stable Notes Sunday, June 8, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 2025

• $54K CARRYOVER IN PICK 6; $13K CARRYOVER IN $1 SUPER HIGH 5 • JOURNALISM DOING WELL AFTER GALLANT TRIPLE CROWN RUN • WORKS: BARNES DRILLS ON ALL-WEATHER TRAINING TRACK • 4-DAY RACE WEEK CLOSES OUT HOLLYWOOD MEET • RISPOLI OFF ALL MOUNTS SUNDAY • KATHY WALSH ‘CELEBRATION OF LIFE’ SET FOR SUNDAY

$54K CARRYOVER IN PICK 6; $13K CARRYOVER IN $1 SUPER HIGH 5

There is a $54,869 carryover in Sunday’s $2 Pick Six and a $13,508 carryover in the $1 Super High 5, which will be up for grabs in the ninth and final race. Track officials estimate the total Pick Six pool will reach $600,000.

Sunday’s Pick Six starts with the fourth race at 2:36 p.m. PT. Post time for the ninth race is set for 5:08 p.m. To help make informed selections, Santa Anita has teamed with Daily Racing Form to provide free past performances for the entire Sunday card. They can be accessed at promos.drf.com/santaanita25.

The Pick Six carryover was clinched in Saturday’s 10th and final race when longshot Lila, trained by Richard Baltas, got up in time under Armando Ayuso and paid $24. There were three winning favorites in the Pick Six and three longshot winners that all returned double digits for a $2 wager.

The Pick Six consolation payout Saturday for tickets with five winners was $1,237.60. The winning horses in Saturday’s Pick Six beginning with the fifth race were #8 Lil’ Boom Boom ($5.60), #11 Papa Love’s Vegas ($31.60), #7 Cash Call ($3), #10 Lahaina Flavor ($31.80), #6 Cela Hall ($4.80) and #7 Lila ($24).

Sunday’s Super High 5 in the ninth race has a field of 10 maiden fillies and mares set to sprint six furlongs on turf. The 5-2 favorite on the morning line is Vinalia, who will have Armando Ayuso aboard for trainer Phil D’Amato.

JOURNALISM DOING WELL AFTER GALLANT TRIPLE CROWN RUN

Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners reported early Sunday that Journalism was “happy and hungry” the morning after being second-best to Sovereignty in the 157th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga.

“He’ll head home to Santa Anita this week to recharge,” Wellman added in a social media post. Trainer Michael McCarthy told the NYRA press office Journalism “looks very good. Everything about him is good

Journalism this year was the only horse to run in all three Triple Crown races. “He’s a gorilla,” McCarthy said of his charge. “He’s built for something like this and I’ve thought that for some time. I’m just glad he showed up. I thought all three of his races were exemplary.”

In the Kentucky Derby, Journalism and jockey Umberto Rispoli finished second by 1 ½ lengths to Sovereignty after having the lead in the stretch. Two weeks later in the Preakness, which Sovereignty bypassed, Journalism overcame serious trouble in the stretch to win in a performance for the ages. Then in the Belmont, Journalism again had the lead in the stretch but could not hold off the late charge of Sovereignty, who prevailed by three lengths.

After the Belmont, McCarthy offered praise to both Journalism and Sovereignty while already looking ahead to a potential rematch in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.

“Let's hope everybody stays happy and healthy, and we'll see (Sovereignty) in Del Mar hopefully in November, in our backyard. I can't say enough good things about that horse or about my horse. It has been a fantastic experience for me and my guys.”

Prior to his gallant Triple Crown run, Journalism won four straight races including the GI Santa Anita Derby, GII San Felipe and GII Los Alamitos Futurity. The son of Curlin is now 8: 5-2-1 with $3,198,880 in earnings.

WORKS: BARNES DRILLS ON ALL-WEATHER TRAINING TRACK

Barnes worked for the first time in more than three weeks Sunday when drilling three furlongs on the training track in 37.0 seconds for trainer Bob Baffert. It was Barnes’s first time working on the all-weather training track, which sits inside Santa Anita’s main oval and turf course. Barnes previously worked on May 16. A 3-year-old colt by Into Mischief, Barnes hasn’t started since finishing fifth in the GI Santa Anita Derby April 5.

Also working for Baffert was Richi, winner of the GII Santa Maria April 19, Richi worked four furlongs on the main track in 48.40 seconds.

An array of horses nominated to next weekend’s three stakes races were also on the tab. Among those were several for trainer Phil D’Amato. Motorious, nominated to Saturday’s GIII Daytona, worked five furlongs on the training track in 1:00.40. Kentucky Gal and Starry Heavens, both nominated to Saturday’s Possibly Perfect, each worked five furlongs on the training track.

Kentucky Gal went in 1:01.40 and Starry Heavens was clocked in 1:01.80. Divin Propos, nominated to Sunday’s GIII San Juan Capistrano, worked five furlongs on the training track in 1:01.80. Also working for D’Amato was Iron Man Cal, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up who most recently finished fifth in the GI American Turf when making his 3-year-old bow May 3 at Churchill Downs. Iron Man Cal worked five furlongs on the main track in 1:01.00.

__4-DAY RACE WEEK CLOSES OUT HOLLYWOOD MEET __

Santa Anita will host four consecutive days of racing beginning this Thursday to close out the Hollywood Meet.

On Thursday, Santa Anita will host a nine-race program starting at 1 p.m. Friday’s card will be drawn later today. On both Thursday and Friday, on-track fans receive free parking and admission plus $3 beers and $5 margaritas.

Saturday’s card will feature both the GIII Daytona Stakes and Possibly Perfect Stakes. The Daytona is about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course and the Possibly Perfect is for fillies and mares going 1 ¼ miles on turf. Saturday’s card will be drawn on Monday.

Nominees to the Daytona include Motorious, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint runner-up who hasn’t started since winning the GII Joe Hernandez on the hillside course Dec. 28. Motorious is trained by Phil D’Amato.

Sunday’s program will include Santa Anita’s traditional closing-day feature, the GIII San Juan Capistrano Stakes at about 1 ¾ miles on turf. Nominees include Grade I winner Gold Phoenix for D’Amato and multiple stakes-winning mare Mrs. Astor for trainer Jonathan Thomas. Sunday’s program will also feature mandatory payouts in all pools.

With Sunday being Father’s Day, Santa Anita also has several Father’s Day-related events planned to help celebrate.They include Father’s Day FrontRunner Buffet, Trackside dining featuring a multi-course family style lunch, Father’s Day BBQ on the trackside apron, and in the plush Chandelier room, “Drams for Dads” featuring a bevy of gourmet delights that include whiskey tasting and a buffet.

Ticket packages for all the various events next week are now available for purchase at santaanita.com.

FINISH LINES: Jockey Umberto Rispoli is off his four scheduled mounts Sunday at Santa Anita…Jockey Juan Hernandez won four races Saturday to move into second place in the jockey’s standings behind Antonio Fresu. Hernandez won the first race aboard News at Ten ($5) for trainer Peter Eurton, the fourth race on Miles Finch ($5.50) for trainer John Sadler, the GIII Summertime Oaks with Cash Call ($3) for trainer Bob Baffert and the eighth race on longshot Lahaina Flavor ($31.80) for trainer Patrick Gallagher. Hernandez trails Fresu by five wins with five days remaining in the Hollywood Meet…Sunday’s sixth race is named in honor of late trainer Kathy Walsh, who died last month at age 85. There is also a ‘Celebration of Life’ in Santa Anita’s 100-1 club from 1 to 4 p.m…Sunday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 2:18 p.m. PT with the ninth race from Gulfstream Park.