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Santa Anita Stable Notes Sunday, March 10, 2024
3/10/2024
STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN __SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2024 __
- SWEET AZTECA DOING WELL AFTER BREAKOUT VICTORY - 3-YEAR-OLD VLAHOS SERVES NOTICE WITH 98 BEYER IN BOW - MUTH, COACH PRIME, GIII SAN CARLOS NOMINEES WORK - HERNANDEZ WINS 3 SATURDAY, EXTENDS LEAD IN JOCKEY’S RACE
SWEET AZTECA DOING WELL AFTER BREAKOUT WIN IN GI BEHOLDER MILE Trainer Michael McCarthy reported all was well with Sweet Azteca the morning after her huge win in Saturday’s GI Beholder Mile at Santa Anita.
“It seems like she came out of the race in good order,” McCarthy said from his stable office Sunday.
Sweet Azteca and jockey Flavien Prat went straight to the front in the Beholder Mile and successfully held off a late challenge from favorite Adare Manor to win by three-quarters of a length. The final time of 1:36.40 earned Sweet Azteca a 103 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free.
Sweet Azteca achieved Grade I-winning status in just her fourth career start for owner-breeder Pamela C. Zeibarth. The Beholder Mile was also her first time navigating two turns. In her prior outing Feb. 2 at Santa Anita, Sweet Azteca aired by 12 lengths in a 6 ½-furlong allowance.
McCarthy said “we’re going to keep all our options open” when it comes to what’s next for Sweet Azteca. The next major dirt route stakes for fillies and mares at Santa Anita is the GII Santa Maria April 22 at 1 1/16 miles.
“We’ll let her tell us when to get rolling again, but she may end up in Kentucky and race on Derby weekend,” McCarthy said. “There are some pretty lucrative races back there.”
Sweet Azteca is a Kentucky-bred by Sweet Azteca. Her dam, Sweetitiz, by Grand Slam, was also a stakes-winning homebred for Zeibarth.
McCarthy said he has typically had a horse or two for longtime breeder Zeibarth the past five or six years.
“It’s a credit to her to cultivate these families,” he added. “To get something like this, to put a Grade I by the filly’s name, that is huge for when she joins the broodmare band. It means a lot to me and my guys.”
3-YEAR-OLD VLAHOS SERVES NOTICE WITH 98 BEYER IN BOW Trainer Luis Mendez unleashed a 3-year-old with a bright future Saturday at Santa Anita.
Vlahos, a Kentucky-bred ridgling by Kantharos, earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure when drawing off to a 4 ½-length victory against straight maidens at 6 ½ furlongs.
Vlahos was let go at 13-1 against what looked on paper to be a promising group of sophomore maidens from high-profile barns. Breaking from the rail under Edwin Maldonado, Vlahos had the lead at every point of call before crossing the wire in a time of 1:15.75.
Campaigned by Dan Northrup, Vlahos was purchased for $35,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He had worked seven times since Jan. 12 for his unveiling, which included a bullet work from the gate Feb. 9 and a sharp four-furlongs move in 47.20 seconds on Tuesday, which was the second-fastest of 68 moves that day.
Mendez was not at Santa Anita Saturday or Sunday morning. His assistant, Hector Rangel, reported Vlahos was doing well and that offers to purchase the ridgling have already been coming in. Rangel added Mendez was in Utah this weekend tending to stable business.
Vlahos was bred in Kentucky by John C. Bates, Ronald K. Kirk and Greg McDonald. He is out of two-time winner Must Be Dreaming, a daughter of City Zip stallion Run Away and Hide.
MUTH, COACH PRIME, GIII SAN CARLOS NOMINEES WORK SUNDAY Trainer Bob Baffert worked a handful of his top 3-year-olds Sunday and five horses nominated to Saturday’s $100,000, GIII San Carlos also drilled.
Among the key sophomores working for Baffert were Muth, Coach Prime, Wynstock and Faustin. Muth and Coach Prime each worked six furlongs in 1:12.20. Muth exits a win the GII San Vicente here Jan. 6, while Coach Prime has been off since a third in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 16.
Wynstock and Faustin each worked five furlongs in 1:01.40. Wynstock won the Los Alamitos Futurity and most recently was last in the GIII Southwest at Oaklawn Park Feb. 3. Faustin, who is by Curlin out of multiple graded stakes winner Hard Not to Like, by Hard Spun, won his debut going six furlongs here Dec. 26 and was second in the San Vicente.
Horses working towards potential starts in the San Carlos were Judge Miller (4f, 50.40) and Ghost of Midnight (4f, 47.20) for trainer Mark Glatt; Super Chief (4f, 48.20) and Hey Brother (4f, 49.80) for trainer Librado Barocio; and None Above the Law (5f, 59.60) for trainer Peter Miller.
The San Carlos is one of two stakes this Saturday. Also scheduled is the listed Pasadena Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on turf. On Sunday, the feature is the Irish O’Brien Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares on the hillside turf course.
FINISH LINES: Kinza, who took Saturday’s GIII Santa Ysabel for Bob Baffert, was the only winning favorite on Saturday’s nine-race card. She returned $3 for the popular victory…Baffert is now tied with Richard Mandella for most stakes wins at the Classic Meet with eight…Jockey Juan Hernandez had a natural hat trick Saturday when winning the fifth race with Thrumps Dream ($7) for John Sadler, the sixth with Kinza and seventh, the GII San Simeon, with Mucho Del Oro ($7.80) for Doug O’Neill. Hernandez leads all jockeys with 44 wins at the stand, which is seven more than runner-up Flavien Prat…Live racing resumes Friday with a 1 p.m. first post. Every Friday during the Classic Meet, on-track fans receive free parking and admission plus $3 beers and $5 margaritas.