Santa Anita Stable Notes Sunday, May 17

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2026

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• MEMORIAL WEEKEND: 8 STAKES INCLUDE 2 GRADE I’S, GII GOLD CUP
• QUEEN MAXIMA, INTREPIDO HEADED TO FARM FOR VACATION • WORKS: EL POTENTE, SUMTER, SEISMIC BEAUTY AMONG NOTABLES • FRESU, AYUSO DEADLOCKED IN TIGHT RACE FOR LEADING JOCKEY

MEMORIAL WEEKEND: 8 STAKES INCLUDE 2 GRADE I’S, GOLD CUP

Beginning this Friday, Santa Anita will host four consecutive days of racing over Memorial Day weekend. Highlighting the week ahead is California Gold Rush Day on Saturday featuring five stakes for California-breds, and a holiday Monday program that includes the GI Shoemaker Mile, GI Gamely and GII Hollywood Gold Cup.

The California Gold Rush program is being drawn on Sunday. The stakes lineup includes the Snow Chief Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf; Melair Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on dirt; Thor’s Echo Stakes at six furlongs on dirt; Crystal Water at one mile on turf; and Fran’s Valentine for fillies and mares at one mile on turf.

As part of the Memorial Day weekend activities, visitors to Santa Anita will also be able enjoy such attractions as an Infield Carnival, trackside California Beer Festival, Smorgasburg BBQ Invitational, a variety of dining packages and more.

The Hollywood Gold Cup card on Memorial Day will be drawn on Tuesday. Among those possible for the Shoemaker Mile on turf is multiple Grade I winner Formidable Man. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Formidable Man has been off since finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

The Gamely is for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf. Local candidates to run include multiple graded stakes winner Thought Process, recent winner of the GII Buena Vista; and Take A Breath and May Day Ready, the one-two finishers in last month’s GIII Royal Heroine. Two potential eastern shippers are also possible for the Gamely, according to the racing office. Hang the Moon could come west for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., and Vronti could also make the trip for trainer Graham Motion. Joseph won last year’s Gamely with Be Your Best.

The Hollywood Gold Cup is at 1 ¼ miles on the main track. Leading the locals expected are GI Santa Anita Handicap winner British Isles and Grade I winner Subsanador. Joseph may also send out Forged Steel to run in the Gold Cup. Last year, Joseph won the Gold Cup with Skippylongstocking.

All of next week’s action gets underway with a nine-race card on Friday. First post is at 1 p.m. PT. On Saturday, first post is also at 1 p.m. for a 10-race card.

QUEEN MAXIMA, INTREPIDO HEADED TO FARM FOR VACATION

After earning her sixth stakes win in Saturday’s Mizdirection Stakes, Queen Maxima is headed for a vacation.

“She’s going to the farm,” trainer Jeff Mullins said Sunday morning. “I’ll get her back about halfway through the Del Mar meet and get her ready.”

Queen Maxima will be sent to Kingfisher Farms in Solvang, Calif. Set to join Queen Maxima for a break at Kingfisher is stablemate Intrepido, who finished 16th in the Kentucky Derby on May 2. Queen Maxima and Intrepido are both owned by Dutch Girl Holdings LLC and Irving Ventures LLC. Queen Maxima won the Mizdirection on the hillside turf course by three-quarters of a length under Juan Hernandez. Earlier this year, she also won the GIII Las Cienegas on the hillside turf course. Queen Maxima, a 6-year-old mare by Bucchero, is 16: 9-2-1 with $722,060 in earnings.

Intrepido prior to the Kentucky Derby was second in the GIII Robert B. Lewis and fourth in the GI Santa Anita Derby. Last year, the colt by Maximus Mischief most notably won the GI American Pharoah at Santa Anita and was fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He is 7: 2-1-0 with $342,800 in earnings.

While Queen Maxima and Intrepido are headed to Kingfisher, recently returning to the Mullins barn from Kingfisher after an about 30-day break was multiple stakes winner Man O Rose. A 5-year-old California-bred gelding by Stanford, Man O Rose most recently was third in the Sensational Star for statebreds on March 22. Prior to the Sensational Star, Man O Rose beat open company when winning the Palos Verdes Stakes in February at Santa Anita. He has a record of 20: 12-3-1 with $644,965 in earnings for owner-breeder B and B Zeitz Stables Inc.

WORKS: EL POTENTE, SUMTER, SEISMIC BEAUTY AMONG NOTABLES

El Potente and Sumter were among seven horses nominated to the three graded stakes set for Memorial Day that worked Sunday at Santa Anita. Also continuing to work regularly for a potential return in the GII Santa Margarita on May 30 was multiple Grade I winner Seismic Beauty.

GI Shoemaker Mile candidates El Potente, Sumter and Balladeer all worked. El Potente drilled five furlongs on the training track in 1:00.2 for trainer Dan Blacker. Sumter, trained by Richard Mandella, worked four furlongs on the training track in 49.0 seconds. Balladeer, trained by George Papaprodromou, worked five furlongs on the main track in 1:00.8.

Working towards potential starts in the GII Hollywood Gold Cup were American Hope and Hey Jessie. American Hope worked four furlongs in 48.9 seconds. Trained by Brian Koriner, American Hope exits a 1 1/8-mile allowance win on turf on May 1 at Santa Anita.

Hey Jessie, a 4-year-old filly, worked four furlongs in 48.2 seconds. Trained by Sean McCarthy, Hey Jessie most recently won the Santa Barbara for fillies and mares at 1 ½ miles on turf May 3 at Santa Anita.

Mi Confesion, nominated to the GI Gamely for fillies and mare at 1 1/8 miles on turf, worked five furlongs on the main track in 1:02.2. She is trained by Michael McCarthy for owner Repole Stable. Bred in Argentina, Mi Confesion on April 26 won an allowance at one mile on turf at Santa Anita when making her second U.S. start.

Seismic Beauty, off since being the beaten favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff Nov. 1, worked five furlongs in 59.6 seconds for trainer Bob Baffert. It was the second-fastest of 51 works at the distance.

FINISH LINES: Entering Day 16 of the Hollywood Meet on Sunday, Armando Ayuso and Antonio Fresu are tied atop the jockey’s standings with 14 wins each. Ayuso has never won a Santa Anita riding title. Fresu won the riding title at last year’s Hollywood Meet. They are being closely pursued by Emisael Jaramillo (13 wins), Juan Hernandez (13) and Kazushi Kimura (12). The Hollywood Meet ends in four weeks on Sunday, June 14…Sunday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 2:04 p.m. PT with the ninth race from Gulfstream Park…The $1 Sunset Pick 6 starts at 1:34 p.m. with Gulfstream’s eighth race.