Santa Anita Stable Notes Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

SUNDAY, OCT. 5, 2025

- • SATURDAY’S 5 STAKES WINNERS ALL DOING WELL AND BC BOUND - • JEFF SIEGEL: AN APPRECIATION FOR STALWART OF CALIF. RACING - • WORKS: CITIZEN BULL DRILLS SHARP 6F FOR BC DIRT MILE - • 2-DAY CARRYOVER OF $26K IN $1 SUNSET PICK 6 - • CALIFORNIA FLAG, CALIFORNIA DISTAFF ON TAP NEXT WEEK

SATURDAY’S 5 STAKES WINNERS ALL DOING WELL; BREEDERS’ CUP NEXT

All five stakes winners on Saturday’s card at Santa Anita—Intrepido (GI American Pharoah), Explora (GII Oak Leaf), Mission of Joy (GII Rodeo Drive), Tamara (GIII Chillingworth) and Later Than Planned (Speakeasy)—were reported to be doing well Sunday and will move on to the Breeders’ Cup.

Intrepido, trained by Jeff Mullins, won the American Pharoah for 2-year-olds by three-quarters of a length under Hector Berrios. In the victory, the ridgling by Maximus Mischief got up just in time after what was a less-than-ideal trip, Mullins noted.

“It was a pretty big performance considering he had to steady four times,” Mullins said.

Intrepido is owned by Dutch Girl Holdings LLC and Irving Ventures LLC. He was purchased for $385,000 at the OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training.

“He’s got a lot of class,” Mullins said. “Kind of a tall, lanky horse. Not a real stoutly made horse, but he’s very professional and I think he has a lot of growing to do.”

With the win, Intrepido earned a fees-paid berth to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Oct. 31 at Del Mar.

The runner-up in the American Pharoah, odds-on favorite Desert Gate, may also move on to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday morning. Desert Gate showed the way in the American Pharoah before being nailed late by Intrepido.

“I was really puzzled by that,” Baffert said. “He was really tired. I think he needed that race. He came back well but was exhausted. We’ll see how he’s doing next week, but he’s still possible for the Breeders’ Cup. He’s a better horse than that.

Explora rolled to a 4 ¼ -length win in the 1 1/16-mile Oak Leaf for 2-year-old fillies under Juan Hernandez to earn a berth to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Oct. 31. It was her first time racing around two turns.

“She passed the (distance) test, so that was good,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “She ran well and came back well. I liked the way she was able to relax. I couldn’t be happier.”

Explora, by Blame, was a $350,000 auction purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale by owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.

Gary Mandella, assistant for trainer Richard Mandella, said all was well Sunday morning with Tamara following her eye-catching 3 ¾-length victory in the Chillingworth for fillies and mares going 6 ½ furlongs. She’ll move on to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint going seven furlongs on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

Mission of Joy and Later Than Planned are both trained by Phil D’Amato. Mission of Joy rallied through the stretch and, in the final stride, got her head down on the wire edge Speed Shopper. With the win, the 5-year-old daughter earned a spot in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

Later Than Planned, 2-year-old colt by Cotai Glory, was right on time when rallying to win the Speakeasy by a half-length going five furlongs on turf. He will now move on to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

“Both came out of their races in really good shape and we’ll definitely point them to their respective Breeders’ Cup races,” D’Amato said.

Later Than Planned and Mission of Joy were both ridden by Umberto Rispoli, who won four races in all on Saturday’s card.

JEFF SIEGEL: APPRECIATION FOR STALWART OF CALIFORNIA RACING

The news late Saturday of the passing of Jeff Siegel, the legendary handicapper and longtime member of the Santa Anita Park family, hit with an unexpected weight. Not that his passing at age 74 was unexpected, as he had been fighting aggressive cancer since earlier this year. But the finality of the news brought with it the realization that Jeff was gone and the hole that he left behind is unlikely to be replaced.

“Jeff Siegel was, and will always be the epitome of Santa Anita Park,” said Nate Newby, SVP & General Manager. “He was incredibly respected, especially by his peers, which is somewhat unique in horse racing. He loved the sport, he lived the sport, and he was devoted to passing that passion along to everyone he met. He was the best of us.”

Jeff was a true multi-faceted, Damon Runyon character. A graduate of Fairfax High School, he began his career some 50 years ago, working at Hollywood Park and as a published handicapper throughout Southern California.

In the mid-1980s, he and Barry Irwin formed Clover Racing Stable, one of the original syndicates for “regular people.” They had almost instant success, winning the Santa Anita Handicap, Breeders’ Cup Turf and Arlington Million for their clients. Clover Racing begat Team Valor, which Siegel remained a part of for some time. Siegel continued to maintain a small stable that ran in his own name. His last horse, the 2-year-old filly Surfin’ U.S.A., debuted on Sept. 26 at Santa Anita in partnership with longtime LA Times sportswriter Eric Sondheimer for trainer Leonard Powell.

It was, however, his handicapping and analytical prowess for which he was best known. He was a featured part of “Inside Santa Anita,” a weekly magazine-style TV show that began in the early 1990s and aired originally on KDOC and then on Prime Sports. Siegel was also the featured handicapper on “Santa Anita Today,” a weekly, and then daily, live racing show that aired from 1994-2000 on Prime Ticket and then FOX Sports. He was a key part of “The Best of Santa Anita: 1999,” the 1999 Eclipse Award winner for Local Television.

Those shows led to the founding of HRTV in 2003 and Siegel was one of the original hosts, and the driving force behind several of the network’s most popular shows. He remained with HRTV until it was sold to TVG (now FanDuel) in 2015. Next up was XBTV the following year, which was rebranded as 1/ST TV earlier this year. His analysis, picks and blogs were also integral to XBTV, 1/ST Bet and the Santa Anita Park website.

At an age when most have either retired or looking towards retirement, Siegel embraced a new challenge last year when he became the Morning Line Maker for the first time, prognosticating where the public wagering would place the final odds. It was a new puzzle for him to solve, not picking the winner but trying to pick how others saw the race. He began first at Del Mar in the summer of 2024, and then with Santa Anita until his illness forced him to step down in March of this year.

There will be a moment of silence observed in his honor in the Santa Anita Park winner’s circle after Sunday’s first race.

Jeff Siegel is survived by his sister Michele, his brother Barry, and their families, along with legions of friends, colleagues, and fans. Services are pending and will be announced at a later date.

Bob Baffert (trainer): “I had so much respect for him. He had so much passion for the game. I loved talking to him about horses because he was so knowledgeable and watched everything. Every time I would break a maiden with a good horse, he would run to the paddock to talk to me about him. Like Justify. He came and said you’re going to win the Derby with that horse. He just knew talent. With all those horses, he was always right. He would tell me things with like a horse’s style. He’d say ‘That doesn’t want to run like that.’ He would give me tips. I’ll really miss him. I would listen to his commentary. He was the best one out there.”

Leonard Powell (trainer): I go a long way back with him. Back in the early 80s he had a horse in training in France with my dad (David Powell). The name of the horse was Land Lady. Jeff knew me when I was still wearing diapers. He was always very kind to me and very astute.

Sean McCarthy(trainer): “He was a great guy. A very intelligent handicapper, and even more so a great person. He was one of the early founders of syndicates with Barry Irwin and Clover Racing and so forth. He had a lot of success there. He was great to talk to. You could talk to him about anything, he was just a well-rounded person. I did television with him on HRTV. He was very sharp at that. I don’t know anyone who ever said a bad thing about Jeff Seigel.

Neil Drysdale (trainer): “I had some nice horses for him. Prized (winner of the 1989 Breeders’ Cup Turf) and Political Ambition are two that come to mind. He and Barry were just very straightforward to train for.

Vladimir Cerin (trainer): “I thought he was the greatest handicapper. Even if he was incorrect, his decision-making process was so good that you always learned something. I found him quite educational. He was my neighbor for many years. Not like we spent a lot of time together, but he was just a good guy and an intelligent man. We’re going to miss him.”

Phil D’Amato (trainer): “Jeff to me was one of the best handicappers I’ve seen. And with Team Valor, he was able to pluck some really nice horses for them. He was one of the go-to handicappers on the West Coast for a couple of decades. I remember being a kid and listening all the time to whatever radio or TV show he would be on. It’s a great loss.”

WORKS: CITIZEN BULL DRILLS SHARP 6F FOR BREEDERS’ CUP MILE

Citizen Bull worked a sharp six furlongs for Bob Baffert ahead of a potential start in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. He was among several notable horses on Sunday’s work tab at Santa Anita.

Citizen Bull was clocked in 1:11.60. He is exiting a win in the one-mile Shared Belief Stakes on Aug. 31 at Del Mar. At last year Breeders’ Cup, Citizen Bull won the Juvenile to clinch the Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding 2-year-old male.

Motorious worked four furlongs on the synthetic training track in 49.20 seconds. He is set to make a return trip to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint after clinching a berth when winning the GIII Green Flash via disqualification on Aug. 20.

Grade I winner AG Bullet worked five furlongs in 58.20 seconds on the training track, which tied for the fastest time at the distance. Trained by Richard Baltas, she exits a win in the Ladies Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs on Aug. 30.

Also working in 58.20 seconds on the training track was multiple graded stakes winner Queen Maxima. Trained by Jeff Mullins, she most recently was a troubled sixth in the Green Flash. Bottle of Rouge, winner of the GI Del Mar Debutante, worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 for trainer Bob Baffert. She is pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Other notables on the tab include Om N Joy (4f, 48.60), Formula Rossa (5f, 59.20), Liguira (5f, 59.60), Medoro (4f, 47.60) and Grand Slam Smile (4F, 49.60).

2-DAY CARRYOVER OF 26K IN SUNDAY’S $1 SUNSET 6; STARTS 1:17 P.M.

There is a two-day carryover of $26,407 in Sunday’s $1 Sunset Pick Six that combines the final three races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.

The Sunset Pick Six is a new wager at the Santa Anita Autum Meet featuring a player-friendly 15 percent takeout rate. It is open to retail players only and has no consolation payout, which means the entire net pool carries over to the next race day if no one successfully selects all six winners.

Sunday’s Sunset Pick Six starts at 1:17 p.m. PT with the eighth race from Gulfstream Park. In Saturday’s Sunset Six, the winning horses at Santa Anita beginning with the eighth race were #5 Mission Of Joy ($25.80), #6 Explora ($2.80) and #5 Later Than Planned ($22.60) At Gulfstream, the winning horses starting with the ninth race were #5 Private Thoughts ($8.40), #4 Light Fury ($5) and #5 Kalik ($32).

FINISH LINES: California-breds will be in the spotlight next week in the California Flag Handicap on Saturday and California Distaff Handicap on Sunday, both at about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course. The California Flag could feature Lovesick Blues, who earned a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint when winning the GI Bing Crosby at Del Mar…Saturday’s $2 Pick Six at Santa Anita paid $13,880 for three winning tickets. Sunday’s Pick Six starts with the fifth race at 3:04 p.m. PT…Sunday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 1:49 p.m. with the ninth race from Gulfstream Park…Santa Anita will host four consecutive days of racing starting Friday and ending with a special holiday card on Monday, Oct. 13. Monday’s card will feature the Swingtime Stakes for fillies and mares at one mile on turf. Additionally, on-track patrons that day can enjoy free parking and $2 hot dogs, $2 beers and $1 sodas.