STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2024

- FRESU ENTERS FINAL WEEK WITH 3-WIN LEAD IN JOCKEY’S RACE - PICK 6 CARRYOVER OF $60K ADDS TO SPECIAL THURSDAY CARD - WORK TAB: ENDLESSLY, GI WINNER SWEET AZTECA DRILL - FREY CONTINUES STRONG MEET WITH 4 WINS SUNDAY - MISSED THE CUT DEPARTS FOR ROYAL ASCOT RUN

FRESU ENTERS FINAL WEEK WITH 3-WIN LEAD IN JOCKEY’S RACE With four days remaining in the Santa Anita Hollywood Meet, Antonio Fresu is closing in on his first North American riding title.

Fresu, a 32-year-old native of Sardinia, Italy, leads the jockey’s standings with 29 wins entering Thursday’s nine-race card. He has three more victories than runner-up Juan Hernandez (26), a five-time leading rider at Santa Anita. Also still with an outside shot to finish as leading rider is Kyle Frey. He added to his strong meet on Sunday when riding four winners on a nine-race card, which gives him 20 victories for the stand.

Fresu has been riding in the U.S. for a little over 14 months. He arrived at Santa Anita from Dubai in April 2023. At the most recent Classic Meet, which ended April 7, Fresu finished second in the jockey’s race, seven wins behind Hernandez.

Both Fresu and Hernandez have a busy week ahead. From Thursday through Saturday, Fresu has 28 rides lined up including in all nine races Thursday. Hernandez is booked on 24 mounts. Sunday’s closing day card, which includes the GIII San Juan Capistrano and Cinema Stakes, will be drawn later Thursday.

Fresu and Hernandez are also deadlocked with four stakes wins each at the Hollywood Meet, which leads all other jockeys. Hernandez, a 32-year-old native of Veracruz, Mexico, holds the edge in purse earnings. His mounts have banked $1,581,058, while Fresu’s have earned $1,396,442 entering Thursday.

First post is at 1 p.m. PT this week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sunday’s card, which closes out the 29-day Hollywood Meet, starts 30 minutes earlier at 12:30 p.m.

PICK 6 CARRYOVER OF $60K ADDS TO SPECIAL THURSDAY CARD There is a $60,769 carryover in the $1 Pick Six for Thursday’s nine race card. The total pool is estimated to approach $500,000.

The Pick Six Thursday starts with the fourth race at 2:37 p.m. PT. The competitive sequence averages 8.8 starters per race before scratches. The biggest favorite figures to come in the sixth race, a five-furlong maiden dash for 2-year-old fillies. Nooni, a first-time starter for Bob Baffert and Zedan Racing, is 3-5 on the morning line in a field of eight. By Win Win Win, Nooni commanded a sale-topping $1.8 million earlier this year at the OBS March Sale of 2-year-olds in training.

Thursday’s carryover was triggered in Sunday’s 10th and final race Sunday when Bee Eye Gee won under Joe Talamo for trainer Brian Koriner and paid $19.60. The consolation payout Sunday for tickets with five winners was $3,720.60.

There was just one winning favorite on Sunday’s nine-race card. The winning horses in Sunday’s Pick Six starting with the fourth race were #1 Petit Filet ($9.00), #11 Pace Lane ($19.60), #5 Tom Horn ($8.20), #5 Calm Sea ($22.40), #3 Parenting ($3.60) and #1 Bee Eye Gee ($19.60).

FREY CONTINUES STRONG MEET WITH 4 WINS SUNDAY Jockey Kyle Frey added to his strong Hollywood Meet Sunday when riding four winners on a nine-race card. He enters the final week of the stand third in the jockey’s standings with 24 wins from 146 mounts (16 percent).

Frey on Sunday won the second race aboard Shes Just Fluffy ($5.80) for trainer Steve Miyadi, the fifth with Pace Lane ($19.60) for trainer Peter Miller, the sixth on Tom Horn ($8.20) for Miyadi and the seventh with Calm Sea ($22.40) for trainer George Papaprodromou. None of the four were favorites.

Frey, a 32-year-old native of Tracy, Calif., won the 2011 Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding apprentice jockey. He has 1,173 career wins and more than $31.3 million in purse earnings entering Thursday. At the recent Santa Anita Classic meet, which ended April 8, Frey finished seventh in the jockey’s standings with 17 wins from 173 mounts (10 percent).

Frey is represented by agent and former trainer Jack Carava. With 20 mounts lined up over the next four days, he still has an outside shot at finishing as leading rider at the Hollywood Meet.

WORK TAB: ENDLESSLY, GI WINNER SWEET AZTECA DRILL FOR MCCARTHY Three of trainer Michael McCarthy’s top horses—Kentucky Derby veteran Endlessly, Grade I winner Sweet Azteca and multiple graded stakes winner Three Witches—worked Thursday at Santa Anita.

Endlessly, who seven days fired a bullet going four furlongs on the main track, went an easy five furlongs in 1:05.80. It was his third work since finishing ninth in the May 4 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, which was his first-time racing on dirt.

Endlessly is targeting the GI, $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational at 1 3/16 miles on turf July 6 at Aqueduct. Sweet Azteca worked four furlongs in 49.00 seconds. The 4-year-old Sharp Azteca filly hasn’t started since winning the GI Beholder Mile March 9 at Santa Anita.

Three Witches earned the bullet for four furlongs on the main track when completing her drill in 47.40 seconds. The 5-year-old Into Mischief mare is exiting a seventh-place effort in the GI Derby City Distaff on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Prior to that effort, Three Witches won the GII Santa Monica going seven furlongs Feb. 3 at Santa Anita.

MISSED THE CUT DEPARTS FOR ROYAL ASCOT RUN Santa Anita racegoers will have a rooting interest at this year’s historic Royal Ascot meet in England. Departing Santa Anita for Royal Ascot on Wednesday was Missed the Cut for trainer John Sadler.

Missed the Cut is slated to run in the GII Hardwicke Stakes going 1 ½ miles June 22 at Ascot. This winter at Santa Anita, Missed the Cut won both the GIII San Marcos in February and GIII San Luis Rey on March 23. The 5-year-old Quality Road horse most recently was second in the GII Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland April 20.

This will be a return trip to Ascot for Missed the Cut. In 2022, the Kentucky-bred made his first six starts in England, which included a win in a handicap at the Royal Ascot meet.

Missed the Cut was imported to the U.S. the following year with the thought of him becoming a dirt horse. He would make four starts on the main track to end 2023, which included a win in the GIII Tokyo City Cup at 1 ½ miles at Santa Anita prior to a last-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. He has not raced on dirt since.

Missed the Cut has an overall record of 16: 7-3-0 with $512,277 in earnings. He is owned by Bee Zee LLC, Lane’s End Racing and St. Elias Stables et al.

FINISH LINES: Saturday’s feature is the Possibly Perfect Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 ¼ miles on turf. It goes as the fifth race at approximately 3 p.m. PT on an 11-race card. The key principals are Linda’s Gift for trainer Richard Mandella, Musical Rhapsody for trainer Phil D’Amato and Duvet Day for trainer Michael McCarthy…Parenting earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure for his dominant 7 ½-length win in Sunday’s Affirmed Stakes. Trainer Bob Baffert said Parenting could make his next start in the GI Haskell Stakes for 3-year-olds July 20 at Monmouth Park…Phil D’Amato leads the trainer’s standing by four wins over Mark Glatt entering the final four days of the Hollywood Meet…Last Sunday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 paid $38,133 for two winning tickets…Horseplayer Rob Talstra will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Friday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m…On Closing Day Sunday, there will be mandatory payouts in all pari-mutuel pools including the $1 Pick Six. First post Sunday is 12:30 p.m.