SANTA ANITA LEADERS
(Through Sunday)
Jockeys / Wins
Juan Hernandez / 46
Flavien Prat / 42
Umberto Rispoli / 35
Hector Berrios / 33
Tiago Pereira / 27
Antonio Fresu / 27
Trainers / Wins
Mark Glatt / 28
Bob Baffert / 24
Jeff Mullins / 20
Michael McCarthy / 20
Doug O’Neill / 19
UPCOMING STAKES
SANTA ANITA
Saturday
• $500,000, Grade I Santa Anita Derby, 3-year-olds, 1⅛ miles
• $200,000, Grade II Santa Anita Oaks, 3-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles
• $100,000, Grade III Monrovia Stakes, 4-year-olds and up, about 6½ furlongs on turf
• $125,000 Echo Eddie Stakes, California-bred 3-year-olds, 6½ furlongs
• $125,000 Evening Jewel Stakes, Cal-bred 3-year-old fillies, 6½ furlongs
Sunday
• $100,000 John Shear Stakes, 3-year-olds, about 6½ furlongs on turf
LOS ALAMITOS
Saturday
• $30,000 James Smith Memorial Handicap, 3-year-old quarter horses, 350 yards
DOWN THE STRETCH
• In the Santa Anita Oaks, on the Santa Anita Derby undercard Saturday, Tenma (John Velazquez) will be a heavy favorite to win for the fifth time in six starts and carry California hopes to the Kentucky Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on May 2 at Churchill Downs. Tenma probably must run third or better to finish the prep season with enough points to be one of 14 qualifiers for the Kentucky Oaks. Vodka With a Twist (Antonio Fresu), Look Forward (Mario Gutierrez) and others must finish second or better.
• Santa Anita completes the Classic Meet portion of its winter-spring season Sunday, then takes a week off before the Hollywood Meet from April 18 to June 15.
• On the Kentucky Derby trail, Keeneland has postponed the Blue Grass Stakes three days to next Tuesday after storm forecasts prompted a disaster declaration in Kentucky. Aqueduct’s Wood Memorial on Saturday gives Bob Baffert-trained Rodriguez (Mike Smith), as well as Omaha Omaha (Raul Mena), Sand Devil (Jose Lezcano) and Captain Cook (Manny Franco), the chance to get into the Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs by finishing third or better.
• Saturday is a big racing day overseas too. Britain’s Grand National, the £1 million jump race, sees I Am Maximus (Paul Townend) go for a repeat of his 2024 victory in the 4¼-mile marathon over 30 hurdles for a maximum of 34 horses. The Dubai World Cup, with a $12 million purse, finds Doug O’Neill-trained Pacific Classic winner Mixto (Frankie Dettori) and San Pasqual Stakes winner Katonah (Silvestre De Souza) among the Americans challenging Japan’s Saudi Cup winner Forever Young (Ryusei Sakai) and 2023 World Cup winner Ushba Tesoro (Akira Suguwara).
— Kevin Modesti
Originally Published:
