With the closing of Hollywood Park, Santa Anita will open Thursday with an
expanded calendar that features racing at the Arcadia, California track through
June 29.
The winter meeting begins with the traditional day-after Christmas program at
Santa Anita and concludes April 20. A separate spring meeting gets underway at
the Great Race Place on April 25.
A pair of Grade 1 events for three-year-olds, the $300,000
Malibu and
$300,000 La
Brea for fillies, highlight the opening day. The Grade 2, $200,000
Sir
Beaufort for turf three-year-olds is sandwiched between those seven-furlong
races.
Flashback, a convincing winner of the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita
last winter, will make his second start back from a layoff in the Malibu. The
gray son of Tapit has never finished worse than second from five career starts
and is one of three horses from the Bob Baffert stable in the 12-horse field.
Flashback will pick up the services of Joel Rosario.
Baffert will also send out Grade 2 hero Shakin It Up, who makes his first
appearance since a fourth in the Sunland Derby last March; and stakes winner Zee
Bros, who has not started since a fifth in the Woody Stephens in June.
Multiple stakes winner Zeewat exits a head victory over Flashback in the
November 2 Damascus on the Breeders’ Cup Saturday undercard and will also return
for the Malibu. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, the bay son of Harlan’s Holiday
will keep leading Southern California rider Rafael Bejarano in the saddle.
Other Malibu runners of note include Bakken, Demonic, Distinctiv Passion,
Holy Lute and Our Double Play.
Grade 1 winner Sweet Lulu, who exits a fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly &
Mare Sprint, tops a cast of seven in the La Brea. A chestnut daughter of Mr.
Greeley, the Hollendorfer charge will break from the rail with Bejarano.
Executiveprivilege was one of the leading two-year-olds fillies in 2012, but
the multiple Grade 1 winner is still seeking her best form this season. She
finished second when making her 2013 bow in a Del Mar allowance in July and
followed it with a fourth in the October 5 L.A. Woman. Mike Smith takes the
reins for Baffert on the First Samurai filly.
Grade 3 vixen My Happy Face, who finished only a head back of Sweet Lulu when
third after a wide trip in the Grade 1 Test, will make her first start in
California for new trainer Peter Miller, and the Peter Eurton-trained Madame
Cactus deserves respect following her victory in the Grade 2 Raven Run at
Keeneland.
The Sir Beaufort features a field of 10, and graded winners Gervinho and No
Jet Lag figure to vie for favoritism in the one-mile turf test.
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