ITM% LAW ABIDIN CITIZEN READY FOR THE SAN SIMEON BONDE HAS TWO FOR THE IRISH O’BRIEN MONEY 8 SANTA ANITA STATISTICS 21% 44% $372,789 17% 44% 67% Aaron Gryder58 Peter Eurton45 $289,700 9 8 34 3 20% $1,439,255 $734,266 31 Geovanni Franco181 $482,030 (Current Through Friday, March 29) 60% $817,644 9 Money Won 56% Richard Mandella38 13% 42% $1,125,028 10 13 10 37% 14% 8 $1,125,588 15% 12 13% Peter Miller103 24 50% Steve Knapp50 27 $1,103,117 18 8 58% 39% $893,703 Tyler Baze188 BELLAFINA, GIFT BOX, NOLO CONTESTO IN GRADE I BREEZESThree major players seeking gold and glory on Santa Anita’s sensational stakes spectacular this Saturday, April 6, worked toward their goals this morning– Bellafina for the Santa Anita Oaks, Gift Box for the Santa Anita Handicap and Nolo Contesto for the Santa Anita Derby, prestigious Grade I races all.As fellow Frenchman Brice Blanc deputized for Bellafina’s regular rider, Flavien Prat, who was in Dubai, the daughter of Quality Road went five furlongs in 1:00.20 for trainer Simon Callaghan, while Gift Box went six furlongs in 1:13.40 and Nolo Contesto the same distance in 1:13.60, both for John Sadler.“It was an excellent work; I couldn’t be happier,” Callaghan said of Bellafina, winner of five of seven career races with earnings of $828,000 for owner Kaleem Shah. “She started off in 24 and change and Brice just sat into her the last eighth and she flew home.“It was just what we wanted to see. She went a little easier last week (five furlongs in 1:04.60 on March 24) so we wanted to get something more today seven days out.”Probable for the Santa Anita Derby: Game Winner, Roadster, Instagrand, Nolo Contesto, Extra Hope, Sparky Ville and Synthesis. Sparky Ville worked four furlongs this morning in 49.80 for Jeff Bonde.” Gift Box went very well in company with Acker,” Sadler said. “It was his last work before the race, and he has plenty of foundation so he didn’t need much. Nolo Contesto schooled behind another horse. We wanted him to get used to having dirt in his face.”In all, there were 179 recorded workouts Saturday, 30 on the training track. Among them was a five-furlong move in 1:01.40 by 11-year-old stakes winner Soi Phet, being pointed to a mid-April return by trainer Leonard Powell.Also on the work tab this morning was Improbable, headed to the Arkansas Derby on April 13 for Bob Baffert, who had the son of City Zip drill six furlongs with blinkers on in a bullet 1:12.80, fastest of 24 moves at the distance. “Very nice; I liked it,” Baffert said.Omaha Beach, who handed champion Game Winner his first defeat in the second division of the Rebel Stakes on March 16, worked four furlongs Friday in a bullet 47.80 for Richard Mandella, who has the son of War Front returning to Oaklawn Park for the Arkansas Derby on April 13. Omaha Beach went in company under retired Hall of Fame jockey Alex Solis.“I didn’t realize it was a bullet,” Mandella said. “He went great.”Fans will be treated to a stakes bonanza April 6, with seven added money events worth $2,750,000, topped by the $1 million Santa Anita Derby and the $600,000 Santa Anita Handicap presented by San Manuel Casino.In addition to the 1 ¼-mile Big ‘Cap and the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby, Santa Anita will showcase the Grade I, $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks for fillies at 1 1/16 miles; the $200,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for three-year-olds at 6 ½ furlongs; the $200,000 Evening Jewel Stakes for three-year-old fillies at 6 ½ furlongs; the Grade II, $200,000 Royal Heroine Stakes for older fillies and mares at one mile on turf; and the Grade III, $150,000 Providencia Stakes for three-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on the grass.First post time for the biggest day in racing so far this year will be 12 noon.LAW ABIDIN CITIZEN ON GOOD BEHAVIOR FOR SAN SIMEONMark Glatt is looking forward to downhill turf course specialist Law Abidin Citizen running in Sunday’s Grade III, $100,000 San Simeon Stakes for three-year-olds and up at about 6 ½ furlongs on the unique going.“He’s training real well and he’s got a good record going down the hill,” Glatt said of the five-year-old Twirling Candy gelding, who has three wins from six starts over the course. “It’s a tough race, but they usually are around here. We hope we can come out on top.”The San Simeon, race four of nine races with a 1 p.m. first post time: Conquest Tsunami, Drayden Van Dyke, 4-5; Law Abidin Citizen, Tiago Pereira, 9-2; Arms Runner, Martin Pedroza, 6-1; Cistron, Rafael Bejarano, 6-1; Mesut, Geovanni Franco, 12-1; Air Vic Marshall, Martin Garcia, 10-1; and La Sardane, Joel Rosario, 8-1.BONDE PAIR TRAINING WELL FOR IRISH O’BRIENJeff Bonde has two for the money in Sunday’s $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes, Coco Kisses and Ismelucky. Best-case scenario would be a dead-heat for win, but optimism aside, the trainer hopes each at least runs well.“Coco Kisses got stuck down on the fence, and that’s not favorable by any means,” the trainer said of the daughter of Empire Way, who will be making only her second turf start in 14 career races.Ismelucky, a four-year-old daughter of Lucky Pulpit, has not raced since last Oct. 13 and makes her second start on the downhill course at about 6 ½ furlongs on turf, having been unplaced in the restricted Sweet Life Stakes in February 2018.“I freshened her up and gave her time off,” Bonde said, “but she’s training really well.”The Irish O’Brien is for California-bred or sired fillies and mares and goes as race eight: Coco Kisses, Heriberto Figueroa, 15-1; Queen Bee to You, Rafael Bejarano, 6-1; Donut Girl, Flavien Prat, 12-1; Fiery Lady, Drayden Van Dyke, 8-1; Gypsy Blu, Joel Rosario, 4-1; Algorhythmic, Victor Espinoza, 6-1; Ismelucky, Ruben Fuentes, 30-1; Barbara Beatrice, Tiago Pereira, 15-1; X S Gold, Kent Desormeaux, 5-1; S Y Sky, Geovanni Franco, 5-2; and Scathing, Alonso Quinonez, 30-1.LATEST CONTENT FROM XBTV:Improbable (Outside) in company with Once On Whiskey work 6 furlongs (Baffert) 3-30-19Bellafina works 5 furlongs (Callaghan) 3-30-19Enaya Alrabb works 6 furlongs (O’Neill) 3-30-19Market Sentiment (Outside) and Platinum Equity work 4 furlongs (Knapp) 3-30-19Big ‘Cap Memories: Bob Baffert Recalls Game on Dude’s 2011 Victory in the Santa Anita HandicapBig ‘Cap Memories: Mike Smith talks about his three wins in the Santa Anita HandicapBig Cap Memories: Gary Stevens reminisces on his 1990 Santa Anita Handicap victory aboard RuhlmannBig Cap Memories: Tim Yakteen describes Sir Beaufort’s thrilling victory in the 1993 Santa Anita HandicapEmboldened (Outside) and Dabster work 5 furlongs (Baffert) 3-29-19 Omaha Beach (Outside) in company with Next Gen work 4 furlongs (Mandella) 3-29-19Ms Bad Behavior in company with Untouched Elegance work 5 furlongs (Baltas) 3-29-19Draft Pick works 4 furlongs (Eurton) 3-29-19FINISH LINES: Respected clocker Andy Harrington (Nationalturf.com) will be TomQuigley‘s guest handicapper from the XBTV studios Sunday at 11:50 a.m. 14% 12 $493,848 41% 37% 4 41% 52% 20 14% 50% $501,890 Joel Rosario207 Mario Gutierrez102 $804,228 12 $1,146,490 16 5 42% 9 18 13 $481,478 Win% 13 $1,430,892 17 51 23 5 10 Ruben Fuentes86 22 13% 19 2 59% 33% 6 3 Joseph Talamo126 11 Edwin Maldonado67 11 10% Mike Smith69 $875,315 55% 10 Philip D’Amato89 8 16% 23 7 10 Bob Baffert63 16% $204,074 37% 26 16 10% 10 Jeff Mullins47 11% 27% 7 $1,153,057 34 17% $2,751,718 Win% 19 $246,741 $1,390,487 $340,223 2nd $1,097,951 Flavien Prat176 18% Money Won 40% 28 26 Tiago Pereira149 $2,545,756 $974,970 Doug O’Neill163 12% 24 1st Rafael Bejarano138 18 3rd 33% 49% 36 $587,067 $1,076,435 3rd 61% 25 8 6 20 18% 45% $303,819 8 23 22 31 17 25% 18% 1st TrainerMts 13 John Sadler75 Jerry Hollendorfer91 2nd 15 $498,577 10 Mark Glatt65 JockeyMts 16% 16 43% 26 12 13 11 26 $1,134,746 10 $307,251 William E. Morey56 40% 13 10 18% 21 7 29% 8 Richard Baltas108 Heriberto Figueroa170 ITM% Assael Espinoza116 11% 15 48% 9 41% 19% 55% Kent Desormeaux92 Simon Callaghan31 21 J. Keith Desormeaux55 13% 21 13 12 11 46 34% 14 24% Vladimir Cerin50 51% $399,527 16 2 4 Drayden Van Dyke134 9 26% 45% 10 11 20 19 20 Agapito Delgadillo57 11 11 18% 8 THREE WORK FOR GRADE I STAKES ON SATURDAY 40% 17%
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