STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

__FRIDAY, OCT. 4, 2024 __

• GI AMERICAN PHAROAH: ‘TACTICAL’ MCKINZIE STREET DRAWS RAIL • FRIDAY’S $2 PICK 6 INCLUDES AN 83K CARRYOVER • PROMISING VLAHOS SET FOR 1ST START SINCE GII PAT DAY MILE • NEW WAGER: $1 FUTURE STARS PICK 5 FEATURES ALL STAKES • OAK TREE DAY: FREE STEIN FEATURES ‘DECADES OF CHAMPIONS’

GI AMERICAN PHAROAH: ‘TACTICAL’ MCKINZIE STREET DRAWS RAIL

Trainer Tim Yakteen has bagged six Grade I wins in his career, but never Santa Anita’s GI American Pharoah Stakes, one of the country’s top races for 2-year-olds. He may just have the horse to do it this year.

On Saturday, Yakteen will saddle 9-5 morning line favorite McKinzie Street in the American Pharoah going 1 1/16 miles on dirt. The colt by McKinzie, most recently second in the GI Del Mar Futurity going seven furlongs, “has trained well since we’ve had him,” Yakteen said Friday morning.

At the OBS April sale earlier this year, McKinzie Street was purchased for $290,000 by owners Pierre Amestoy, Leslie Amestoy and Roger Beasley. It’s the same group that owned the most accomplished dirt horse trained and developed by Yakteen, 2023 GI Santa Anita Derby winner Practical Move.

Following a debut win going 5 ½ furlongs at Del Mar in July, McKinzie Street finished 1 ¾ length behind winner Gaming in the Del Mar Futurity. As the chart notes, McKinzie Street did have a touch of trouble that day. About the half mile pole, while racing keenly behind the leaders, he “suffered a mild shuffle” and lost a couple of positions. He then regained his best stride and rallied determinedly to beat all but one to the wire.

“It was a bit of a troubled trip that day. To have a horse that can take a little adversity in just his second start and not get discouraged, that always gives you hope,” Yakteen said. “Usually you see that from horses that end up developing into nice horses. Hopefully that’s what we’ve got.”

McKinzie Street will break from the rail in a field of seven set for the American Pharoah, which is a “Win and You’re In” for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Nov. 1 at Del Mar. Jockey Kazushi Kimura, who has been aboard for both of McKinzie Street’s starts, will again be in the irons.

Yakteen didn’t sound overly concerned with the rail draw. Nor the stretch-out to two turns.

“Our horse is pretty tactical. He’ll be up near the pace,” Yakteen said. “We’ll just have to see where exactly depending on how the pace sets up.”

McKinzie Street’s chief rivals are all trained by Bob Baffert, who has won a record 12 American Pharoah’s including the last six.

Getaway Car, the 2-1 second choice, set a contested pace in the Futurity and weakened in the stretch to finish fourth. He will have blinkers off after wearing them in all three previous starts. Citizen Bull, the 5-2 third choice, was bet down to the favorite’s role in the Futurity and finished third. Baffert’s final entrant is Emerald Bay (6-1). On Aug. 24 at Del Mar, the Nyquist colt was stretched out to a mile for his second start and promptly scored by three lengths.

The American Pharoah goes as the ninth race on a stellar 10-race card. The program also includes the GII Oak Leaf Stakes, a “Win and You’re In” for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies; GII Rodeo Drive, an automatic qualifier for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf; GIII Chillingworth for female sprinters going 6 ½ furlongs; and Speakeasy Stakes for 2-year-olds at five furlongs on turf.

Post time for the American Pharoah is approximately 5 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: McKinzie Street, Kazushi Kimura (9-5); Show of Force, Umberto Rispoli (20-1); Citizen Bull, Martin Garcia (5-2); Mischief River, Cesar Ortega (10-1); Emerald Bay, Antonio Fresu (6-1); Start Me Up, Serafin Carmona (50-1); Getaway Car, Juan Hernandez (2-1).

FRIDAY’S $2 PICK 6 INCLUDES AN $83K CARRYOVER

A carryover of $83,939.94 in the $2 Pick Six awaits horseplayers Friday on a nine-race card. The total pool is expected to approach $500,000.

Friday’s carryover is the result of there being no perfect tickets in Sunday’s Pick Six. Helping to trigger the carryover were a pair of longshots—#1 Commander ($40) in the sixth with Hector Berrios up for trainer Hector Palma and #2 Hacking It Up ($55.80) in the eighth, ridden by John Velazquez and trained by George Papaprodromou.

First post Friday is 1 p.m. PT. The Pick Six kicks off with the fourth race at approximately 2:30 p.m. After early scratches, the Pick Six sequence averages 8.2 starters per race.

PROMISING 3-YEAR-OLD VLAHOS MAKES 1st START SINCE GII PAT DAY MILE

After uncorking a 98 Beyer Speed Figure in his debut going 6 ½ furlongs March 9 at Santa Anita, Vlahos was sold privately and transferred from trainer Luis Mendez to Doug O’Neill.

Following the sale, it was straight into the deep water for the 3-year-old Kantharos colt. Shipped to Churchill Downs for the GII Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby Day, Vlahos sped to the front and led into deep stretch before eventually getting overhauled. He would wind up third, beaten 1 ¼ lengths. The winner that day? A colt named Seize the Grey, who two weeks later would win the Preakness Stakes and become yet another classic winner for legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

On Saturday, Vlahos finally gets to make start No. 3. He is installed as the 8-5 second choice in the second race, a first-level allowance going six furlongs that attracted a competitive group of nine. The 7-5 favorite on the morning line is Pilot Commander for trainer Bob Baffert.

Vlahos was expected to return much sooner. He had shipped to Saratoga in June to try the GI Woody Stephens on Belmont Stakes Day. But after entries were taken, the chestnut ridgling got sick and had to be scratched.

Vlahos has been on a steady work pattern for his comeback since mid-August. Last Saturday, he completed his major preparations with a five-furlong drill in 1:01.60. Set to ride Vlahos is Edwin Maldonado, who was aboard for both his maiden win and the Pat Day Mile.

Post time for the fifth race is approximately 3 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Vlahos, Edwin Maldonado (8-5); Red Pill, Armando Ayuso (10-1); Rivoli, Tyler Baze (20-1); All That Glory, Antonio Fresu (15-1); Tarantino, Hector Berrios (10-1); Captivating Boy, Kyle Frey (20-1); Wendelssohn, Ricky Gonzalez (12-1); Pilot Commander, Juan Hernandez (7-5); Schwarzmeier, Kazushi Kimura (15-1).

NEW WAGER: $1 FUTURE STARS PICK 5 FEATURES ALL 2-YEAR-OLD STAKES

A new wager will be available to horseplayers Saturday, the $1 Future Stars Pick 5 featuring all 2-year-old stakes races.

The Future Stars Pick 5, which features a player-friendly 15 percent takeout rate, includes races from Santa Anita, Keeneland and Belmont at the Big A. The sequence begins at 12:17 p.m. PT with the GI Frizette for 2-year-old fillies. A field of 10 is signed up led by 3-5 favorite Senza Parole for trainer Chad Brown.

Also from New York is the GI Champagne. Another field of 10 is entered led by 6-5 favorite Chancer McPatrick, also trained by Brown. The sequence also includes both the GII Oak Leaf and GI American Pharoah from Santa Anita plus the Breeders’ Futurity from Keeneland.

The Oak Leaf favorite in a field of eight is Non Compliant (2-1) for trainer Bob Baffert. The American Pharoah favorite in a field of seven is McKinzie Street (9-5) for trainer Tim Yakteen. The favorite in the Breeders’ Futurity is Ferocious for trainer Gustavo Delgado. He is listed at 8-5 in a field of 11.

FINISH LINES: Saturday is Oak Tree Day at Santa Anita. On-track patrons will receive a free Oak Tree stein commemorating ‘Decades of Champions’ who ran at the fall Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita from 1969 through 2010. Featured on the stein are legendary Oak Tree/Santa Anita performers Ancient Title, John Henry, Best Pal, Tiznow and Zenyatta. All five are enshrined in the Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y…Sunday’s co-features are the Zuma Beach Stakes for 2-year-old at a mile on turf and GIII Surfer Girl for 2-year-old fillies at a mile on turf… Horseplayer and oncologist Dr. Robert Tang will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Saturday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m.