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Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, March 9, 2024
3/9/2024
STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024
- CHINA DOLL: UNBEATEN MEDORO RETURNS FOR EURTON - WORK TAB: PROMISING 3-YEAR-OLD MAYMUN DRILLS 6F - SATURDAY’S $1 COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 FEATURES ALL STAKES - FIRST POST MOVES TO 1 P.M. STARTING SUNDAY
CHINA DOLL: UNBEATEN MEDORO RETURNS FOR EURTON Making her 3-year-old debut in Sunday’s China Doll Stakes at a mile on turf is unbeaten stakes winner Medoro, the 2-1 morning line favorite in a compact field of sophomore fillies.
Trained by Peter Eurton for C R K Stable, Medoro made two starts in December and displayed a nose for the wire in each. In her unveiling Dec. 1, a five-furlong maiden heat on turf at Del Mar, Medoro sat near the rear of the field before uncorking a late rally to win by a head.
Next up was the Blue Norther at a mile on turf here Dec. 29. Even with the added distance, she displayed a similar running style. Medoro had just one-horse beat when the field reached the quarter pole, but she again accelerated through the stretch under Antonio Fresu to get up and win by a head.
“She’s very precocious, but her style isn’t. She has a tremendous turn of foot,” Eurton said Saturday. “We want to keep testing her, let her tell us how good she really is.”
Medoro is by Honor Code out of Achira, a multiple stakes-placed daughter of 2007 champion turf horse English Channel. She was bred in Kentucky by Parks Investment Group LLC.
Eurton said if Medoro continues to progress, there could be an out-of-state trip or two in her future.
“We figured we’d get her started in March then go from there,” he added. “There is a lot of stuff for her to do here in the summer, but if she shows she’s good enough, we may head east. That would be fun.” In the China Doll, Medoro will again have Fresu in the irons. It figures to be a tactical race given the short field. Two fillies in the lineup, Girl of My Dreams (8-1) and Visually (12-1), each broke their maidens sprinting in gate-to-wire fashion.
Eurton said any tactical decisions Sunday would be left to Fresu.
“That’s his job. I don’t like to give too many instructions to a jockey that’s already won twice on a horse,” said Eurton, who himself was a jockey in the mid-1980s. “But in a short field, you figure at least they won’t have to come too wide.”
The China Doll goes as the seventh race on a nine-race card Sunday. Post time is set for 4:11 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Visually, Kyle Frey (12-1); Mo Fox Givin, Flavien Prat (4-1); Girl of My Dreams, Umberto Rispoli (8-1); Antifona, Hector Berrios (5-2); Medoro, Antonio Fresu (2-1); Zona Verde, Juan Hernandez (5-2).
WORK TAB: PROMISING 3-YEAR-OLD MAYMUN DRILLS 6 FURLONGS Unbeaten 3-year-old Maymun had his second consecutive six-furlong work Saturday for trainer Bob Baffert.
Owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Maymun drilled in 1:12.20. It was his first work in 13 days. On Feb. 25, the Frosted colt worked six furlongs in 1:13.00.
A $900,000 auction buy, Maymun won his debut by 7 ½ lengths when going 6 ½ furlongs here Jan. 20. He returned to clear his first-level allowance condition by a neck over stablemate Imagination when stretched to a mile Feb. 11. That effort was flattered last Sunday when Imagination came back to win the $400,000, GII, DK Horse San Felipe.
Also working were six horses nominated to next Saturday’s $100,000, GIII San Carlos at seven furlongs. Leading that contingent was the brilliant California-bred The Chosen Vron, who worked four furlongs in 48.20 seconds for trainer Eric Kruljac.
Also working towards potential starts in the San Carlos were graded-stakes winner Hopkins (4f, 47.80) and allowance winner Elwood Blues (4f, 47.80) Baffert; maiden winner Mystification (5f, 1:01.20) for trainer Doug O’Neill; allowance winner Nabokov (5f, 1:02.20) for trainer Ed Moger Jr.; and recent maiden winner Yellow Brick (4f, 49.40) for trainer Richard Mandella.
In addition to the San Carlos, next Saturday’s card will also feature the listed Pasadena Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on turf. Next Sunday’s feature is the $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes for older California-bred fillies and mares at about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course.
Entries will be taken Wednesday for next Saturday’s card.
SATURDAY’S $1 COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 IS AN ALL-STAKES AFFAIR It's nothing but stakes races in Saturday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.
The sequence kicks off at 1:06 p.m. PT with the ninth race from Gulfstream, the $100,000 Silks Run Stakes at five furlongs on turf. It continues with Gulfstream’s 10th, the GIII Hurricane Bertie at 6 ½ furlongs on dirt.
Santa Anita joins the action starting with its sixth race, the GIII Santa Ysabel for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 on dirt. The sequence continues with the GIII San Simeon on the hillside turf course, which goes as Santa Anita’s seventh, before concluding with the GI Beholder Mile from Santa Anita.
The sequence averages 8.4 starters per race before scratches.
The $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 with player-friendly 15 percent takeout rate is offered every Saturday and Sunday through the end of Santa Anita’s Classic Meet April 7.
FINISH LINES: The turf course listed as good and the main track is fast for the start of Saturday’s card…Reddam Racing and Mario Gutierrez swept the late double Friday. Gutierrez won the seventh race on Reddam’s Don’t Swear Dave ($5.00) for trainer Doug O’Neill and the nightcap with longshot Barely Functional ($30) for Reddam and trainer Antonio Garcia… Starting Sunday, first post moves to 1 p.m. PT most days for the remainder of the meet. The only exception this month is Easter Sunday, March 31, when first post is 12 p.m…Santa Anita wagering ambassador Jason Avila will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m.