STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN __SUNDAY, OCT. 27, 2024 __

Photo: Ernie Belmonte

• WORKS: NEWGATE AMONG 4 BREEDERS’ CUP CONTENDERS ON TAB • CLOSING DAY: BAFFERT, D’AMATO ALL SQUARE IN TRAINER’S RACE • WITH 4 WINS SATURDAY, HERNANDEZ NEARS ANOTHER RIDING TITLE • MANDATORY PAYOUTS IN ALL POOLS SUNDAY

WORKS: NEWGATE AMONG 4 BREEDERS’ CUP CONTENDERS ON TAB Four horses pre-entered in next week’s Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar worked Sunday at Santa Anita including Newgate, a leading contender for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Newgate fired a bullet when going five furlongs in a swift 58.80 seconds. Sharing the bullet with Newgrange for the fastest work at five furlongs was Full Serrano, a contender for the $1 million Dirt Mile, who also went in 58.80 seconds for trainer John Sadler.

Newgate, a 4-year-old Into Mischief colt, will be making his second start following a six-month layoff in the 1 ¼-mile Classic. After winning the GI Santa Anita Handicap in March, Newgate shipped to the Middle East and finished last in the GI Dubai World Cup on March 30. He didn’t resurface until the GI California Crown on Sept. 28 at Santa Anita.

In the 1 1/8-mile California Crown, Newgate with John Velazquez up had just one horse beat after six furlongs. He then mounted a bold four-wide move into the stretch that propelled him into a three-way photo finish with winner Subsanador and runner-up National Treasure. Newgate was officially beaten a head and another nose for it all.

Full Serrano most recently was second by a half-length to Classic contender Mixto in the GI Pacific Classic going 1 ¼ miles Aug. 31 at Del Mar. Imported from Argentina this year, the Pacific Classic was just the second U.S. start for Full Serrano, a 5-year-old Full Mast horse owned by Hronis Racing.

Working for trainer Dan Blacker was Straight No Chaser, a top contender for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint at six furlongs. Straight No Chaser worked four furlongs in 47.20 seconds.

A 5-year-old horse by Speightster, Straight No Chaser is exiting a scintillating 6 ½-length win in the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship going six furlongs Sept. 29. It was his first start following a 4 ½-month layoff. Owned by My Racehorse, Straight No Chaser is 9: 5-0-1 with $376,300 in earnings.

Rounding out the Breeders’ Cup workers was Cabo Spirit, who is on the also-eligible list for the $5 million Turf but is expected to get in. Upset winner of the GII John Henry Sept. 28, Cabo Spirit worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds for trainer George Papaprodromou.

The post position draw for the 41st Breeders’ Cup is Monday starting at 4 p.m. PT. It will be broadcast live on FanDuel TV.

CLOSING DAY: BAFFERT, D’AMATO ALL SQUARE IN TRAINER’S RACE

The race for the trainer’s title has come down to the final day of the Santa Anita Autumn meet. Entering Sunday’s 10-race card, Phil D’Amato and Hall of Famer Bob Baffert are all square with 13 wins each at the stand. Hot on their heels with 12 wins is George Papaprodromou.

D’Amato is seeking his seventh Santa Anita trainer’s title, while Baffert goes for his first since the 2020 Autumn Meet. Papaprodromou has never won a trainer’s title.

Things could get interesting Sunday. D’Amato’s boasts the numbers as he has 10 horses entered in six races before scratches. The group includes one program favorite, Unconquerable Keen (7-5) in the third race.

But Baffert, who has six starters in three races, boasts the more likelier winners as three of his horses are odds-on favorites on the morning line. Toughness is installed at 2-5 in the third race, which is for 2-year-old maidens going six furlongs; Cipriani is also 2-5 in the sixth race, a 6 ½-furlong maiden race for 2-year-old fillies; and Pilot Commander is 4-5 in the eighth race, an allowance/optional claimer going 6 ½ furlongs on dirt. In the eighth race, Baffert is double-barreled as he also has 2-1 second choice Fort Bragg, a graded stakes winner who was pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile but did not make the main body of the field.

Papaprodromou has six horses entered in five races and all of them are longshots. The shortest morning-line odds among Papaprodromou’s runners are Noble Reflection (8-1) in the third race and Sneaker (8-1) in the seventh, which is the featured Grade III, $100,000 Autumn Miss Stakes.

First post Sunday is 1 p.m. PT.

FOLLOWING 4 WINS SATURDAY, HERNANDEZ NEARS ANOTHER RIDING TITLE

Jockey Juan Hernandez booted home four winners Saturday to all but seal his seventh riding title at Santa Anita.

Entering Sunday’s 10-race closing day card, Hernandez has 24 wins at the stand, nine more than runner-up Umberto Rispoli. Hernandez has eight mounts on Sunday, while Rispoli is slated to ride in nine races.

On Saturday, Hernandez won the opener on favorite You Decide ($4.40) for trainer Peter Eurton; the second race on favorite Devil Be Me ($3.80) for trainer Jeff Mullins; the fifth race on favorite Middleburg ($4.80) for trainer Bob Baffert; and the nightcap on second-choice Donner Lake ($6.60) for trainer Michael McCarthy.

Rispoli did not have a win Saturday.

Hernandez is also tied with Mike Smith for most stakes wins at the meet with three victories each. In Sunday’s feature, the Grade III, $100,000 Autumn Miss Stakes, Hernandez rides 4-1 second choice for trainer Phil D’Amato. Smith has the call on longshot Mixologist (12-1).

Hernandez, a 32-year-old native of Veracruz, Mexico, won his first Santa Anita jockey’s title at the 2021-22 Winter-Spring meet. He has since been leading rider at the 2022-23 Classic Meet, 2023 Hollywood Meet, 2023 Autumn Meet, 2023-24 Classic Meet and 2024 Hollywood Meet.

Entering Sunday, Hernandez—who won his first-ever race at Golden Gate in 2010—has 2,728 career victories and $90.8 million in purse earnings. During a two-week span this winter, Hernandez won two million-dollar races, which were the first of his career. He scored on Muth in the GI Arkansas Derby on March 30 and then 14 days later guided Adare Manor to victory in the GI Apple Blossom, both at Oaklawn Park.

MANDATORY PAYOUTS IN ALL POOLS SUNDAY

With Sunday’s 10-race card bringing a close to the Santa Anita Autumn Meet, all pools including the $2 Pick Six and $1 Super High 5 must be paid out in their entirety.

The Pick Six will kick off with the fifth race at approximately 3 p.m. PT. The sequence averages 9.6 starters per race before scratches. As for the Super High 5, it will be offered on the 10th and final race at approximately 5:30 p.m. A highly competitive field of 11 is entered in the maiden race going 6 ½ furlongs on the flat turf course. The 5-2 program favorite is Money Makes Money, who will be ridden by Umberto Rispoli for trainer Mark Glatt.

In the Super High 5, bettors are tasked with selecting the top five finishers in exact order. In Saturday’s Super High 5, which had a field of eight, the return was a robust $3,209.90 even with the second-choice and favorite finishing in the top two positions, respectively. The winner, Donner Lake, and runner-up Sbagliato were both 2-1 with the latter attracting slightly more money in the win pool. They were followed by Kimmer (24-1), Flint Stroll (11-1) and Keen to Go (6-1).

Sunday’s card also has two Pick 5’s and three Pick 4’s, which are both 50-cent base wagers. The early Pick 5 starts with the first race at 1 p.m. The late Pick 5 starts with the sixth race at approximately 3:30 p.m. The early Pick 4 begins with the second race at about 1:30 p.m. The middle Pick 4 starts with the fourth race at about 2:30 p.m. The late Pick 4 kicks off with the seventh race at about 4 p.m.

FINISH LINES: Horses scheduled to run on the Breeders’ Cup undercard at Del Mar next Friday and Saturday must be on the grounds by Wednesday at 8 a.m., according to a notice from the track…Forbidden Kingdom, who was pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, will run in Sunday’s third race at Santa Anita, an allowance at six furlongs on turf. Trained by Richard Mandella, Forbidden Kingdom is the 2-1 second choice on the morning line…Jockey Hector Berrios won two races Saturday , moving him into fourth place in the jockey’s standings. He scored with Atitlan ($14.60) in the featured GII Twilight Derby for trainer John Shirreffs and favorite Ang N Ash ($6) by a nose in the ninth race for trainer Hector Palma…Live racing will return to Santa Anita Dec. 26 with the start of the Classic Meet.