__STABLE NOTES BY ED GOLDEN SUNDAY, OCT. 16, 2022 __

• MILLER HAS 2 FOR THE MONEY IN CALIFORNIA FLAG • 66 WINNERS ARE OVER THE RAINBOW WITH $27,849 • RACE FOR LEADING JOCKEY, TRAINER VERY TIGHT • FLIGHTLINE’S DRILL MUCH FASTER THAN AVERAGE

IT'S MILLER TIME IN CALFORNIA FLAG HANDICAP

Trainer Peter Miller has horses with two diverse styles entered in today’s $100,000 California Flag Handicap for three-year-olds and up at about 6 ½ furlongs on the downhill turf course, None Above the Law and Finneus.

“Finneus is a late-running sprinter and they tend to do well down the hill,” Miller said of the three-year-old Stay Thirsty colt who has blinkers removed for this race.

“Plus, he’s got some grass in his pedigree, so we thought it was worth trying. We’re taking the blinkers off to try and enhance his style as a late-running sprinter and get him to relax.

“This will be None Above the Law’s first venture down the hill, but he does everything.

“He’s such a neat horse. He’s made of hickory.”

The four-year-old gray son of Karakontie has won routing on turf, on dirt and on synthetic, with earnings approaching $500,000 ($494,060) for owners Downstream Racing LLC.

“He runs on everything and runs well,” Miller said, “and it looks like there’s a lot of pace in the race and that should help him, but it’s a race where you need to get lucky.

“You need the trip.”

This will be the eighth running of the California Flag. Miller won the first edition with A Toast to You for owners Gary and Cecil Barber in 2013.

With 10 days remaining in the meet that ends Nov. 6, Miller is in a pitched battle with Phil D’Amato, Doug O’Neill and Bob Baffert for leading trainer honors.

The California Flag goes as race nine of nine with a 1 p.m. first post time: Hot Box, Ricardo Gonzalez, 20-1; None Above the Law, Ryan Curatolo, 4-1; Sunrise Journey, Ramon Vazquez, 20-1; Finneus, Jose Valdivia Jr., 20-1; Jetovator, Edwin Maldonado, 8-1; The Chosen Vron, Hector Berrios, 5-2; Hail Freedom, Mike Smith, 4-1; Smuggler’s Run, Joe Bravo, 15-1; Aligato, Umberto Rispoli, 5-1; Coast of Roan, Tyler Baze, 8-1; and Straight Up G, Kyle Frey, 20-1.

JACKPOT WORTH $27,849.90 TO 66 WINNERS

With a mandatory payout in place, Santa Anita’s 20-cent Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot attracted $2,039,220 in new money, creating a total Rainbow Six pool on Saturday of $2,305,431. The Rainbow Six, which was comprised of races five through 10, resulted in 66 winning tickets, each worth $27,849.90.

With carryover from Monday of $266,211 fueling the pari-mutuel fires, Saturday’s Rainbow Six got off to a rocky start for many players as trainer Jerry Wallace’s first-time starter Chick’s Dig It connected at 27-1 in race five, resulting in a $57.80 win mutuel as jockey Eduard Rojas Fernandez recorded his first-ever Santa Anita win.

The winning Rainbow Six numbers and win mutuels on races five through 10 were: R5, #6 ($57.80), R6, #7 ($11.20), R7, #3 ($5.60), R8, #3 ($9.40), R9, #3 ($9.40), R10, #9 ($7.40).

First post time for today’s nine-race card is 1 p.m.

JOCKEYS, TRAINERS IN TIGHT FIGHT FOR TITLE

With 10 racing days remaining in the 18-day meet that concludes on Nov. 6, the races for leading jockey and trainer are up for grabs.

Through eight racing days in the meet that concludes on Nov. 6, Ramon Vazquez (11 wins), Umberto Rispoli (10) and Juan Hernandez (10) were neck and neck among riders, while Doug O’Neill (eight), Peter Miller (eight), Phil D’Amato (six) and Bob Baffert (six) were nose and nose in the trainers’ race.

Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman also were heading towards a photo finish among owners with four victories, one more than Red Baron’s Barn LLC or Rancho Temescal LLC and Reddam Racing LLC.

CHRB TO CONDUCT IN-PERSON MEETING OCT. 22

The California Horse Racing Board will conduct an in-person meeting open to the public 9:30 a.m. Thursday Oct. 20 at Cal Expo.

Those providing unsolicited public comments on individual agenda items will be limited to two minutes. Comments must relate specifically to the agenda items. Note that for agenda item #11, Public Comment, no further comments will be permitted after 30 minutes.

For those who do not attend, the webcast audio link on the CHRB website will offer a way to listen to the meeting. The agenda and package of materials for the meeting are available on the CHRB website.

FINISH LINES: Flightline’s six-furlong workout time Saturday in a bullet 1:11.80 was almost three seconds faster than the average time for the distance of 1:14.46…Congratulations to jockey Eduard Rojas Fernandez, who at $57.80, posted his first-ever win at Santa Anita in Saturday’s 5th race aboard the Jerry Wallace-trained Chick’s Dig It. Rojas Fernandez rides regularly at Los Alamitos . . . Juan Hernandez won two races Saturday to move within one of leader Ramon Vazquez (11-10), while Hector Isaac Berrios also posted two victories giving him three for the meet. Umberto Rispoli is tied with Hernandez with 10 wins through eight days . . . There were 173 recorded workouts Sunday, 55 on the training track . . . Santa Anita will be dark for live racing Monday through Thursday. Live racing resumes at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21.