STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2023

• • SPIRIT OF MAKENA LOOKS TO CONTINUE ASCENT IN GII TRIPLE BEND
• • BAFFERT UPDATES PREAKNESS WINNER NATIONAL TREASURE
• • RAINBOW 6 MANDATORY PAYOUT SET FOR MEMORIAL DAY
• • GI SHOEMAKER MILE A BREEDERS’ CUP ‘WIN AND YOU’RE IN’
• • TALL MAN JOCK JENNINGS PASSES AT 79
• • KIMURA RETURNS TO SANTA ANITA FOR MEMORIAL DAY CARD

SPIRIT OF MAKENA LOOKS TO CONTINUE ASCENT IN GII TRIPLE BEND

While Spirit of Makena may have had a belated start to his racing career, the 5-year-old Ghostzapper horse has wasted little time climbing the ranks of the California sprint division this winter and spring at Santa Anita.

On Saturday, Spirit of Makena will go for his fourth win in five starts and a second-straight graded stakes score in the GII Triple Bend going seven furlongs. Among his rivals is multiple graded-stakes winner Forbidden Kingdom, who was beaten 1 ½ lengths by Spirit of Makena March 1 in the GIII San Carlos, also at seven furlongs.

Trained by George Papaprdoromou, Spirit of Makena drew post six in a seven-horse field set the Triple Bend. The homebred for Bruce Chandler will be ridden by Joe Bravo, who has been aboard for both of Spirit of Makena’s last two wins.

“He’s doing good. We’re very happy with him,” Papaprodromou said Thursday morning of his ace sprinter.

Spirit of Makena has never been beaten around one turn. After winning his debut at Del Mar last August, he was beaten just a head when stretched to a mile in a first-level allowance, also at Del Mar. Given the rest of the year off, he cleared his first-level allowance condition here sprinting six furlongs on Feb. 11.

In the San Carlos, Spirit of Makena stalked pacesetting Forbidden Kingdom before overhauling that rival in the stretch to win by 1 ½ lengths.

Papaprodromou is expecting further improvement from his lightly raced colt on Saturday.

“He’s already proven he’s a good horse. But there still may be more there,” he said.

Papaprodromou will also saddle recent claim Howbeit in the Triple Bend. Howbeit was fourth in the San Carlos for trainer Mark Glatt, but then was claimed out of a fourth-place effort April 7 when entered for the $100,000 optional claiming tag.

“He’s a good horse, it’s worth taking a shot,” Papaprodromou said.

Howbeit is now owned by David A. Bernsen and Weijland Holdings.

The Triple Bend goes as the eighth race on Saturday’s nine-race card. Post time is approximately 4:30 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Midnight Mammoth, Kyle Frey (6-1); Desmond Doss, Umberto Rispoli (12-1); Positivity, Tiago Pereira (15-1); Forbidden Kingdom, Juan Hernandez (5-2); Howbeit, Mike Smith (5-1); Spirit of Makena, Joe Bravo (8-5); C Z Rocket, Ramon Vazquez (3-1).

BAFFERT UPDATES PREAKNESS WINNER NATIONAL TREASURE

National Treasure, winner of Saturday’s 148th Preakness Stakes, has made his way to Belmont Park for a potential start in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 10. Bob Baffert said National Treasure got a feel for the Belmont Park main track Thursday with a light jog.

“He’s going well. We’re going to get him up there, train him and see how he’s doing,” Baffert said.

He added National Treasure will have one work at Belmont Park before a decision is made whether to test the 1 ½-mile Belmont.

“When he breezes, he’s going to have to show me he’s up for it,” Baffert said.

Other potential Belmont Stakes starters for Baffert are Arabian Lion, winner of the Sir Barton on the Preakness undercard; and Reincarnate, who most recently was 13th in the Kentucky Derby.

National Treasure went gate-to-wire under John Velazquez to win the Preakness as the 5-2 second choice. It was the first Preakness win for Velazquez and Baffert’s eighth, which is the most all-time by a trainer.

“I know it’s a big accomplishment, but I really don’t think about records like that,” Baffert said. “I was just happy for the horse, the connections and Johnny V. getting his Preakness win.”

Baffert also reported that Taiba remains on track to run in the GI Metropolitan Handicap on the Belmont Stakes undercard. The multiple Grade I winner most recently was a disappointing eighth in the GI Saudi Cup in Riyadh Feb. 25.

RAINBOW 6 MANDATORY PAYOUT IS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY

As part of a blockbuster Memorial Day program, Santa Anita will have a mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 Jackpot on Monday. Additionally, Santa Anita is guaranteeing a $1 million payout on both Saturday and *Sunday if there is a single-ticket winner.

*In the event there is a $1 million payout to a single ticket winner on Saturday, there is no such guarantee in place for Sunday.

The Rainbow 6 is a 20-cent minimum wager. If there are no single-ticket winners on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, track officials estimate Monday’s pool will approach $3 million.

Entries for Santa Anita’s Memorial Day program, which features three Grade Is, will be taken on Friday. The featured stakes are the GI Shoemaker Mile on turf, GI Hollywood Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles on the main track and GI Gamely for fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Entering Friday, the Rainbow 6 carryover stands at $201,326.24.

MONDAY’S GI SHOEMAKER MILE IS YEAR’S 1ST BREEDERS’ CUP ‘WIN AND YOU’RE IN’

The first North American automatic qualifier for this year’s Breeders’ Cup is Monday’s GI Shoemaker Mile, which is a “Win and You’re In” Challenge Race qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Mile. This year’s Breeders’ Cup will be held at Santa Anita on Nov. 3-4.

Entries for the Shoemaker Mile will be taken on Friday. Among those expected to compete are a trio of graded-stakes winners from the Phil D’Amato barn: Gold Phoenix, Balnikhov and Hong Kong Harry.

The winner of the Shoemaker Mile earns an automatic, fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile here on Nov. 4. There are 80 races in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.

Tickets for the 40th Breeders’ Cup are now on sale and can be purchased online at BreedersCup.com/ticket.

SIX-FOOT JOCKEY BOBBY JENNINGS PASSES AT 79

Bobby Jennings, a successful California-based jockey who won more than 1,100 races but was best known for being a racing anomaly as a six-foot rider, passed away at a care facility in Sacramento on Tuesday following a lengthy illness at age 79. A two-time winner of the prestigious Longacres Mile, in 1965 with Siempre and in 1966 with the Melvin Stute-trained Aurelious II, Jennings, whose nickname was “Skinny,” won stakes at both Hollywood Park and Del Mar but spent nearly his entire career as a regular at Northern California tracks such as Bay Meadows, Golden Gate Fields and the Northern fairs.

“I’ve never seen a rider that was that tall and was as good a rider as Skinny,” said Arizona-based trainer Clay Brinson, who rode with Jennings in California in the 1960s. “There was a jock named Eldon Hall that was a little taller than Bobby, but he was probably the second-tallest jock I ever knew.

“He was a good horseman and a helluva rider. He won a ton of races up north for R.L. Martin (former perennial leading trainer in the Bay Area). At one time, they were rolling big up there. After he quit riding, he trained for nine or 10 years. He had a good time, Skinny ran hard.”

Following his time as a licensed trainer, Jennings worked as an assistant starter, primarily in Northern California, but also at Fairplex Park.

“My dad was a racing official and I was a kid when Bobby was winding up his career as a jock, back in the early 70s,” recalled trainer Dean Pederson at Clockers’ Corner on Wednesday. “We had more characters back then. People didn’t take themselves quite as serious and enjoyed life a little bit more…

“Bobby was a lifetime racetracker. He was a very talented rider, a good hand with 2-year-olds and he was a big, tall guy. He was talented at a lot of different things, which I’m sure helped him later on when he trained.”

According to the American Racing Manual, Jennings won his first race in 1960 at age 16 and his final race in 1972, ending up with 1,122 wins. His career-high in terms of races won, came in 1965, when he booted home 177 winners, including a win in the Del Mar Derby aboard the Richard Chew-conditioned Hasty Trip. From 1962 through 1968, Jennings won 97, 121, 149, 177, 151, 170 and 129 races respectively.

FINISH LINES: Jockey Kazushi Kimura will return to Santa Anita to ride Gold Phoenix for trainer Phil D’Amato in Monday’s GI Shoemaker Mile according to agent Brandon O’Bryan. After spending the winter at Santa Anita, Kimura moved his tack back to his home base at Woodbine where he’s off to a fast start and atop the rider standings…Hector Berrios won two races Sunday to move into a tie for second in the Hollywood Meet standings. With 12 wins at the current stand, he is seven behind leading rider Juan Hernandez (19), who also won a pair on Sunday…Every Friday on-track fans will receive free parking and admission plus $3 beers and $5 margaritas…Memorial Day weekend festivities at Santa Anita will include an infield carnival, beer festival and cornhole derby on Saturday and SoCal Corgi Nationals on Sunday. On Monday, on-track fans will receive $1 beers and sodas and $2 hot dogs.