STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN THURSDAY, OCT. 10, 2024

• CALIFORNIA DISTAFF: GRAND SLAM SMILE FACES NEW HURDLES • WORKS: UNBEATEN NYSOS, EAGLES FLIGHT RETURN TO TAB • JOCKEYS HERNANDEZ, FRESU HEAT UP WITH 3 WINS EACH SUNDAY • FIRST POST FRIDAY IS 1 P.M. FOR 8-RACE CARD • SPECIAL HOLIDAY CARD MONDAY WITH $1 BEERS, $2 HOT DOGS

CALIFORNIA DISTAFF: GRAND SLAM SMILE FACES NEW HURDLES

Among the key principals in Saturday’s feature race at Santa Anita, the $100,000 California Distaff Handicap for statebred fillies and mares on the hillside turf course, is multiple stakes winner Grand Slam Smile.

Trained by Steve Specht, the versatile Grand Slam Smile returns south from Pleasanton where new obstacles await the 3-year-old daughter of Smiling Tiger. The California Distaff will be Grand Slam Smile’s first time facing older horses and first-time testing Santa Anita’s unique downhill turf course at Santa Anita.

“It seems like every time she runs there’s something new for her,” Specht said Thursday morning. “Short, long. Turf, dirt, synthetic. Open company. She’s pretty smart and seems to handle everything.”

Most recently, California-bred Grand Slam Smile earned a coveted graded stakes placing. In the GIII Torrey Pines going a mile on dirt at Del Mar Aug. 31, the homebred for Larry and Marianne Williams finished third behind well-regarded winner Hope Road and runner-up Nothing Like You, this year’s GII Santa Anita Oaks winner.

“The Williamses rarely sell anything, but it’s nice to get that as it will increase her value as a broodmare,” Specht said. “I thought she ran pretty good that day. I didn’t really care for the way she finished, though, she kind of peeled out early.”

It’s now back to sprinting for Grand Slam Smile. In her only previous start on turf, she set the pace and won the California Cup Oaks going a mile in January at Santa Anita. Often, horses that show speed going a mile are effective at the about 6 ½-furlong distance of the downhill sprints.

“This was the plan to run here. I think she’ll like it OK,” Specht said of the downhill turf course. “Hopefully she will handle crossing over the dirt for the first time. We’ll take her across it during the warmup and let her get a feel for it.”

Veteran jockey Frank Alvarado, who has been aboard Grand Slam Smile for all nine previous starts, will again be in the irons Saturday.

Last Friday at Pleasanton, Grand Slam Smile signaled her readiness with sizzling five-furlong work in 57.40 seconds.

“I gave her just a couple of easy works after the Torrey Pines, but the other day I worked her with a couple of colts and she put them away pretty easy,” Specht said.

The California Distaff Handicap goes as the ninth and final race Saturday at approximately 5 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Back On Track, Ricky Gonzalez (30-1); Rebalation, Kyle Frey (20-1); Prancingthruparis, Mike Smith (12-1); Rose Maddox, Juan Hernandez (5-1); Diamond Bar Gal, Armando Ayuso (12-1); Andiamo Ragazza, Tyler Baze (12-1); Stay and Scam, Umberto Rispoli (5-2); Chismosa, Tiago Pereira (10-1); Sassy Nature, Edwin Maldonado (8-1); Grand Slam Smile, Frank Alvarado (10-1); Big Summer, Hector Berrios (5-1); Shamrockin, Abel Cedillo (SCR)

WORKS: UNBEATEN NYSOS, EAGLES FLIGHT RETURN TO TAB

Unbeaten 3-year-old colt Nysos, sidelined since winning the GIII Robert B. Lewis in February at Santa Anita, and royally bred 2-year-old Eagles Flight each returned to the work tab Thursday at Santa Anita. Also working towards a comeback was Grade I winner Tamara for trainer Richard Mandella.

Nysos, trained by Bob Baffert, drilled four furlongs with company in 47.60 seconds. Eagles Flight, a half brother to 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline, was clocked going a quarter mile in 23.20 seconds for trainer John Sadler. Tamara, off since last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, worked four furlongs in 48.20 seconds.

Nysos is a perfect 3-for-3 with $216,600 in earnings for owner Baoma Corp. The son of Nyquist was a debut winner at Santa Anita last October and returned to win the GIII Bob Hope at Del Mar in November. When making his two-turn debut in the one-mile Lewis, Nysos romped by 7 ½ lengths under Flavien Prat.

The short work by Eagles Flight was his first since June 10 at Santa Anita. By 2008 Horse of the Year Curlin out of graded stakes winner Feathered, Eagles Flight debuted May 27 going six furlongs at Santa Anita and promptly scored by 2 ¾ lengths under Prat. He is campaigned by Hronis Racing, breeder Summer Wind Equine and William S. Farish.

Flightline, by Tapit, was undefeated in six starts, including four Grade Is, and earned $4,514,800. He capped his racing career with a victory in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland. Flightline is now a stallion at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky where he stands for a $150,000 fee.

Tamara hasn’t raced since finishing seventh as the favorite in last November’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita. She emerged from the effort with a small fracture in her left hind splint bone, which did not require surgery. Prior to the Breeders’ Cup, Tamara won the GI Del Mar Debutante.

Since Aug. 22, a span of seven weeks, Tamara has worked five times either at Del Mar or Santa Anita. By Bolt d’Oro, Tamara is out of four-time champion Beholder, who was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2022.

JOCKEYS HERNANDEZ, FRESU HEAT UP WITH 3 WINS EACH SUNDAY

After a relatively modest start to the Santa Anita Autumn Meet by their standards, top jockeys Juan Hernandez and Antonio Fresu each bagged three wins Sunday to move into a tie atop the Santa Anita rider’s standings.

Hernandez and Fresu now have eight wins each through the first six days of the Santa Anita Autumn Meet. At the Santa Anita Hollywood Meet ending June 16, Hernandez edged Fresu by a single victory to claim his sixth Santa Anita riding title.

On Sunday, Hernandez swept the early Daily Double with Central Dispatch ($7) for trainer John Sadler and September Magic ($10.60) for trainer Ryan Hanson. He also won the 10th and final aboard favorite Runamileinmyshoes ($4.20) for trainer Jeff Mullins.

Fresu on Sunday won the GIII Zuma Beach aboard favorite Iron Man Cal ($4.60), trained by Phil D’Amato, via disqualification; the third race on promising 2-year-old Mawu ($7.20) for trainer Bob Baffert; and the ninth race with favorite Touchdown Brown ($5.60) for trainer Mark Glatt.

FINISH LINES: First post Friday for an eight-race card is 1 p.m. PT. Admission gates open at 11 a.m…Every Friday at the Autumn Meet, on-track patrons receive free parking and admission plus $3 beers and $5 margaritas…Santa Anita will host a special holiday card Monday featuring the Swingtime Stakes for fillies and mares at one mile on turf. On-track patrons will receive $1 beers and sodas and $2 hot dogs…Sunday’s feature is the $100,000 California Flag Stakes at about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course. The card will be set later Thursday…The 3-year-old filly Dreamfyre , winner of last year’s GIII Sorrento on dirt at Del Mar and GIII Surfer Girl on turf at Santa Anita, has been retired, Daily Racing Form’s Steve Andersen reported Wednesday. Trained by OJ. Jauregui for owner Danny A. Eplin, Dreamfyre will be offered as a broodmare prospect at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale on Nov. 4 in Lexington, Ky.