Santa Anita: Joyful Victory to get a rest after first Grade 1 win

Shigeki Kikkawa

Joyful Victory will get a freshening after earning her first Grade 1 win last Saturday in the Santa Margarita.

Joyful Victory, who earned her first Grade 1 win in the Santa Margarita Stakes last Saturday, will get a brief freshening over the next few months, but trainer Larry Jones already is plotting his return to Santa Anita for the fall meet, not only for the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic but for other races too.

“She loves this track,” said Jones, who regularly gallops his horses. “It’s a great track in the mornings when you’re on it. I used to stay away from here because I had heard bad things about the track. It’s nice to know it’s a good, safe track. We might bring some more horses with us next time.”

Jones is based at Fair Grounds during the winter. He said he and owner Rick Porter, who races as Fox Hill Farms, had the Santa Margarita as their early-season goal.

“This race,” Jones said, “was what we were pointing for this spring. We want to be back here for the Breeders’ Cup, so we’ll probably go easy with her for the next couple of months.”

More Chocolate, who finished second in the Santa Margarita, is a possibility for next month’s Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park, trainer John Sadler said.

“She got a little bottled up on the turn, but give props to the winner,” Sadler said.