Atitlan switches up tactics to take San Luis Rey
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ARCADIA, Calif. – A subtle change in race tactics helped Atitlan win his second stakes in the last five months, and the longest race of his career, in Saturday’s Grade 3 San Luis Rey Stakes at Santa Anita.
Atitlan raced behind rivals for the first mile of the $101,500 San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf, briefly giving jockey Hector Berrios a fuss while pulling behind rivals. When Atitlan was moved outside of rivals for the final half-mile, the 4-year-old colt responded with a fast rally that led to a two-length win.
The result was a change from the Grade 3 San Marcos Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf on Feb. 8 when Atitlan stalked the pace while racing in the clear on the outside throughout. In that race, Atitlan was as close as third within a length of the front on the turn before fading to finish fifth by 8 1/4 lengths.
Atitlan ($20.20) was timed in 2:24.73 in the San Luis Rey and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 97.
“If I put him behind the other horses, he’s more comfortable,” Berrios said. In the San Marcos, “when I was outside the other horses, he was too strong.”
Atitlan was sixth with a quarter-mile remaining in the San Luis Rey and was second in the stretch, closing strongly.
“When I put him in the clear on the turn, he liked that,” Berrios said. “He responded.”
Atitlan caught 8-1 Divin Propos in the final furlong. Divin Propos closed from fourth to lead on the turn and in early stretch.
Divin Propos is trained by Phil D’Amato, who also finished third and fourth with 8-5 Gold Phoenix and Easter, the 13-10 favorite. Gold Phoenix, making his first start since a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar in November, raced behind horses in traffic on the turn and quickened strongly when clear in the stretch to finish 2 1/2 lengths behind Atitlan.
Asked where Gold Phoenix would have finished with a better trip, jockey Kyle Frey was quick with an answer.
“He’d have won,” he said. “Without a doubt. He came flying down the lane.”
Wizard of Westwood finished fifth, followed by Balladeer, Megayacht, and Midnight Mammoth.
Balladeer set an early pace of 23.90 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 47.79 for a half-mile.
Atitlan, owned by John O’Connor and trained by John Shirreffs, has won 3 of 9 starts and earned $300,000. In the final months of 2024, Atitlan, who is by The Factor, had mixed results in turf stakes. He was a troubled third in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 1 and rebounded to win the Grade 2 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita on Oct. 26.
Atitlan was beaten in his next three starts, all on turf – a seventh in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar on Nov. 30, a third in the Grade 2 Mathis Mile for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, and the fifth-place finish in the San Marcos.
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