Atzeni planning to ride at Santa Anita in January

ARCADIA, Calif. – Andrea Atzeni, who rides primarily in the United Kingdom, has returned to Santa Anita for the second consecutive winter for a month-long stay, he said on Friday.

Atzeni has one mount on Saturday and is booked on Lagoon Macaroon in Sunday’s fourth race.

Last winter, Atzeni, 28, had two wins during a brief stay in Southern California, including the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes with True Valour last February, More recently, Atzeni won the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine on Desert Encounter in October.

Atzeni said on Friday that he took vacation in December to spend time with family. He is booked to ride in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 8 and Feb. 29, but plans to be at Santa Anita in coming weeks.

Atzeni had 49 wins in the United Kingdom in 2019, including eight stakes wins. He had two Group 1 wins in a one-week span in Europe last May and rode two winners at Royal Ascot last June.

Gift Box, Mucho Gusto work

Gift Box, the winner of the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes on Dec. 28, worked a half-mile in 49.20 seconds on Friday, his first workout of 2020.

Trained by John Sadler for Pete and Kosta Hronis, Gift Box is a candidate for the $20 million Saudi Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 29 or the $600,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 7.

Mucho Gusto, a four-time stakes winner trained by Bob Baffert, worked six furlongs in 1:12.80 on Friday, his third straight bullet work. Mucho Gusto has not raced since finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park in September.