Baltas returns to winner's circle for first time since suspension

ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Richard Baltas had a runner in the winner’s circle for the first time in 19 months, and the first time in California in nearly 21 months, on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Baltas completed a one-year suspension in December for violations related the administration of raceday supplements in the spring of 2022. Baltas reformed a stable in December, had the first runner of his comeback later that month and won a $32,000 claimer on turf with Flavius on Saturday.

“It feels good, especially with my old clients,” Baltas said on Sunday in the Santa Anita stable area. “We’ve got the monkey off our back.

“The horse hadn’t won in a long time.”

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Flavius, who paid $5 as the favorite in a field of eight, is co-owned by the Abbondanza Racing partnership, Donald Durando, and Michael and Julia Iavarone.

“Hopefully, we can build on it and go forward,” Baltas said.

Baltas has 32 horses based at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in San Diego County and a small number of ship-in stalls at Santa Anita.

Baltas did not have any runners in California from May of 2022 until late December. He did not have any runners at California tracks from mid-May of 2022 until the suspension began in December of that year at the insistence of track and regulatory officials, but did have a small numbers of runners at tracks in other states through mid-July of 2022.

Flavius was Baltas’s ninth starter of the current Santa Anita meeting.

Pick six carryover Friday

For the second time this winter at Santa Anita, there is a carryover in the $1 pick six for Friday’s eight-race program.

The bet begins with a carryover of $74,328 from Sunday, and covers the third through eighth races on a program that begins at 12:30 p.m. Pacific.

On Jan. 19, the pick six began with a carryover of $100,634. The bet drew $792,637 in additional wagers, and paid $2,329.

Los Alamitos to close Feb. 10-11

Los Alamitos will not race on the weekend of Feb. 10-11, the annual week the track pauses its night meeting for lower-level Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses for maintenance and in conjunction with the Super Bowl.

The track at Los Alamitos will close after training on Feb. 10 and reopen on Feb. 15.

Live racing is scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday, and will resume on Feb. 17.

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