Bellafina works for Santa Anita Oaks; Gift Box drills for Big Cap

ARCADIA, Calif. – The top 3-year-old filly Bellafina and the improving older horse Gift Box, prepping for Grade 1 races next Saturday, turned in sharp final workouts at Santa Anita on Saturday morning during a training session that also saw the top Derby prospect Improbable work with blinkers for the first time.

Bellafina will be a heavy favorite in the Santa Anita Oaks, and she solidified her position with a terrific piece of work, going five furlongs in 1:00.20 under jockey Brice Blanc while working solo shortly after the second of the morning’s three renovation breaks at 7:45. Blanc worked her because her regular rider, Flavien Prat, was in Dubai on Saturday.

Bellafina’s trainer, Simon Callaghan, caught her a bit faster, in 59.80 seconds. Regardless, Callaghan was understandably delighted with the drill.

“Started off in 24 and change, finished up nice, rocked home the last eighth,” Callaghan said. “Really, really happy.”

Bellafina most recently won the Feb. 9 Las Virgenes Stakes by three-quarters of a length over Enaya Alrabb, who will be back for a rematch. Enaya Alrabb worked six furlongs on Saturday in 1:13 for trainer Doug O’Neill.

Gift Box, set for the Santa Anita Handicap, has been sitting on go for a month, as the Big Cap was originally scheduled for March 9 before the suspension of racing here for nearly four weeks. He went six furlongs in 1:13.40 while disposing of a workmate in the final sixteenth. He should be one of the top choices in a race in which McKinzie is expected to be favored.

“Good work. He’s been ready,” said Gift Box’s trainer, John Sadler. “Nice, solid work. The track’s been slow, so this was one of the better works.”

Sadler also worked Nolo Contesto, a candidate for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby next Saturday. Nolo Contesto was under pressure late while trying to catch a workmate and working six furlongs in 1:13.60. The Santa Anita Derby is expected to be headed by champion Game Winner.

Improbable, with Martin Garcia up, went six furlongs in 1:12.80 in company, putting away his workmate late. The time was the fastest of 24 at the distance. Improbable suffered his first career defeat in a division of the Rebel last time out. He is scheduled to return to Oaklawn for the Arkansas Derby on April 13.

“Wanted to try a different deal,” trainer Bob Baffert said of outfitting Improbable in blinkers. “Trying to figure out his style.”

Improbable will have one more work next weekend before heading to Oaklawn.

Another local runner headed to the Arkansas Derby, Galilean, worked five furlongs in 59.60 seconds on Saturday at Los Alamitos for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

At Santa Anita, Hollendorfer worked the hearty turf mare Vasilika four furlongs in 50.80 seconds on the training track. Vasilika, a winner of 10 of her last 11 starts, is scheduled to go in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine, one of five graded stakes – and seven stakes overall – slotted for Saturday.