Dr. Schivel works for Malibu; Hernandez picks up mount
ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Juan Hernandez has been named to ride Dr. Schivel in Sunday’s Grade 1 Runhappy Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita.
Trainer Mark Glatt said on Monday that a decision was reached over the weekend to employ Hernandez, who rode Dr. Schivel to a win in a maiden special weight race at Del Mar in August 2020 when the colt was trained by Luis Mendez.
“He has some experience riding the horse, although it was a while back,” Glatt said. “He’s worked the horse on a couple of occasions and we feel comfortable knowing he has some familiarity with the horse.”
Glatt began training Dr. Schivel after the colt’s win in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity in September 2020, his final start of that season. This year, Dr. Schivel won the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar in July and the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship in October before a tough nose loss in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 6.
Dr. Schivel had his final major exercise for the Malibu on Monday, working a half-mile in 48.20 seconds at Santa Anita.
“We wanted a sharp half,” Glatt said.
Dr. Schivel was ridden earlier this year by Flavien Prat, who will ride the undefeated Flightline in the $300,000 Malibu at seven furlongs. Flightline will make his stakes debut in the Malibu, having won a maiden special weight race in April and an allowance race in September by a combined 26 lengths.
The Malibu is part of a blockbuster 11-race card that includes six graded stakes. The program is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Pacific. Aside from the Malibu, there are two Grade 1 races worth $300,000 for 3-year-old fillies – the La Brea Stakes at seven furlongs and the American Oaks at 1 1/4 miles on turf.
Monday, the two-time stakes winner Express Train worked five furlongs in 1:00 for Sunday’s Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/16 miles. Trained by John Shirreffs, Express Train has not raced since a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at 1 1/8 miles here in October.
Express Train missed a start in the BC Classic on Nov. 6 after sustaining a hock injury.