Early Encore lives up to billing in 2-year-old maiden score

ARCADIA, Calif. – Early Encore won his debut by 6 3/4 lengths in a maiden race for California-bred 2-year-olds at Santa Anita on Sunday, leaving trainer John Sadler eager to start the colt at the Del Mar summer meeting.

Ridden by Joel Rosario, Early Encore ($3) took the lead strides from the gate and was quickly clear of seven rivals. He led by 2 1/2 lengths with a furlong remaining.

Sadler said the $100,000 Graduation Stakes for statebreds at 5 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 7 is a goal for Early Encore, who races for a large partnership that includes Desert Sun Stables.

“We’ll stay with Cal-breds,” Sadler said.

Early Encore ran 4 1/2 furlongs in 51.76 seconds.

Considering Early Encore was favored, Sadler described the performance as “about what I thought.”

Early Encore, by the promising first-year stallion Early Voting, had left Sadler impressed in recent workouts, leading to a late May debut.

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“He brought us here,” Sadler said.

Free Closer, a California-bred filly, won her debut in a maiden race for 2-year-olds on Saturday with an impressive rally in the final furlong.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Free Closer rallied from seventh of eight to win by a nose, finishing 4 1/2 furlongs in 52.77. Free Closer, by Pavel, is owned by Paul and Zillah Reddam.

McCarthy said on Sunday that he has no set race plans for Free Closer. The first stakes for statebred 2-year-old fillies at Del Mar is the $100,000 CTBA Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 2.

Another option is the $225,000 Debutante Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs on June 27.

“Del Mar is a long way away,” McCarthy said. “You have to keep your options open.”

There are no stakes for 2-year-olds in California at the current Santa Anita meeting that ends on June 14, or during the three-week Los Alamitos meeting in late June and early July.

Sadler had two stakes wins on Saturday when Mohaven won the California Cup Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on dirt, and Flyover won the Crystal Water Stakes at a mile on turf.

This Saturday, Sadler plans to start The Goat, a 5-year-old Chilean-bred horse who won three consecutive Group 1 stakes in 2024 in Sunday’s Grade 3 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs.

The Goat, owned by Don Alberto Stable, has worked quickly at times at Santa Anita in recent weeks, including a half-mile from the gate in 46.60 on May 4.

In Chile, The Goat won at distances ranging from 6 1/2 furlongs to 1 3/8 miles.

Sadler said the $100,000 Triple Bend Stakes is a prep for the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap, a $300,000 race at 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar on July 18.

The list of nominees for the Triple Bend include Dr. Venkman, third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar last November in his last start, and Stronghold, the winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in 2024. Stronghold finished in a dead heat for first in an allowance race at 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park on April 17 in his lone start this year.

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