Gift Box shows no rust off layoff in San Antonio Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Gift Box gave jockey Joel Rosario a stakes win on Wednesday’s opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes. Rosario may have found his mount for the key older horse stakes of 2019.

In his first start for owners Pete and Kosta Hronis and trainer John Sadler, Gift Box won his first stakes in the $301,380 San Antonio Stakes, closing from fourth with a three-wide rally on the turn.

Leaving the winner’s circle, Rosario said his decision to position Gift Box on the outside in the final three-eighths played an important role.

“I was in between horses on the backstretch and I wanted to get out of there,” Rosario said. “He’s a free-running horse. I was able to come out in the stretch.”

Pitino, the 98-1 longest shot in the field, set the pace, but was caught on the turn by Battle of Midway and Dabster, who rallied two and three wide. They dueled for the lead briefly before Gift Box reached the front.

Gift Box led by a half-length with a furlong remaining and won by that margin over a stubborn Battle of Midway.

“When the other horse came to him, he battled to keep going,” Rosario said.

Gift Box ($15) ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.88, and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 101. Battle of Midway, the 3-2 favorite, finished three-quarters of a length in front of Dabster, the 9-5 second choice. Battle of Midway and Dabster were first and second in the Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 25.

Beach View, the winner of the Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar in July, finished fourth, followed by Sonneteer, Air Strike, Yulong Warrior, Tatters to Riches, and Pitino.

The San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/8 miles was Gift Box’s first start since an easy win in an allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option at Aqueduct last March when trained by Chad Brown. He was acquired privately following that race and has worked steadily since early October for his first start for Hronis Racing and Sadler on Wednesday.

Gift Box, a 5-year-old by Twirling Candy, has won 4 of 14 starts and earned $524,160. The San Antonio Stakes was Gift Box’s first start in a stakes since a fifth in the Grade 3 Discovery Stakes at Aqueduct in November 2016.