Ginobili fresh and ready for San Vicente Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Ginobili won a maiden special weight race on the Pacific Classic program at Del Mar last August in the manner of a 2-year-old with immense promise.

That still holds true, despite two losses in stakes last summer and fall. After a late autumn rest, Ginobili is approaching a key test in Sunday’s Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita.

Ginobili has not raced since finishing fourth, beaten 1 1/4 lengths, as the 5-2 favorite in the Speakeasy Stakes at five furlongs on turf here last October. After that loss, Ginobili needed a rest, trainer and co-owner Richard Baltas said last weekend.

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“I wanted to give him a little break,” Baltas said. “I gave him a month off and sent him out, let him be a horse.”

Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Jerry McClanahan, Michael Nentwig, and Baltas, Ginobili has worked steadily since mid-December for the $200,000 San Vicente Stakes at seven furlongs. The race is led by Storm the Court, the champion 2-year-old male of 2019 who has not raced since an upset win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile here last November.

The San Vicente is not expected to have a large field. Other candidates are Azul Coast, Fair Enough, and Ra’ad. Fair Enough is unbeaten in two starts, including the California Cup Derby for statebreds at 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 18. The San Vicente will be his graded stakes debut.

◗ Trainer Phil D’Amato was fined $500 by Santa Anita stewards on Saturday for a medication violation found in one of his runners at Del Mar last August. Our Romance, who finished third in the fifth race on Aug. 23, a maiden special weight for California-breds on turf, tested positive for Betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory not allowed to appear in post-race exams.