Glatt looks to carry momentum into opening weekend

Mark Glatt won his second training title in a little more than a year at the Del Mar autumn meeting that ended earlier this month.

Sustaining that success at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting that begins Thursday will be difficult, he said recently.

Glatt won 14 races from 32 starters at Del Mar, clear of runner-up Phil D’Amato with nine wins.

Glatt won the training title at the 2023 Santa Anita autumn meeting. At the 2023-24 Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, Doug O’Neill led all trainers with 31 wins, two more than Glatt. D’Amato was third with 28 wins.

On Thursday’s opening-day card, Glatt has seven runners in six races, including Mi Hermano Ramon in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes and Chatalas in the Grade 1 American Oaks.

:: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports

Later in the week, Glatt has four runners on Friday, and one each on Saturday and Sunday. A strong opening week may propel the stable in the standings.

“We’ll try to stay consistent,” he said. “Often when you come off a good meeting at Del Mar, the horses that won have to take a step up in class. Most of the time you run at a higher level. That will make it tough.”

Chatalas would cause an upset in the $300,000 American Oaks at 1 1/4 miles on turf. She was second by a neck in her only other start on turf, a loss to the multiple stakes winner Medoro, in the Blue Norther Stakes last December.

Chatalas won the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks in July, finished sixth of eight in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga in August, and was third in the Seneca Stakes on Sept. 21 at Churchill Downs in her most recent start.

Chatalas may be overlooked in the American Oaks.

“She ran good on turf,” Glatt said. “It came up a competitive race.”

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.