Mullins hoping rain won't keep Itsinthepost from delivering

ARCADIA, Calif. – The turf stakes winners Itsinthepost and River Boyne have largely defined trainer Jeff Mullins’s 2018 season, each going unbeaten at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.

Itsinthepost has developed into the leading turf distance horse on the circuit with two stakes wins. There may be a third in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf, provided the forecast rain does not prove to be too severe.

“Hopefully, they’re wrong,” Mullins said of the forecasters. “Hopefully, we won’t get rained off.”

Itsinthepost won the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on Jan. 6 and the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on Feb. 3. The $200,000 San Luis Rey Stakes will be Itsinthepost’s first start at 1 1/2 miles since a seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar last November.

The 3-year-old River Boyne is improving rapidly, having won his stakes debut in the Pasadena Stakes at a mile on turf on March 17. The $100,000 Singletary Stakes at a mile on turf on May 5 could be River Boyne’s next start.

Owned by Jed Cohen and his family, River Boyne is unbeaten in three starts at this meeting, having won a maiden race on the Dec. 26 opening-day program and an optional claimer in his first two meet starts. Mullins said on Wednesday he is no hurry to run River Boyne before the Singletary.

“He’s had three races already,” he said. “There really isn’t anything for him for a little while.”

There are four graded stakes for 3-year-olds on turf at Del Mar and Santa Anita from late August through the fall that are long-term goals for River Boyne, Mullins said.

Saturday’s program includes the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes at seven furlongs, the leading race of the meeting for older female sprinters. The list of candidates for the $200,000 Santa Monica is led by the stakes winners Paradise Woods, Selcourt, and Skye Diamonds.

Paradise Woods, a two-time Grade 1 winner in 2017, has not raced since finishing second to Unique Bella in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-olds fillies on Dec. 26. The start of her 2018 season was delayed by a foot injury and an illness. Selcourt and Skye Diamonds were first and third in the Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes on Feb. 18.