In San Pasqual, Midnight Mammoth looks to build off last-out win

Last Saturday at Gulfstream Park, the 7-year-olds Skippylongstocking, White Abarrio, and Full Serrano swept the first three positions in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.

On Saturday at Santa Anita, Midnight Mammoth, also a 7-year-old, can win his first stakes since the summer of 2024 in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on dirt.

“Hopefully, we’ll keep the trend going,” trainer Craig Dollase said on Thursday.

Midnight Mammoth, owned by Jeffrey Sengara, drew the inside post in a field of six in the $200,000 San Pasqual. Armando Ayuso has the mount.

A winner of 9 of 38 starts, Midnight Mammoth won his first and only start so far this year. On Jan. 16, Midnight Mammoth won an allowance race at seven furlongs at 9-1 at Santa Anita, his only career victory in a sprint and his first start since a sixth-place finish at 35-1 in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar last August.

:: Santa Anita Classic Meet! Get DRF Past Performances, Clocker Reports, and more.

“It was a little unexpected,” Dollase said of the win. “Apparently, I had him ready and he felt like running. We were looking for a little prep.”

Despite the recent win, Midnight Mammoth is not expected to be favored on Saturday. Getaway Car, winner of the Sunland Derby at 1 1/16 miles last February in New Mexico, and Pony Express, second in the Tokyo City Cup at a mile at Santa Anita in October, will attract support.

Getaway Car is quick enough to lead as is Bartholdy, who was third behind high-class Nysos and Nevada Beach in the Grade 2 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Dec. 28. Bartholdy was the 12-1 winner of an allowance race at 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 30, a race in which Getaway Car was sixth, fading through the stretch after disputing the early pace.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Getaway Car has won 3 of 9 starts. Aside from the Sunland Derby, Getaway Car’s best results in two-turn races were second-place finishes in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes and Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity, both at 1 1/16 miles, in 2024.

Pony Express, trained by John Sadler, has yet to win a stakes in three starts in such races. In the Tokyo City Stakes, Pony Express set the pace and was beaten three-quarters of a length.

The other runners in the San Pasqual Stakes are Ghazaaly, the winner of a $25,000 claimer at a mile on Jan. 19; and Westwood, third in the Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar on Nov. 22 after setting the pace.

A quick tempo on Saturday will help Midnight Mammoth, whose last stakes win was the Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap by 10 1/4 lengths at 1 1/2 miles at Del Mar in July 2024.

“He doesn’t mind the distance,” Dollase said.

A successful result on Saturday could lead to a start in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 7, the leading race in California for older horses in the first half of the year.

“It’s kind of cool to be talking about it,” Dollase said.

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