Santa Anita: Bajan likely to bypass Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies for Moccasin

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bajan, winner of last Sunday’s Anoakia Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, is likely to miss the Breeders’ Cup, trainer Simon Callaghan said Wednesday.

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Ronald and Jerry Frankel, Bajan was considered for the $2 million BC Juvenile Fillies over 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, but instead will start a week later in the $100,000 Moccasin Stakes over seven furlongs at Betfair Hollywood Park.

“We haven’t made a definite decision, but it looks unlikely,” Callaghan said of the Breeders’ Cup. “She puts quite a bit into her races, and I think it will be asking a lot.”

The Moccasin Stakes is a prep for the $500,000 Hollywood Starlet Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Dec. 7. Callaghan said he prefers the distance of the Moccasin to the BC Juvenile Fillies distance.

“I think the timing and the distance will definitely help her,” he said of the Moccasin.

In the Anoakia Stakes over six furlongs, Bajan closed from fourth in a field of five to win by 2 1/4 lengths, her first stakes win. She was a troubled sixth in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante over seven furlongs Sept. 4, her stakes debut.

All-sources handle rises

Santa Anita has shown declines in ontrack attendance and handle, but a sharp increase in overall handle through the first three weeks of the autumn meeting.

Track president George Haines said Wednesday that all-sources handle is up 14 percent over comparative days from the 2012 meeting. The growth has come from account wagering, which has increased 49 percent over 2012.

“This is the first autumn meeting with increased distribution through TVG,” he said.

Haines said that great availability of Santa Anita’s signal via account wagering has affected ontrack business. Through Monday, the 12th day of the 24-day meeting, ontrack attendance had slumped 11 percent, while ontrack handle was down 1 percent.

Other sources have shown improvement. Haines said that wagering at Southern California satellites had increased 5 percent, while out-of-state simulcasting locations were up 12 percent.

As an example of the strength of account wagering, Haines said that wagers through such sources reached $2.23 million on Monday, compared with $1.1 million in 2012. On both days, there were pick six carryovers – more than $430,000 Monday compared with $86,000 in 2012.

Haines said track officials are optimistic that attendance figures will improve before the end of the meeting Nov. 3.

“The weather is getting a little milder,” he said. “I do hope we can make a dent in those numbers.”

The meeting opened Sept. 27. For the first three weeks, there has been a slight increase in field size, with 9.24 runners per race, compared with 9.13 runners per race during the same time period last year. This year, the track has run 111 races, compared with 110 races in 2012.
For the entire 2012 season, which ended with the two-day Breeders’ Cup meeting, the autumn meeting averaged 8.96 runners per race. This year, the track hosts the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 1-2.

Maiden gets Juvenile Turf shot

Callaghan said that Ontology, a stakes-placed maiden after five starts, will be pre-entered Monday for the $1 million BC Juvenile Turf over a mile on Nov. 1.

Owned by Paul Reddam, Ontology was second after a wide trip to Diamond Bachelor in the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf at Del Mar on Sept. 4, but eighth in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes on dirt here Sept. 28. Earlier this year, Ontology was second in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship over six furlongs.

“We thought he was a little unlucky against Diamond Bachelor at Del Mar,” Callaghan said. “It’s worth a try.”

Diamond Bachelor, second to Aotearoa in the Zuma Beach Stakes on turf here Oct. 6, is a candidate for the $2 million BC Juvenile on dirt or the BC Juvenile Turf, trainer Patrick Biancone said.

In the Stars retired

In the Stars, third in the Group 1 Brazilian Oaks in 2011 and graded stakes-placed in California earlier this year, has been retired after sustaining a cracked pelvis, trainer Richard Mandella said.

A 5-year-old Brazilian-bred mare, In the Stars will be confined to stall rest for 60 days with the hope that she can be bred in 2014, Mandella said. The injury was detected after In the Stars finished last of five in an allowance race on the hillside turf course Oct. 4, her first start in six months.

Owned by Alessando Arcangeli, In the Stars won 3 of 14 starts and earned $184,289. She won twice in California in 2012 – an allowance race at Santa Anita and an optional claimer at Hollywood Park. Earlier this year, In the Stars was second to Mizdirection in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes at Santa Anita.