Santa Anita notes: Sadler heads to Hollywood with promising juveniles

ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer John Sadler will start the Betfair Hollywood Park autumn meeting Thursday with a strong group of 2-year-old males.

Next Sunday, Sadler plans to start Kobe’s Back in the $100,000 Hollywood Prevue Stakes for 2-year-olds at seven furlongs. Owned by Lee and Susan Searing, Kobe’s Back has made one start, winning the Willard Proctor Memorial Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs in June. He was sidelined in the summer because of soreness in a knee.

In recent weeks, Kobe’s Back has worked quickly twice going six furlongs at Hollywood Park – 1:13.60 on Oct. 23 and 1:12.20 on Wednesday. Both were the fastest time of the day. Rafael Bejarano was aboard for the works.

“He’s been really impressive,” Sadler said Thursday.

Later in the meeting, Sadler will start Kristo, who won a maiden race for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Thursday. Owned by Hronis Racing, Kristo was second in two sprints prior to Thursday’s race. At one point in the summer, Sadler thought Kristo would be a candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

“I wanted him to go two turns,” Sadler said. “I thought he’d be running on Saturday, but sometimes you go the road less traveled.”

Sadler said Friday that Kristo is unlikely to run in the Prevue or the $100,000 Real Quiet Stakes on Nov. 23. He is hopeful that an allowance race for 2-year-olds would be carded for two turns during the autumn meeting.

Majestic City eyes Berkeley

Majestic City won his first stakes since July 2011 in the $77,560 Big Bear Stakes at a mile Thursday. The win could lead to a start in the $100,000 Berkeley Handicap at Golden Gate Fields on Nov. 29.

Ridden by Edwin Maldonado, Majestic City led throughout the Big Bear Stakes and held off a stubborn Rousing Sermon to win by a neck in 1:35.20. Rousing Sermon, the 8-5 favorite, finished a half-length in front of Drill, who was followed by Soi Phet and Rail Trip in the small field. Summer Hit was scratched.

Owned by Bloom Racing Stable, Majestic City, 4, won two sprint stakes for 2-year-olds in 2011 – the Willard Proctor Memorial and Grade 3 Hollywood Juvenile Championship in consecutive starts when trained by Peter Miller.

Ron Ellis began training Majestic City at the beginning of the colt’s current campaign in May. Majestic City was fifth in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 25 and last of 12 in the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes on the hillside turf course here on Sept. 27 in his two starts before the Big Bear.

“I’ve wanted to go a mile,” Ellis said. “There was a chance at Del Mar and Jeff [Bloom] wanted to give the [Pat O’Brien] Stakes a try. The mile is what he wants to do. The middle distance may work for him.”

Ellis mentioned the Berkeley Handicap at 1 1/16 miles as a potential target for Majestic City, who has won 4 of 16 starts and earned $345,760.

Final Hollywood meet

The Hollywood Park meeting begins Thursday with an eight-race program that does not include a stakes. The first stakes of the meeting is Saturday’s $100,000 Moccasin Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at seven furlongs.

The meeting runs through Dec. 22 on a Thursday-through-Sunday basis and will be the last in the history of the track. Hollywood Park will be closed for demolition after the meeting and is scheduled to be developed for residential and commercial purposes.

Hollywood Park will have racing Nov. 11 in honor of Veterans Day.

◗ Thursday’s pick six paid $244,604 to six ticketholders on a program that began with formful results but quickly became tricky. The winners of Thursday’s pick six races were Sinfully ($7.40), Kristo ($3.20), Koast ($8.40), Majestic City ($32.40), Heat Du Jour ($18.60), and Bright Town ($18.80). Kristo was the only winning favorite. Bettors added $1,901,413 to the pool in pursuit of a carryover of $439,664 from last Sunday.

◗ Apprentice jockey Irving Orozco, who through Thursday had nine wins at the Santa Anita autumn meeting, has been suspended three days for causing interference in the seventh race on Oct. 27. Orozco was cited for his ride on Tookmebysurprise, who was ruled to have not maintained a straight course in the stretch. Tookmebysurprise finished second in a $32,000 claimer for 2-year-olds at six furlongs.

◗ Trainer Genaro Vallejo has been fined $1,500 after one of his starters tested in excess of the permitted level of the anti-inflammatory ketoprofen at Del Mar. The violation was found in the postrace test taken from Pawn Shop, who finished second in a $10,000 claiming race at a mile on Aug. 14.