Santa Anita: Sadler tries to officially reach 2,000-win milestone

ARCADIA, Calif. – By any count, John Sadler is having a milestone week.

Officially, Sadler, 56, has won 1,998 Thoroughbred races in North America through Thursday, according to Equibase statistics. But he has won three more races in Southern California and Dubai in his career – two wins by the Thoroughbred Valiant Pete against Quarter Horses in California in 1991 and 1993, and Our New Recruit’s win in the $2 million Golden Shaheen in Dubai in 2004.

Valiant Pete won a match race vs. the Quarter Horse Griswold at Santa Anita in 1991 and the 1993 War Chic Handicap over 870 yards at Los Alamitos in 1993.

With those races included, Sadler’s win in Thursday’s fifth race at Santa Anita with Jubliant Girl was his 2,000th career win. He later won Thursday’s seventh race at Santa Anita with the promising filly More Chocolate.

Sadler hopes to win his 2,000th Thoroughbred race in North America this weekend.

Sadler had runners on the Breeders’ Cup programs on Friday and Saturday, notably Lady of Shamrock in Friday’s Filly and Mare Turf, and has five runners on Sunday’s closing day of the autumn meeting.

Sunday, Sadler starts Chico Suerte in the first race for 2-year-old maiden claimers, Raven Wild in the second race on the hillside turf course, Blushing Angel and Rosies Ready in the fifth race for 2-year-old maidens, and Byrony in the $150,000 Goldikova Stakes.

Sadler said his best chances are with Blushing Angel and Rosies Ready in a six-furlong race that drew seven entrants.

“I think we can win with one of them,” he said. “We’ve got the numbers.”

Byrony has yet to win a stakes, but has placed in two restricted stakes this year – a second in the Osunitas Stakes at Del Mar in July and a third in the Swingtime Stakes here on Oct. 6.

“The race looks very tough,” Sadler said of the Goldikova.

Ballard Ruler targets Real Quiet

Sadler may have a stakes runner on opening weekend at Betfair Hollywood Park with Ballard Ruler in the $100,000 Real Quiet Stakes on Saturday.

The Real Quiet Stakes and the $100,000 Sharp Cat Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on Nov. 11 highlight the first weekend of the Hollywood Park autumn meeting. The season runs through Dec. 16.

The Hollywood Park autumn meeting opens on Thursday. The Real Quiet and Sharp Cat Stakes are run over 1 1/16 miles.

The Sharp Cat Stakes could draw two notable fillies. Scarlet Strike, second to top California 2-year-old filly Executiveprivilege in the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 29, is a leading candidate for the Sharp Cat among 14 nominations. Blonde Fog won a maiden race over 1 1/16 miles by 12 1/2 lengths on Oct. 28.

Weemissfrankie headed to Japan

Weemissfrankie, the winner of two Grade 1 stakes for 2-year-old fillies in 2011, has been retired and sold privately, trainer Peter Eurton said on Friday.

Weemissfrankie has been acquired by a Japanese buyer, Eurton said. The filly is scheduled to be shipped to Kentucky in the next week, and will enter quarantine for her export to Japan.

Weemissfrankie was in training this fall for a comeback when a leg injury was detected, Eurton said.

Owned by the partnership of Sharon Alesia, Ciaglia Racing, Bran Jam Stable, and Rob Dyrdek, Weemissfrankie won 3 of 5 starts and $559,920.

She won the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante and Grade 1 Oak Leaf Stakes, but finished third behind My Miss Aurelia in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs last year with a championship on the line.

Weemissfrankie later finished fourth in the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet Stakes last December before she was diagnosed with a non-displaced condylar fracture of a cannon bone that kept her out of training until this summer.