Trainer Galvin makes move to Santa Anita, finds success

ARCADIA, Calif. - Before Friday’s program, trainer Brendan Galvin had never won a race at Santa Anita and had not had a face-to-face meeting with Richard Meyer, his client who races as Four Quarters Corp.

Dazzle the Command changed all of that with a win in his 13th career start in a maiden race on turf.

“That was the first time I met the owner,” Galvin said on Sunday morning. “It was a good day. It’s good to be here.”

Galvin, 58, recently relocated his 20-horse stable from Golden Gate Fields to Santa Anita, a move prompted by the decision to close Golden Gate Fields this June. Galvin and Ed Moger Jr., who has had a presence in Southern California in recent years, are two of what is expected to be a small number of trainers based in Northern California to have stables in Southern California following the closure of Golden Gate Fields.

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Negotiations are underway to launch a substitute schedule at Pleasanton or Sacramento as soon as September, following the completion of most of the Northern California fair circuit, as a substitute for Golden Gate Fields.

Galvin’s stable, which consists primarily of California-breds, will have a quiet first of February, with no scheduled runners in coming days at Santa Anita, Galvin said.

Dazzle the Command is likely to race later this winter in an allowance on turf. Galvin said the 5-year-old gelding should have won before Saturday.

“He was a little unlucky in three or four races up north,” Galvin said.

Prior to Friday, Galvin had one other runner at Santa Anita, with Maybe I Will, who finished seventh in the 2021 Evening Jewel Stakes.

Galvin has high hopes for the lightly raced 5-year-old mare Dolce Ghost, who has never finished worse than third in five starts at Golden Gate Fields for Meyer. She has not raced since October and is nearing a return to training, Galvin said.

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