Yiannis survives inquiry in San Pedro

ARCADIA, Calif. - Yiannis won his stakes debut, and remained unbeaten after two starts, in Sunday’s $81,100 San Pedro Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters at Santa Anita. To keep the win, Yiannis had to survive a stewards’ inquiry.

Yiannis ($17.80) led throughout the six-furlong race, but drifted out in the stretch, forcing 11-1 Serbian Syclone to alter the course. Yiannis won by 1 1/4 lengths. After a lengthy inquiry, stewards Scott Chaney, Kim Sawyer, and Tom Ward ruled that the incident did not affect the order of finish.

Serbian Syclone finished 2 1/4 lengths in front of 3-5 favorite Kentuckian, who overcame traffic on the turn to finish third in the field of eight.

Yiannis was ridden by Victor Espinoza and was timed in 1:09.67. Yiannis led by a head after a quarter-mile in 21.49 seconds, and by a length after a half-mile in 44.19 seconds. Serbian Syclone closed from third and was second through the final quarter-mile.

The inquiry produced anxious moments for John Sadler, who trains Yiannis.

“Whatever happens, he ran a good race,” Sadler said, while waiting for a decision.

Peter Miller, who trains Serbian Syclone, was left furious by the outcome.

“What a joke,” he said, walking away from the racetrack. “If that’s not a foul, I don’t know what is a foul.”

Guy Code, a 61-1 shot, finished fourth, followed by Om, Gloria’s Angelo, No Problem, and Well Maybe.

Yiannis, by Midshipman, races for Hronis Racing. A ridgling, Yiannis was purchased for $560,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ sale of 2-year-olds in-training in March 2014 for $560,000. Yiannis has earned $81,000. Longer races are in his future, according to owner Kosta Hronis.

“He’s tough,” Hronis said. “He’s got a lot of speed. We’ll see how he does when he stretches out.”