Jockey Juan Hernandez and trainer Phil D’Amato led their respective standings through Sunday for the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.
Hernandez, 31, has ridden 63 winners, well clear of runner-up Flavien Prat with 31. Hernandez has 13 stakes wins, compared to 11 for Prat.
D’Amato, 47, has won 32 races, five more than Bob Baffert, who has won 12 stakes to lead in that category, one more than D’Amato.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Facing a seven-figure overpayment, Santa Anita has cut overnight purses for the rest of its meeting to levels equal to the 2022 autumn meeting, but lower than the corresponding period a year ago.
The cuts will take effect when racing resumes on April 21 after the track’s annual spring hiatus, which began after Sunday’s program. The meeting runs through June 18.
Track general manager Nate Newby said on Sunday that the purse deficit “is over $2 million” and that the reduced purses will be at a level “that is sustainable” for current mutuel handle.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Five races were transferred from the turf course to the main track at Santa Anita on Saturday and Sunday after jockeys said they were uncomfortable with the condition of the course on the final turn.
The decision to transfer the races was made after both programs were under way.
The final three turf races on Saturday were moved to the dirt track after Midnight Jostar slipped and fell in early stretch of the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes, the fifth of 12 races.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Kangaroo Court and Bus Buzz have finished first and second in two meetings at Santa Anita this year, including Saturday’s $151,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for California-bred 3-year-old sprinters.
Their budding rivalry is on pause, at least briefly.
Kangaroo Court, who beat Bus Buzz in an allowance race March 4, is under consideration for the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile, a $500,000 race for 3-year-olds on May 6 at Churchill Downs.
Trainer Steve Knapp said he has not decided on a race for Bus Buzz, but said an allowance race is a possibility.
ARCADIA, Calif. – In most years, the undefeated California-based filly Faiza would be the subject of widespread discussions regarding leading contenders for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 5 at Churchill Downs.
This year, Faiza is staying in California, leaving the Oaks without a key member of the 3-year-old filly division.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Practical Move will head to the Kentucky Derby with the top figures in the field, while the two-three finishers he narrowly defeated Saturday in the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby need help to crack the Kentucky Derby lineup at Churchill Downs.
Practical Move earned a 100 Beyer defeating the surprising Japan shipper Mandarin Hero by a nose; Skinner finished a half-length back in third and earned a 99 Beyer.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Lord Miles was on his way back to South Florida on Sunday morning and Hit Show was to depart New York for Kentucky on Monday as the one-two finishers from Saturday’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct point to the Kentucky Derby on May 6 at Churchill Downs.
Lord Miles and Hit Show both survived some bumping in the stretch – and Lord Miles withstood an inquiry and objection – to emerge from their performances unscathed and with enough qualifying points to crack the competitive 20-horse field.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Jockey Jose Lezcano suffered a broken bone in his right hand as the result of a spill during the running of Aqueduct’s second race on Saturday, according to Lezcano’s agent Jason Beides.
It is not clear how much time Lezcano may miss.
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Defining Purpose handed Punchbowl her first defeat in winning Friday's Grade 1, $600,000 Ashland Stakes, and also defeated Grade 2 winner Julia Shining and Eclipse Award champion Wonder Wheel. But another Kentucky Oaks candidate was on winning trainer Ken McPeek's mind immediately following the race: Wet Paint, who has beaten Defining Purpose twice this year.
