Loaded Card of Stakes for Santa Anita Park Opener

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Loaded Card of Stakes for Santa Anita Park Opener
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Photo: Coady Photography
Gift Box is scheduled to return in the San Antonio Stakes

Each Saturday NTRA and BloodHorse provide a one-stop guide to the day's graded stakes races, through capsule looks and entries. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern). 

Click on links for full BloodHorse preview.

4:08 p.m.—$200,000 San Antonio Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park (TVG)

Hronis Racing's Gift Box, idle since June 15, and recent graded stakes winner Midcourt head a field of seven 3-year-olds and up in the San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita. A winner of the grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap three starts back on April 6, Gift Box has blossomed in the care of trainer John Sadler, winning two out of his four starts, including his Southern California debut—the 2018 edition of the San Antonio. 


Entries: San Antonio S. (G2)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, December 28, 2019, Race 5

  • Grade II
  • 1 1/16m
  • Dirt
  • $200,000
  • 3 yo's & up
  • 1:08 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Gray Magician (KY) Javier Castellano 119 Peter Miller 4/1
2 2Gift Box (KY) Joel Rosario 123 John W. Sadler 9/5
3 3King Abner (CA) Tyler Baze 121 Philip D'Amato 10/1
4 4Draft Pick (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joseph Talamo 121 Peter Eurton 9/2
5 5Mugaritz (KY) Ricardo Gonzalez 123 Jonathan Wong 10/1
6 6Midcourt (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Victor Espinoza 123 John A. Shirreffs 2/1
7 7Fight On (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Abel Cedillo 121 Doug F. O'Neill 20/1

4:44 p.m.—$300,000 American Oaks (G1T) at Santa Anita Park (TVG)

With distance looming as a huge consideration, Lady Prancealot rates top billing among a field of eight sophomore fillies in the American Oaks, to be contested at 1 1/4-miles over the Santa Anita turf. Trained by Richard Baltas, Lady Prancealot has been idle since rallying from off the pace to take the grade 3 Valley View Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 18.


Entries: American Oaks (G1T)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, December 28, 2019, Race 6

  • Grade I
  • 1 1/4m
  • Downhill turf
  • $300,000
  • 3 yo Fillies
  • 1:44 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1So Much Happy (KY) Tiago Josue Pereira 124 George Papaprodromou 30/1
2 2Apache Princess (CA) Javier Castellano 124 J. Keith Desormeaux 5/1
3 3Mucho Unusual (CA)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joel Rosario 124 Tim Yakteen 4/1
4 4K P Slickem (VA) Jorge I. Velez 124 Jeff Mullins 15/1
5 5Lady Prancealot (IRE) Joe Bravo 124 Richard Baltas 2/1
6 6Pretty Point (KY) Mike E. Smith 124 Patrick Gallagher 30/1
7 7Giza Goddess (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Victor Espinoza 124 John A. Shirreffs 7/2
8 8Vibrance (LA)Keeneland Sales Graduate Abel Cedillo 124 Michael W. McCarthy 3/1

5:18 p.m.—$300,000 La Brea Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park (TVG)

Multiple grade 1 winner Bellafina, a fast finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) Nov. 2, heads a field of nine sophomore fillies in the seven-furlong La Brea Stakes, one of six graded offerings on Santa Anita's Winter Meet opening day. The leading money winner in the field with earnings of $1,386,725, Bellafina could face stiff competition recent grade 2 winner Bell's the One, who ships in from her New Orleans base.


Entries: La Brea S. (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, December 28, 2019, Race 7

  • Grade I
  • 7f
  • Dirt
  • $300,000
  • 3 yo Fillies
  • 2:18 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1First Star (FL) Drayden Van Dyke 120 Ronald W. Ellis 4/1
2 2Del Mar May (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joe Bravo 120 Richard Baltas 12/1
3 3Free Cover (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Abel Cedillo 120 Andrew Lerner 15/1
4 4Stirred (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Geovanni Franco 120 Michael W. McCarthy 20/1
5 5Bellafina (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Flavien Prat 122 Simon Callaghan 9/5
6 6Bell's the One (KY) Javier Castellano 122 Neil L. Pessin 7/2
7 7Hard Not to Love (ON)Keeneland Sales Graduate Mike E. Smith 120 John A. Shirreffs 6/1
8 8Motion Emotion (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Mario Gutierrez 120 Richard Baltas 15/1
9 9Mother Mother (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joel Rosario 120 Bob Baffert 6/1

5:51 p.m.—$100,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park (TVG)

Grade 1 winner Mirth aims to cap a breakout season with another graded stakes triumph when she faces seven challengers in the 1 1/8-miles Robert J. Frankel Stakes. The daughter of Colonel John notched her first graded score when she captured the grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita Sept. 28 and most recently finished sixth in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T).


Entries: Robert J. Frankel S. (G3T)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, December 28, 2019, Race 8

  • Grade IIIT
  • 1 1/8m
  • Turf
  • $100,000
  • 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
  • 2:51 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Tiny Tina (KY) Flavien Prat 121 Philip D'Amato 6/1
2 2Excellent Sunset (IRE) Joel Rosario 121 Richard Baltas 7/2
3 3Don't Blame Judy (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Victor Espinoza 121 J. Eric Kruljac 5/1
4 4Streak of Luck (CA) Jose Valdivia, Jr. 121 Matthew Chew 5/1
5 5Curlin's Journey (KY) Ruben Fuentes 121 Dallas E. Keen 6/1
6 6Harmless (KY) Abel Cedillo 119 Robert B. Hess, Jr. 6/1
7 7Mirth (PA) Mike E. Smith 125 Philip D'Amato 5/2
8 8Ms Peintour (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Brice Blanc 121 Brian J. Koriner 20/1

6:26 p.m.—$300,000 Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park (TVG)

The morning-line favorite for this year's Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), Richard Mandella-trained Omaha Beach  rates top billing in the Malibu Stakes going seven furlongs. Omaha Beach, who took both the grade 2 Rebel Stakes and grade 1 Arkansas Derby this past spring at Oaklawn Park, was forced to miss the Kentucky Derby due to an entrapped epiglottis. Following surgery and a lengthy rehab, Omaha Beach resurfaced in the grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Oct. 5 and he prevailed by a head over eventual Breeders' Cup Sprint runner-up Shancelot.


Entries: Malibu S. (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, December 28, 2019, Race 9

  • Grade I
  • 7f
  • Dirt
  • $300,000
  • 3 yo
  • 3:26 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Much Better (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Flavien Prat 120 Bob Baffert 12/1
2 2Complexity (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Javier Castellano 120 Chad C. Brown 5/2
3 3Manny Wah (KY) Channing Hill 120 Bob Baffert 8/1
4 4Roadster (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joel Rosario 122 Bob Baffert 3/1
5 5Omaha Beach (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Mike E. Smith 124 Richard E. Mandella 4/5

7 p.m.—$200,000 Mathis Brothers Mile (G2T) at Santa Anita Park (TVG)

Bred and owned in-part by former trainer Barry Abrams, Mo Forza looms the horse to beat in Saturday's Mathis Brothers Mile, which has attracted a field of 11 three-year-olds. 


Entries: Mathis Brothers Mile S. (G2T)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, December 28, 2019, Race 10

  • Grade IIT
  • 1m
  • Turf
  • $200,000
  • 3 yo
  • 4:00 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Sash (GB) Drayden Van Dyke 120 Mark Glatt 12/1
2 2Originaire (IRE) UMBERTO RISPOLI 120 Jeff Mullins 15/1
3 3Ocean Fury (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Flavien Prat 120 Doug F. O'Neill 12/1
4 4Never Easy (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Rafael Bejarano 120 Richard E. Mandella 15/1
5 5Mo Forza (KY) Joel Rosario 124 Peter Miller 9/5
6 6Neptune's Storm (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Abel Cedillo 124 Richard Baltas 3/1
7 7Kingly (KY) Mario Gutierrez 122 Bob Baffert 6/1
8 8Proud Pedro (FR) Tyler Baze 120 Leonard Powell 15/1
9 9Barristan The Bold (GB) Javier Castellano 120 Mark Glatt 12/1
10 10Loafers Boy (CA) Tiago Josue Pereira 120 Andrew Lerner 50/1
11 11Bob and Jackie (KY) Heriberto Figueroa 122 Richard Baltas 6/1