Large Field Set for Hernandez Down Santa Anita's Hill
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Photo: Chad B. Harmon
Smooth Like Strait is the only millionaire in the Hernandez field and is poised to make his first attempt down Santa Anita's hillside turf course.
Because of the vagaries of the calendar, the Dec. 31 Joe Hernandez Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita will technically be run for the second time in 2022. The sprint race down the hillside turf course for 3-year-olds and up also occurred Jan. 1 during the 2021-22 Santa Anita season.
No one from the Jan. 1 field is returning. Instead, 11 newcomers will vie, a group that includes recent turf stakes winners and horses with plenty of back class. A few whose best performances are on dirt could benefit with rain expected that day, though the Hernandez is scheduled as the first race and thus could stay on the turf.
Smooth Like Strait is the only millionaire in the field. He won graded stakes in his first three seasons of racing, though is winless in 2022. He captured the 2021 Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita and finished second in the 2022 edition. Though Smooth Like Strait's best distance has been a mile, trainer Michael McCarthy thinks the 5-year-old son of champion sprinter Midnight Lute can handle the hillside distance of about 6 1/2 furlongs.
"We've been wanting to run him down the hill for a long time," McCarthy said.
Most recently, Smooth Like Strait finished second in the 1 1/8-mile Arlington Million Stakes (G1T), ninth in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T), and seventh in the 1 1/16-mile Seabiscuit Handicap (G2T), the latter after a rough trip. John Velazquez is slated to ride Smooth Like Strait from post 10.
Hit the Road defeated Smooth Like Strait by just a neck to win the 2021 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (G1T). A 5-year-old son of More Than Ready trained by Dan Blacker, Hit the Road hasn't raced since finishing unplaced in the Jan. 29 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes Presented by Baccarat (G1T). Frankie Dettori is listed to ride from post 8.
Trainer Phil D'Amato has dominated Southern California turf stakes recently and has entered Gregorian Chant , who gets the services of Flavien Prat from post 4. Gregorian Chant won the 2021 San Simeon Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita and more recently placed in the one-mile Wickerr Stakes, Eddie D. Stakes (G2T) down the hill, and one-mile Lure Stakes.
The Hernandez has attracted the winners of all three of those races: Irideo , Whatmakessammyrun , and Air Force Red . Marcelo Polanco trains Irideo (Ramon Vazquez, post 2), who following the Wickerr ran second in the Del Mar Mile Stakes (G2T) and unplaced in the City of Hope Mile Stakes (G2T) and Seabiscuit. Whatmakessammyrun (Joe Bravo, post 5) is trained by Mark Glatt and most recently finished second at five furlongs in the Stormy Liberal Stakes. Air Force Red (Juan Hernandez, post 6), trained by Leonard Powell, hasn't run since winning the Lure Oct. 29.
Super Ocho and Kiss Today Goodbye bring perhaps better main-track form. Super Ocho (Juan Lopez, post 3) is coming off a third in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes (G2) and sixth in the Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), both on the main track. Kiss Today Goodbye (Kyle Frey, post 9) won the 2020 San Antonio Stakes (G2) and ran second in the 2021 Native Diver Stakes (G3), both on the main track. He hasn't competed since finishing fifth in the Feb. 5 San Pasqual Stakes (G2).
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, December 31, 2022, Race 1Entries: Joe Hernandez S. (G2T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
Lane Way (KY)
Mike E. Smith
121
Richard E. Mandella
-
2
Irideo (ARG)
Ramon A. Vazquez
121
Marcelo Polanco
-
3
Super Ocho (CHI)
Juan D. Lopez
121
Amador Merei Sanchez
-
4
Gregorian Chant (GB)
Flavien Prat
121
Philip D'Amato
-
5
Whatmakessammyrun (KY)
Joe Bravo
125
Mark Glatt
-
6
Air Force Red (KY)
Juan J. Hernandez
121
Leonard Powell
-
7
Front Run the Fed (KY)
Umberto Rispoli
121
Caio Caramori
-
8
Hit the Road (KY)
Lanfranco Dettori
121
Dan Blacker
-
9
Kiss Today Goodbye (KY)
Kyle Frey
121
J. Eric Kruljac
-
10
Smooth Like Strait (KY)
John R. Velazquez
121
Michael W. McCarthy
-
11
Sigiloso (FL)
Hector Isaac Berrios
121
Amador Merei Sanchez
-
