Mandella Seeks Back-to-Back San Felipes

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella could win back-to-back runnings of the San Felipe Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park, though his promising maiden winner, Geaux Rocket Ride , will be facing an onslaught of horses previously trained by Bob Baffert.

Mandella took the 2022 edition of the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe with Forbidden Kingdom , who had just captured the San Vicente Stakes (G2). In the March 4 San Felipe, the trainer brings Geaux Rocket Ride. Though the son of Candy Ride   has only started once, he impressed observers by trouncing a maiden field by 5 3/4 lengths under jockey Flavien Prat, who will be back aboard from post 8.

Geaux Rocket Ride isn't just jumping from a maiden win into grade 2 company, however. Four horses that have been transferred from Baffert's barn to trainer Tim Yakteen will provide formidable competition, including graded stakes-placed National Treasure , Hejazi , and Fort Bragg .

National Treasure ran second in the 2022 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) to Baffert trainee Cave Rock  in just his second start. He followed that with a third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and another third in the Jan. 8 Sham Stakes (G3). In the latter, National Treasure was in tight and bumped with a rival at the quarter pole. John Velazquez has ridden the colt in all but one start and will return on him from post 2 in the San Felipe.

Mike Smith has piloted Hejazi in all four of his races and will be back in the San Felipe from post 7. Second in his first two outings, Hejazi finished third in the American Pharoah, his stakes debut. As a 1-2 favorite in a Jan. 15 maiden race, Hejazi scored by 1 1/4 lengths.

Fort Bragg (Juan Hernandez, post 9) hasn't raced since he finished third in the Dec. 17 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2). Yakteen-trained Practical Move  won the Los Alamitos Futurity and is also entered in the San Felipe, with Ramon Vazquez up from post 3. Prior to that, Practical Move ran third in the Bob Hope Stakes (G3) for Yakteen.

John Shirreffs, who trained 2006 San Felipe winner A. P. Warrior , has Skinner  (Victor Espinoza, post 10) in this year's edition. Skinner finished third in the 2022 Del Mar Futurity (G1) as a maiden and beat a maiden field by 3 1/4 lengths Feb. 12 at Santa Anita.

Chase the Chaos , the only other entrant besides Practical Move to have won a stakes, is intriguing. He broke his maiden at Canterbury Park and then was transferred to trainer Ed Moger Jr. and started four times at Golden Gate Fields. After a third in the Golden Nugget Stakes and a second in the Gold Rush Stakes, he posted back-to-back victories: a 7 1/2-length allowance optional claimer score Dec. 30 and a 1 1/2-length win in the 1 1/8-mile El Camino Real Derby Feb. 11.

Jockey Armando Ayuso has partnered Chase the Chaos in all of his Golden Gate appearances and will ride again from the rail. Following the El Camino Real Derby, Ayuso called Chase the Chaos "a horse that's been improving every race."

Entries: San Felipe S. (G2)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, March 04, 2023, Race 6

• Grade II
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 3 yo
• 2:27 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Chase the Chaos (PA)	Armando Ayuso	122	Ed Moger, Jr.	12/1
2	2National Treasure (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	Tim Yakteen	3/1
3	3Practical Move (KY)	Ramon A. Vazquez	124	Tim Yakteen	4/1
4	4Bluegrass Go Go (KY)	Edwin A. Maldonado	120	Doug F. O'Neill	50/1
5	5Genius Jimmy (KY)	Kazushi Kimura	120	Michael W. McCarthy	20/1
98	6Crypto Ride (CA)	SCRATCHED	0	UNKNOWN	-
6	7Hejazi (NY)	Mike E. Smith	120	Tim Yakteen	7/2
7	8Geaux Rocket Ride (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Richard E. Mandella	5/1
8	9Fort Bragg (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	120	Tim Yakteen	8/1
9	10Skinner (KY)	Victor Espinoza	120	John A. Shirreffs	5/1
10	11Mr Fisk (KY)	Lanfranco Dettori	120	Tim Yakteen	15/1