The Padre Returns in Charles Whittingham Stakes

Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, and Marsha Naify's The Padre  will make his second start of 2026 following a seven-month layoff in the $200,000 Charles Whittingham Stakes (G2T) May 2 at Santa Anita Park.

The 4-year-old son of Ghaiyyath  recently finished second in an allowance optional claiming race April 3. Last summer, the Phil D'Amato trainee won back-to-back races at Del Mar, taking the La Jolla Handicap and the Del Mar Derby (G2T). 

The Padre is the even-money morning-line favorite for Saturday's 1 1/4-mile race that starts on the hillside turf course. His stablemate Gold Phoenix  was cross-entered in the Charles Whittingham and opted to go East for the Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) on the Kentucky Derby (G1) undercard.

Cheyenne Stable's Mondego  appears to be one of the top threats to The Padre. The San Marcos Stakes (G3T) winner has been training forwardly for trainer Michael McCarthy, and enters the race off a solid effort in the San Luis Rey Stakes (G3T), where he finished third 1 1/4 lengths behind Gold Phoenix and Flashiest . 

Flashiest, the 8-year-old gelding who is 12-1 on the morning line, has not lost a step for trainer Leonard Powell. The son of Mizzen Mast finished a half-length in front of Mondego in the San Luis Rey, his most recent start. 

"He's been with us since a 3-year-old," Powell said. "We had an excursion back east a couple of years ago that didn't really pan out. He didn't like it out there. But since he's been back in California after a freshening, he's been very solid."