Gift Box Could Extend Handicap Run for Hronis, Sadler

When Gift Box edged McKinzie by a nose in the April 6 Santa Anita Handicap Presented by San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino (G1) at Santa Anita Park, it marked the fifth major handicap division race in Southern California won by Hronis Racing and John Sadler.

On May 27 at Santa Anita, Gift Box could extend the streak started last year when Accelerate  swept Southern California's four top handicap division races, all grade 1: the Santa Anita Handicap, Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes, $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes, and Awesome Again Stakes ahead of his Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) score and champion older dirt male honors.

This year, Gift Box enters the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita as the only horse who could sweep those four Southern California races. The 6-year-old son of Twirling Candy  is expected to face six others in Monday's 1 1/4-mile test.

Gift Box has taken his game to another level at the current Santa Anita meeting. After an 8 3/4-length romp in a March 2018 race at Aqueduct Racetrack for former owner William S. Farish and trainer Chad Brown, Gift Box was purchased privately by Kosta and Pete Hronis' Hronis Racing and transferred to Sadler.

On Dec. 26, opening day at Santa Anita, Gift Box secured his first stakes win in the San Antonio Stakes (G2). He followed with the Santa Anita Handicap score, where he gamely prevailed in a memorable stretch duel with McKinzie, who will sit out Monday's race after winning the May 3 Alysheba Stakes Presented by Sentient Jet (G2) at Churchill Downs.

Sadler expects Gift Box to deliver another top effort Monday.

"He's doing better than ever," the trainer said. "This should be his best race."

Hronis Racing and Sadler also will send out stakes-placed Higher Power, purchased privately after the colt won an optional-claiming allowance race March 16 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. The son of Medaglia d'Oro  was previously campaigned by his breeder, Pin Oak Stud, and trained by Michael Stidham.

A pair of shippers also await Gift Box Monday in last year's Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2) winner Vino Rosso and grade 3 winner Lone Sailor.

Campaigned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable and trained by Todd Pletcher, Vino Rosso enters the race off a fourth-place finish in the seven-furlong Carter Handicap (G1) April 6 at Aqueduct. Before that effort, the 4-year-old son of Curlin  won the one-mile Stymie Stakes March 9 at Aqueduct.

GMB Racing's Lone Sailor won last year's Oklahoma Derby (G3), and the late-running son of Majestic Warrior just missed winning the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) last out April 13 at Oaklawn Park when he finished a neck behind Quip while edging two other rivals in a blanket finish. Lone Sailor is trained by Tom Amoss, who this month won the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) with Serengeti Empress, and will be ridden by Flavien Prat.

Meanwhile, Gary Broad's Core Beliefs returns to Southern California after the son of Quality Road  opened his season with the biggest win of his career, rallying from fourth in the March 23 New Orleans Handicap (G2) at Fair Grounds. Jockey Florent Geroux, aboard that day, will ride.

Rounding out the field are Mongolian Groom, third in the Santa Anita Handicap, and Blitzkrieg, who makes his first start on dirt off four straight wins, capped by a grade 3 on turf at Golden Gate Fields.

Entries: Gold Cup at Santa Anita S. (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Monday, May 27, 2019, Race 8

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Dirt
• $500,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 4:33 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Blitzkrieg (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	121	Doug F. O'Neill	6/1
2	2Mongolian Groom (KY)	Martin Garcia	121	Enebish Ganbat	20/1
3	3Higher Power (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	121	John W. Sadler	20/1
4	4Lone Sailor (KY)	Flavien Prat	121	Thomas M. Amoss	4/1
5	5Gift Box (KY)	Joel Rosario	125	John W. Sadler	8/5
6	6Core Beliefs (KY)	Florent Geroux	121	Peter Eurton	4/1
7	7Vino Rosso (KY)	John R. Velazquez	121	Todd A. Pletcher	5/2