Horse racing notes: Formidable Man among Santa Anita weekend stars ...Middle East

SANTA ANITA LEADERS

(Through Sunday)

Jockeys / Wins

Antonio Fresu / 18

Hector Berrios / 14

Armando Ayuso / 13

Juan Hernandez / 12

Umberto Rispoli / 11

Trainers / Wins

Phil D’Amato / 14

Steve Knapp / 9

Bob Baffert / 8

John Sadler / 7

(Four tied) / 5

UPCOMING STAKES

SANTA ANITA

Saturday

• $125,000 Snow Chief Stakes, California-bred 3-year-olds, 1⅛ miles on turf

• $125,000 Melair Stakes, Cal-bred 3-year-old fillies, 1/16 miles

• $100,000 Thor’s Echo Stakes, Cal-bred 3-year-olds and up, 6 furlongs

• $100,000 Crystal Water Stakes, Cal-bred 3-year-olds and up, 1 mile on turf

• $100,000 Fran’s Valentine Stakes, Cal-bred fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 mile on turf

Sunday

• $200,000, Grade II Santa Margarita Stakes, fillies and mares, 3 and up, 1⅛ miles

Monday

• $300,000, Grade I Shoemaker Mile, 3 and up, 1 mile on turf

• $300,000, Grade I Gamely Stakes, fillies and mares, 3 and up, 1⅛ miles on turf

• $200,000, Grade II Hollywood Gold Cup, 3 and up, 1¼ miles

DOWN THE STRETCH

• Memorial Day weekend at Santa Anita, packed with stakes races, builds to the holiday Monday’s two Grade I’s and historic Hollywood Gold Cup. Trainer Michael McCarthy’s Formidable Man (Umberto Rispoli) goes into the Shoemaker Mile seeking the 4-year-old’s fifth straight consecutive win on California turf. The Gamely Stakes matches local turf stakes winners in McCarthy’s Liguria (Rispoli), Richard Baltas’ Lady Claypoole (Tiago Pereira) and Phil D’Amato’s Public Assembly (Antonio Fresu) against strong out-of-towners in Joseph’s Be Your Best (Irad Ortiz Jr.), Graham Motion’s No Show Sammy Jo (Flavien Prat) and Brendan Walsh’s Expensive Queen (Kazushi Kimura). The Gold Cup finds Saffie Joseph Jr.’s Skippylongstocking (Ortiz) shipping in from Florida as the only Grade II winner in a seven-horse field.

• Saturday’s showcase for top Cal-breds features John Sadler’s 7-year-old Kings River Knight (Juan Hernandez) trying for his third consecutive Crystal Water Stakes victory, and Bob Hess Jr.’s 6-year-old Book Smart (Mike Smith) and six others trying to succeed retired The Chosen Vron as winner of the Thor’s Echo sprint. Sunday’s Santa Margarita Stakes has a “B team” feel with Bob Baffert’s Splendora (Hernandez) coming off losses to Kopion and Richi, Peter Miller’s Where’s My Ring (Smith) having chased Thorpedo Anna, Sadler’s Alpha Bella (Rispoli) happy to miss Cavalieri, and Baffert’s Seismic Beauty (Fresu) making a big jump to stakes class.

• Santa Anita has added a racing card Thursday, June 12, starting a four-day closing week for the meet that ends June 15.

• Journalism’s impressive Preakness victory returned him to No. 1 in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s 3-year-old rankings with 19 first-place votes. Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty dropped to No. 2 with the other 11 first-place votes. Baeza, third in the Derby, remained No. 3.

• Journalism, Sovereignty and Baeza are among six horses reported to be aiming for the June 7 Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. Others are Rodriguez, Bob Baffert’s Wood Memorial winner who missed the Derby and Preakness with a foot bruise; Heart of Honor, fifth in the Preakness; and Hill Road, first in the Peter Pan.

• Los Alamitos quarter horses race Saturday and Sunday nights, the latter featuring trials for the June 15 Ed Burke Futurity.

— Kevin Modesti

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