Santa Anita Stable Notes- By Ed Golden – Saturday, February 5, 2022

SIR LONDON IN ‘GREAT MOVE’ FOR GRADE III LEWIS
DEBUT WINNER EXCEEDS EURTON’S EXPECTATIONS
HUSBAND & WIFE TEAM FOR 1^ST RACE WIN FRIDAY
BALTAS PONDERS SWEET LIFE WITH 4 NOMINATIONS

PROMISING SIR LONDON SET FOR SUNDAY’S LEWIS

Sir London, a 10-length maiden winner as the 3-10 favorite Dec. 4 at Los Alamitos, worked four furlongs last Sunday in 47.40 for tomorrow’s Grade III Robert B. Lewis Stakes.

The Lewis offers $200,000 in purse money and is a major steppingstone to the Grade I Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 9.

“He moved great; I’m really happy,” said Simon Callaghan, who trains the $700,000 son of Malibu Moon for AMO Racing USA and Qatar Racing Limited.

Leading rider Flavien Prat, who has been aboard in each of Sir London’s three starts, retains the mount.

“He broke his maiden at a mile so I think he should handle the mile and one-sixteenth of the Lewis fine,” Callaghan said.

Sir London prompted the pace in his first two races, sprints at Santa Anita and Del Mar, finishing second, before stretching out to a mile and leading throughout at Los Alamitos.

Messier, the 6-5 morning line favorite, has been favored in each of his four races, three times at odds-on while wearing blinkers, including last out Dec. 11 at 1-2 when second in the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity, his first start around two turns.

Trainer Bob Baffert removes the blinkers for the Lewis.

Formerly run as the Santa Catalina Stakes, the Robert B. Lewis was renamed for Mr. Lewis following his death on Feb. 17, 2006.

Along with his wife, Beverly, who passed away at 90 on Oct. 20, 2017, they were active philanthropists and had six Eclipse Award-winning horses, among them Silver Charm, winner of the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

The field for the Lewis, race eight with a 12:30 p.m. first post time: Messier, John Velazquez, 6-5; Sir London, Flavien Prat, 9-5; Cabo Spirit, Victor Espinoza, 8-1; Wharton, Juan Hernandez, 4-1; and Happy Jack, Abel Cedillo, 6-1.

QUEEN OF THORNS GOES UP IN GRADE III LAS VIRGENES

Queen of Thorns did not disappoint in her debut, winning by a facile eight lengths as the 9-10 favorite at six furlongs on Jan. 1

Next up: Sunday’s Grade III Las Virgenes Stakes at a mile.

“She exceeded my expectations by far,” said Peter Eurton, who trains the $300,000 daughter of Violence for a partnership.

“She’s one of those fillies that doesn’t necessarily show herself off. She’s very steady and does what she does, but her performance was way above what I expected and I obviously was very pleased.

“We’ll see how the race sets up, but it’s exciting to be there.

“There are two nice (Bob) Baffert fillies in the race, Adare Manner who broke her maiden by 12 lengths with a 92 Beyer, and Eda, who won the Grade I Starlet at Los Al.”

The Las Virgenes awards the winner 10 qualifying points to the Kentucky Oaks on May 6.

Meanwhile, Doug O’Neill, speaking on phone from Dubai where Hot Rod Charlie won Friday’s Group 2 Al Maktoum Stakes by 5 ½ lengths under William Buick filling in for Flavien Prat, had two fillies nominated to the Las Virgenes but neither will run.

“Tonito’s came down with a chip in her knee, so she’s out for 60 days or so,” O’Neill said of the daughter of Blame, third by less than a length at 19-1 in the Grade I Starlet last Dec. 4.

“Awake At Midnyte (second in the Grade II Santa Ynez on Jan. 8) will probably run at the Fair Grounds (in the Grade II Rachel Alexandra Stakes on Feb. 19).”

The Las Virgenes, race three: Miss Everything, Drayden Van Dyke, 12-1; Gracelund Gray, Tyler Baze, 8-1; Adare Manor, John Velazquez, 6-5; Queen of Thorns, Flavien Prat, 5-2; and Eda, Juan Hernandez, 9-5.

EMIGH & VANDEN BERG MAKE FRIDAY’S 1^ST A FAMILY THING

Jockey Chris Emigh and trainer Brittany Vanden Berg, the husband and wife team who have moved their respective bases of operations from Chicago to Santa Anita this winter, celebrated victory following Friday’s first race, as they combined for a $24.60 win mutuel with Marico Brothers Racing’s Current, who pressed the early pace and won by 1 ¾ lengths while getting a mile and one quarter on turf in 1:59.87.

The race, dubbed “Leg #1 The Tin Man Turf Starter Distance Series,” carried a purse of $50,000, with $30,000 to the winner.

“I’m feeling amazing, this feels so good to get that monkey off our back and just start rolling,” said Vanden Berg, who notched her first-ever Santa Anita win but won 60 races from 194 starters last year while based primarily in Chicago. “To win with this horse, the day we claimed him, he finished last (for $40,000 on Dec. 12 at Turfway Park), we’ve just been through a lot, so this is huge for us.”

Emigh, a 12-time leading rider in Chicago, with 11 titles at Hawthorne Race Course and one at the recently shuttered Arlington Park, and also a winner of more than 4,000 career races, got his second career win at Santa Anita and his first from 10 mounts this winter. “Today, he broke sharp and relaxed well for me,” said Emigh. “I was hoping I could take back and save some horse, but we were close today and it worked out. I won a race the first time I was here for Carla Gaines about 12 years ago, so this is pretty special. We’re just hoping to get things going and see what happens.”

Mike Willman

GRADE III SWEET LIFE SWEET ON NOMINATIONS

Next Saturday’s Grade III Sweet Life Stakes drew 23 nominations, four from trainer Richard Baltas, who is considering the $100,000 race at about 6 ½ furlongs on turf for three-year-old fillies with at least one, newcomer Gem Mine.

Previously trained by Christophe Clement, the gray daughter of Kantharos broke her maiden going a mile on turf at Tampa Bay Downs last Dec. 11 in her second start.

“She was purchased out of a sale and worked once here already (four furlongs in 50 seconds on Feb. 2),” Baltas said. “She’s coming along.”

Baltas also nominated Carroll Girl, Glenall and Sterling Crest, the quartet equaling that of trainer Phil D’Amato, but falling one shy of trainer Jonathon Wong’s five nominees: I Am Yours, Lovely Colleen, Mimajoon, Shoppingforpharoah and Uncorked.

FINISH LINES: Trainer Doug O’Neill captured Santa Anita’s third race yesterday with An Agent Mistake and the sixth with Dixie’s Two Cents, both for principal client Reddam Racing LLC, but enjoyed a far more gratifying and prosperous day in Dubai, where he was on hand to see Hot Rod Charlie win the Maktoum Challenge, a prep for the $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 26, and Get Back Goldie take the Oud Metha Stakes, earning the latter consideration for the UAE Derby . . . With three wins Friday, Flavien Prat increased his lead among jockeys to 39-22 over runner-up John Velazquez, while O’Neill’s two wins closed the trainer’s gap on Bob Baffert to three at 16-13. O’Neill leads in most starters with 85, an even 20 more than runner-up Richard Baltas . . . There were 155 recorded workouts this morning, 43 on the training track . . . Of the 151 claims this meet, the most expensive was $100,000 for Rock the Belles by Phil D’Amato on Jan. 16.