Stable Notes by Ed Golden for Saturday, March 5, 2022

UNBEATEN AIN’T EASY RETURNS IN SANTA YSABEL
FLIGHTLINE BACK ON THE TRACK FOR SADLER
DICEY MO CHARA TO BREEZE FOR SAN LUIS REY
RACING AT SANTA ANITA THIS MONDAY AT 12:30
BIG ‘CAP FACTS & FIGURES
VETERAN AGENT DeGREGORY HAS NEW ‘BUG BOY’

UNBEATEN AIN’T EASY RETURNS IN SANTA YSABEL

Undefeated Ain’t Easy makes her three-year-old debut Sunday in the Grade III Santa Ysabel Stakes at a mile and one-sixteenth.

A candidate for a 2021 Eclipse Award among two-year-old fillies, Ain’t Easy will be making her first start in almost five months, since winning the Grade II Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita by nearly five lengths last Oct. 1.

Prior to that, the $400,000 daughter of Into Mischief won her debut by 5 ¼ lengths at Del Mar on Aug. 21.

Phil D’Amato also entered Desert Dawn in the Santa Ysabel, which offers the winner 50 qualifying points to the Kentucky Oaks on May 6, and 20 to the runner-up, 10 to the third-place finisher and five to the fourth.

Desert Dawn, third by six lengths behind Ain’t Easy in the Chandelier and fourth despite a wide trip in the Grade I Starlet at Los Alamitos Dec. 4, worked six furlongs in 1:14.40 Monday, while Ain’t Easy breezed on Sunday.

“Ain’t Easy went really well,” said D’Amato, now tied with Bob Baffert for Santa Anita’s training lead with 21 victories each.

“I breezed Ain’t Easy three-quarters from the gate in like (one) 14 (actual time was 1:14.60). It was a good drill. Kyle Frey breezed her but John Velazquez will ride her in the race.

“We had to clean up a tiny flake in her ankle,” D’Amato said in explaining Ain’t Easy’s prolonged absence. “We did that during the Breeders’ Cup (early last November). She never left the barn, and it looks great.”

The field for the Santa Ynez, race eight of nine with a 12:30 p.m. first post time: Desert Dawn, Umberto Rispoli, 15-1; Ain’t Easy, John Velazquez, 5-2; Miss Everything, Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1; Cairo Memories, Mike Smith, 8-1; Micro Share, Jessica Pyfer, 15-1; Fortunate Tensio, Abel Cedillo, 20-1; Eda, Juan Hernandez, 5-2; Classical Romance, Ryan Curatolo, 30-1; and Under the Stars, Flavien Prat, 8-5.

FLIGHTLINE BACK ON TRACK, RESUMES TRAINING

Undefeated Flightline was back on the track Saturday after a hock injury forced him to miss a planned start in today’s Grade II San Carlos Stakes presented by Fan Duel.

“He jogged a mile which is pretty routine,” trainer John Sadler said of the Grade I Runhappy Malibu Stakes winner, who has caught the eye of the racing world winning his three starts by a combined margin of 37 ½ lengths.

“We think his setback (with the hock issue) is over and he’s back to training.”

POWELL MULLS SAN LUIS REY FOR ENGLISH-BRED

Trainer Leonard Powell plans to work the English-bred gelding Dicey Mo Chara tomorrow and if all goes well, run in next Sunday’s Grade III San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 ½ miles on turf.

The four-year-old bay won an overnight turf race at Santa Anita on Feb. 4, but was “never involved” after a slow start in the Grade I Hollywood Derby one race prior at Del Mar last Nov. 27.

“If he works well and I get a good jockey, there’s a very strong chance he will run,” Powell said, adding the horse had a legitimate excuse in the Hollywood Derby.

“He missed the break,” Powell said. “Once he was out of the race, he shut down and never was involved, but he’s better than that.”

Owned by Red Baron’s Barn LLC and Rancho Temescal LLC, all of Dicey Mo Chara’s nine races in the United States have been on turf, resulting in three victories.

THERE’S RACING AT SANTA ANITA THIS MONDAY

With the forecast of inclement weather for yesterday, Santa Anita Park, in consultation with the Thoroughbred Owners of California and the CHRB, shifted Friday’s eight-race program to this Monday, March 7, with first post time at 12:30 p.m.

Accordingly, there will be no re-draw, with Monday’s races now run as an exact replica of what had been planned for Friday.

Monday’s Arcadia forecast is for sunny skies with a high temperature of 68 degrees.

With a mandatory payout in Golden Gate Fields’ 20-cent Single Ticket Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot on tap Monday, first post time is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. and will thus run concurrently with Santa Anita.

FINISH LINES: Big ‘Cap Facts: The great Charlie Whittingham, Santa Anita’s all-time leading stakes winning trainer, won the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap a record nine times. The Bald Eagle’s first Big ‘Cap triumph came in 1957 with Llangollen Farm’s Corn Husker. Ridden by fellow Hall of Famer Ralph Neves, Corn Husker got in with a feathery 105 pounds. Whittingham’s ninth Big ‘Cap winner came in 1993, as Victoria Calantoni’s Sir Beaufort, with Patrick Valenzuela up, got the money while assigned 119 pounds…The jockey with the most Big ‘Cap wins? That’s easy, it’s Santa Anita’s all-time leading stakes winning rider, Bill Shoemaker. “The Shoe” won a record 11 Big ‘Caps, beginning in 1954 with the Buddy Hirsch-conditioned Rejected and ending in 1985 with Whittingham’s Lord at War…The most weight carried to victory in the Big ‘Cap? A total of seven horses won with 130 pounds: Seabiscuit (1940), Thumbs Up (1945), Mark-Ye-Well (1953), Round Table (1958), Ack Ack (1971), Spectacular Bid (1980) and John Henry (1982)…Veteran jockey agent Vince DeGregory will now represent seven-pound apprentice Ricardo Ramirez, who rides On Purpose for Vladimir Cerin in today’s third race.