Stable Notes by Ed Golden for Sunday, March 27, 2022

  • MESSIER DRILLS FOR GRADE I SANTA ANITA DERBY
  • FESTIVE ANNUAL SPRING CARNIVAL ON APRIL 2-17
  • IRISH IMPORT DEBUTS FOR D’AMATO IN SINGLETARY
  • MORE THAN 200 WORKERS AT SANTA ANITA SUNDAY

 

MESSIER WORKS ‘LIGHTS OUT’ FOR YAKTEEN

Triple Crown contender Messier, recently transferred from Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert to his former assistant Tim Yakteen, breezed six furlongs Sunday for the Grade I Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 9 in a bullet 1:11.40, fastest by nearly three seconds of five recorded works at the distance.

“He worked lights out,” Yakteen said of Messier, named for hockey great Mark Messier, winner of six Stanley Cups.

“We had Johnny (Velazquez) work him and he’ll ride him in the Santa Anita Derby. He gave us a thumbs up. The horse looked great, although he ended up with some unexpected company. We almost had a little training race out there.”

Messier, a son of 2003 Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker, won the Grade III Robert B. Lewis Stakes by 15 lengths on Feb. 6.

Yakteen, a 57-year-old native of Germany who assisted Baffert off and on for almost 10 years between a tour with the legendary Charlie Whittingham, also received promising three-year-old Doppelganger from the Baffert barn.

“Both horses came to me in good shape,” said Yakteen, who began training solo in 2004. “They were always well cared for.”

A $570,000 son of Into Mischief who worked five furlongs at Santa Anita in 1:00.20 on Saturday, Doppelganger is headed to the Grade I Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on April 2.

“We’ll see if he can validate himself as a (Kentucky) Derby horse, earn some points and take it from there,” Yakteen said. “The horses are doing well, but you still need a little bit of luck.”

 

ANNUAL SPRING CARNIVAL APRIL 2 THROUGH APRIL 17

While the Grade I Runhappy Santa Anita Derby will be the centerpiece of a seven-stakes racing bonanza April 9, five of them graded, attending fans can avail themselves of a myriad of other activities at Santa Anita’s annual Spring Carnival all weekends from April 2 through April 17.

It includes a Winner’s Circle BBQ Championship (April 2 & 3), a Ferris Wheel, Zipper, Train Ride and much more, namely carnival games and snacks, and the San Gabriel Valley’s largest Easter Egg Hunt on April 17.

In addition to the Santa Anita Derby, the April 9 racing program will be substantially supported by the Grade II Santa Anita Oaks, the Grade II Monrovia Stakes, the Grade II Royal Heroine Stakes, the Grade III Providencia Stakes and the Echo Eddie Stakes and the Evening Jewel Stakes for California-breds.

The aforementioned races offer a combined total of nearly $2 million in purse money, $1,950,000 to be exact.

For additional Spring Carnival information, please visit santaanita.com or call 626 574-RACE.

 

BALNIKHOV TRAINING ‘VERY WELL’ FOR U.S. DEBUT

World traveler Balnikhov makes his United States debut in this Saturday’s Singletary Stakes, a $100,000 event for three-year-olds at a mile on turf.

An Irish-bred gelding whose eight career races have come in France, where he won three, Balnikhov is owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables LLC or Old Bones Racing Stable LLC.

“He’s coming out of races in France, but he’s training very well,” said Phil D’Amato, Santa Anita’s leading trainer with 30 victories through Saturday, three more than Doug O’Neill, who has started 17 more horses.

Not only is Balnikhov making his U.S. debut, the Singletary will be his first race in more than three months, his last coming Dec. 22, 2021 at Lyon La Soie in France.

“He’s a very solid horse with a nice turn of foot and it should be a good first race for him,” said D’Amato, who has engaged Santa Anita’s second-leading jockey, Juan Hernandez, to ride.

Balnikhov worked five furlongs this morning in 1:01 flat on the training track.

The Singletary is named for the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner at Lone Star Park owned by Little Red Feather Racing, trained by Don Chatlos and ridden by David Flores.

 

FINISH LINES: With rain forecast Monday, there were 218 recorded workouts Sunday, including a five-furlong drill in 1:01 by Val Brinkerhhoff-trained millionaire Restrainedvengence, preparing for his 2022 debut in the inaugural John Shear Mile on April10. There were 177 recorded workouts Saturday, including a four-furlong breeze in 48.40 by Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint champion Ce Ce, trained by Michael McCarthy, who saddled Queen Goddess to a 7-1 upset under Ce Ce’s regular rider Victor Espinoza in yesterday’s Grade II Santa Ana Stakes . . .Bob Baffert’s multiple stakes winning sprinter Cezanne worked a half mile in company with stablemate Sumo in 46.92 at 12:20 p.m…UCLA head football coach Chip Kelly presented yesterday’s Santa Ana Stakes trophy… Santa Anita is dark for live racing Monday through Thursday. Live racing resumes 1 p.m. Friday, April 1.

LATEST CONTENT FROM XBTV:

 

FEATURES: 

 

Preview of Preview of Race 1

 

Preview of Race 6

 

Preview of Race 7 

 

 

WORKOUTS:

 

Ce Ce (McCarthy) 3-26-22

 

Gold Dragon Queen (Baltas) 3-26-22

 

Smiling Goodbye (Pederson) 3-26-22

 

Suzie Qzz Brother (Glatt) 3-26-22

 

An Agent Mistake (O’Neill) 3-26-22

 

Shaaz (Baffert) 3-26-22

 

Beer Can Man (Outside) and Gold Phoenix (D’Amato) 3-26-22

 

Border Town (Mandella) 3-25-22

 

Majestic Eagle (Drysdale) 3-25-22

 

Eight Rings (Baffert) 3-25-22

 

Express Train (Shirreffs) 3-25-22

 

Bob and Jackie (Baltas) 3-25-22

 

Forbidden Kingdom (Chestnut) and Charlito (Dark Bay) (Mandella) 3-24-22