Stable Notes by Ed Golden for Saturday, June 18, 2022

AVENUE COULD STROLL IN MARATHON SAN JUAN
BRINKERHOFF ‘RESTRAINED’ FOR SUNDAY’S AMERICAN
POWELL PAIR PROMINENT IN POSSIBLY PERFECT
D’AMATO SETS A SANTA ANITA TRAINING RECORD
MASSIVE MANDATORY PAYOUTS LOOM ON SUNDAY
DELAHOUSSAYE TO PRESENT SANTA MARIA TROPHY
HOF JOCK STEVENS VISITS CLOCKER’S CORNER

AVENUE HOPES TO WALK THE WALK IN SAN JUAN

Avenue makes his stakes debut Sunday in Santa Anita’s traditional stakes finale, the Grade III San Juan Capistrano at the daunting distance of 1 ¾ miles on the hillside turf course.

“It seems like the horse might like the added distance,” said Michael McCarthy of the four-year-old Quality Road colt previously trained by his former mentor, Todd Pletcher.

In two starts for McCarthy, Avenue was third in a one-mile allowance race at Golden Gate Fields on April 3 and rallied for fourth despite a slow start and being crowded going a mile and an eighth on grass at Santa Anita May 7.

McCarthy has engaged leading rider Juan Hernandez for the San Juan.

The 83^rd San Juan, race seven of 11 with a 1 p.m. first post time: Breakpoint, Tyler Baze, 6-1; Kazan, Ryan Curatolo, 12-1; Avenue, Juan Hernandez, 4-1; Dean Martino, Edwin Maldonado, 8-1; Red King, Abel Cedillo, 5-2; Muhammad Ali, Tiago Pereira, 15-1; Modus Operandi, Umberto Rispoli, 4-1; and Rijeka, Joe Bravo, 7-2.

RESTRAINEDVENGENCE HOPING FOR AMERICAN TURNAROUND

Restrainedvengence, who recorded his first graded victory when he captured the Grade III American Stakes almost one year ago on June 20, 2021, will hope for a recent form reversal as he seeks a repeat Sunday in the mile turf race for three-year-olds and up.

Curiously, the usually consistent millionaire gelding did not have his game face on in his three most recent races, all graded stakes, after a profitable third at 40-1 behind Life Is Good in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile last Nov. 6.

“He had some nagging issues, but right now we seem to have them all worked out,” trainer Val Brinkerhoff said of the seven-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Hold Me Back, who has a 10-4-4 record from 38 starts with earnings of $1,019,752.

“I was concerned he might not run good on the dirt (fifth by nearly 10 lengths in the inaugural John Shear Mile April 10), and he was never in contention when he was wide from the 11 post in the San Francisco Mile (eighth by 3 ½ lengths on April 30).

A disappointing fifth, beaten nearly 18 lengths in the Grade I Shoemaker Mile here on May 30, Brinkerhoff didn’t sugar-coat the veteran gelding’s performance.

“He ran the worst race he’s ever run in the Shoemaker Mile,” he said. “He’s had some minor problems recently, but hopefully I’ve got them worked out.”

Restrainedvengence, who breezed an “awesome” four furlongs June 10 in a bullet 47.40, will have blinkers removed and he’ll get a new rider in Abel Cedillo, fresh off a four-win day this past Saturday.

The 83^rd American Stakes, run at Hollywood Park as the American Handicap from 1938 to 2013, is race 11: Ecrivain, Umberto Rispoli, 4-1; Hong Kong Harry, Ramon Vazquez, 4-1; Vanzzy, Joe Bravo, 7-2; Gregdar, Ryan Curatolo, 10-1; Restrainedvengence, Abel Cedillo, 8-1; Kentucky Pharoah, Declan Cannon. 15-1; Tarantino, Juan Hernandez, 12-1; Homer Screen, Drayden Van Dyke, 15-1; Tripoli, Tiago Pereira, 4-1; and Majestic Eagle, Edwin Maldonado, 12-1.

POWELL DUO ‘IN GOOD ORDER’ FOR POSSIBLY PERFECT

Trainer Leonard Powell sends out Neige Blanche and Keyflower in Sunday’s $100,000 Possibly Perfect Stakes for fillies and mares three and up at 1 ¼ miles on turf.

“They’re both coming into the race in very good order,” said Powell, enjoying a solid meet with 18 victories, tying him with Steve Knapp at 10^th in the trainer standings. Powell has a robust 23 percent winning average.

“Neige Blanche is a bit more seasoned and a year older than Keyflower, but we expect a good race from both of them,” he said.

Neige Blanche, a five-year-old French-bred mare, seeks her third marathon turf stakes win this meet, having already captured the Astra and the Santa Barbara, each a Grade III at 1 ½ miles.

Keyflower, a four-year-old French-bred filly, was victimized by slow starts in her last two, the Santa Ana and the Wilshire, both Grade III’s in which she was fifth and sixth, respectively.

The seventh running of the Possibly Perfect, race five: Scherzo, Kyle Frey, 20-1; Agreetodisagree, Ricardo Gonzalez, 12-1; Freedom Lass, Tyler Baze, 4-1; Natural Colour, Tiago Pereira, 8-1; Neige Blanche, Juan Hernandez, 6-5; Scarabea, Declan Cannon, 5-1; and Keyflower, Umberto Rispoli, 3-1.

D’AMATO BREAKS SANTA ANITA TRAINING MARK

Trainer Phil D’Amato set a Santa Anita record by winning his 57^th race Friday when Carpe Vinum rallied for a 2 ¼ length victory in the $72,000 allowance feature, presented as race seven.

The victory enabled the San Pedro native to surpass the previous mark of 56 wins established by Doug O’Neill in 2006-07 and he went on to ring up his 58^th win in Friday’s ninth race with heavily favored Bolden.

“It’s a great feeling,” said D’Amato, who also leads all trainers in stakes wins heading into closing weekend with 15 added-money scores. “I wasn’t expecting it or counting the wins, but it’s just a testament to all my people.

“A total team effort, from my assistants, exercise riders and grooms on down, and most importantly, my owners and the kinds of horses they’re giving me to be able to do this.”

MANDATORY EXOTIC PAYOFFS ON SUNDAY

Santa Anita will offer mandatory exotic payoffs on closing day tomorrow, with the possibility of a $3 million payout in Sunday’s 20-cent Rainbow Pick Six jackpot.

There will be guaranteed pools of $500,000 in the 50-cent Late Pick 5, and if there is no single ticket winner today, Sunday’s Rainbow Six pool is expected to approach $3 million.

Also, a wide variety of promotions are available this weekend, including the popular Infield Family Fun Zone featuring pony rides, inflatable jumpers, face painting and more.

Please visit santaanita.com/events for additional information.

FINISH LINES: With a combined 11,409 North American wins, retired Hall of Fame jockeys Eddie Delahoussaye (6,384) and Gary Stevens (5,025) were visitors this morning at Clockers’ Corner. Delahoussaye, in town from his native Louisiana, will present today’s Grade II Santa Maria Stakes trophy…Trainer Michael McCarthy reports “all options are open” for Ce Ce, Eclipse Award champion female sprinter of 2021, adding, “we’re thinking about the (Grade II) Princess Rooney at Gulfstream (July 2),” a seven-furlong race the chestnut daughter of Elusive Quality won last July 3 by 3 ¼ lengths under regular rider Victor Espinoza for owner/breeder Bo Hirsch. Ce Ce is among Gulfstream Park’s invitees to participate in this year’s Personal Ensign and breezed five furlongs at Santa Anita this morning in a minute flat . . . Express Train, winner of the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap presented by Yaamava’ Resort & Casino on March 5, worked four furlongs in 47.80 for John Shirreffs. In all there were 140 recorded workouts Saturday, 29 on the training track . . . Congratulations to jockey Evin Roman, trainer Jonathan Wong and owner Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, LLC for leading in their respective categories at the Golden Gate Fields meet that began last Dec. 26 and concluded June 12. Roman, a 24-year-old native of Puerto Rico who was represented by agent Tony Matos in 2017 when he earned an Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding apprentice, won 87 races at the lengthy Bay Area session. Wong took his fifth consecutive training title, winning 71 races from 349 starters, while Tom and Debi Stull, campaigning as Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, won with 19 of 90 starters, most of any owner at the meet . . . Appropriately on Father’s Day Sunday, father and son trainers Richard and Gary Mandella will be host Tom Quigley‘s seminar guests, 11:50 a.m. from the XBTV Studio.