STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25, 2024

CALIFORNIA CROWN DAY A BETTING BONANZA FOR HORSEPLAYERS
CALIFORNIA CROWN: SUBSANADOR DRILLS 3F WEDNESDAY
MOTION COMES WEST WITH GI WINNER TRIKARI, TOUPIE
16-DAY AUTUMN MEET STARTS FRIDAY WITH 9-RACE CARD
POPULAR $1 COAST-TO-COAST PICK 5 RETURNS SATURDAY
CALIFORNIA CROWN DAY A BETTING BONANZA FOR HORSEPLAYERS

Horseplayers will have an array of special wagering options this weekend coinciding with the first-ever California Crown Day on Saturday. Among the special added wagers are an All-Stakes Pick 5 on Saturday, a pair of two-day All-Stakes Daily Doubles, a two-day All-Stakes Pick 4 and two day All-Stakes Pick 6 linking stakes races on Saturday and Sunday. Each of the special wagers features a player-friendly 15 percent takeout rate.

The two-day, All-Stakes Daily Doubles are $5 minimum wagers. The first combines Saturday’s GII, $750,000 California Crown Eddie D with Sunday’s GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship. The second combines Saturday’s GI, $1 million California Crown with Sunday’s GII Zenyatta Stakes.

On California Crown Day Saturday, the All-Stakes Pick 5 consists of the Unzip Me (race 5), California Crown John Henry (race 7), California Crown Eddie D (race 8), California Crown (race 9) and City of Hope Mile (race 10).

The two-day, All Stakes Pick 6 is a $1 minimum wager. It includes Saturday’s Unzip Me, City of Hope Mile, California Crown John Henry Turf, California Crown Eddie D and California Crown with Sunday’s Santa Anita Sprint Championship and Zenyatta Stakes.

The two-day All Stakes Pick 4 is a $2 minimum wager. It comprises of the California Crown John Henry Turf and California Crown with Sunday’s Santa Anita Sprint Championship and Zenyatta.

CALIFORNIA CROWN: SUBSANADOR WORKS 3F WEDNESDAY FOR MANDELLA

Three days ahead of Saturday’s Grade I, $1 million California Crown presented by SirDavis American Whisky, Subsanador was clocked working three furlongs in 37.80 seconds for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. Aboard for the move Wednesday was Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who also has the call on Saturday.
“He felt great out there,” Smith said.

Subsanador, an import from Argentina, is coming off his first U.S. stakes win in the GIII Philip H. Iselin at Monmouth Park going 1 1/16 miles Aug. 17. In his three previous U.S. starts, all at Santa Anita, the 5-year-old horse by Fortify was fourth in the GII San Antonio last December, second by a head in the GI Santa Anita Handicap in March and fourth in the GII Hollywood Gold Cup in May.

In the Iselin, which was Subsanador’s second start for Mandella, the Argentina-bred appeared to put it all together. He stalked a moderate pace before quickening to the lead and then ultimately winning while being ridden-out by 1 ¼ lengths.

The first-ever California Crown goes as the ninth race on a 10-race card Saturday. It is a “win and you’re in” for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar Nov. 2. Post time for the California Crown is set for 4:40 p.m. PT. The race will be aired live on CNBC and HipicaTV and also streamed on Peacock. The field in post position order: Newgate, John Velazquez; Subsanador, Mike Smith; National Treasure, Flavien Prat; Katonah, Tiago Pereira; Muth, Juan Hernandez; Senor Buscador, Joe Talamo; Indispensable, Hector Berrios.

STAKES-HUNTING: MOTION COMES WEST WITH GI WINNER TRIKARI, TOUPIE

Eastern-based trainer Graham Motion isn’t shy about shipping horses west if the right opportunity arises. The Kentucky Derby-winning trainer hopes he found a pair of such opportunities Saturday on the first-ever California Crown program at Santa Anita.

Arriving for Motion to Santa Anita Tuesday night were Grade I winner Trikari and multiple stakes winner Toupie. Trikari, a 3-year-old, will take on older horses for the first time in the Grade II City of Hope Mile presented by MyRacehorse, which is a “Win and You’re In” for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile Nov. 2 at Del Mar. Toupie is entered in the Unzip Me Stakes for 3-year-old fillies sprinting about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course.

Trikari enters the City of Hope with a sparkling record of 8: 5-1-1 and more than $1.3 million in earnings. As an unraced 2-year-old last year, Trikari was purchased for a mere $27,500 by owner Amerman Racing.

“Credit to (bloodstock agents) Bob and Sean Feld for finding him,” Motion said Wednesday morning. “We’ve been high on him since Day 1.”
To illustrate his early bullishness on Trikari, Motion noted he debuted the Oscar Performance colt at Keeneland last October.

“I won’t take a horse to Keeneland if I don’t think they can run,” Motion said. “Unfortunately, that turned into a frustrating day.”

Going 1 1/16 miles on turf in his unveiling, Trikari settled in mid-pack but then weakened to finish last of 12. Since that inauspicious debut, he’s done little wrong. Trikari graduated in his next start at Gulfstream Park. Then it was soon on to stakes company. He has since won the Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park March, GII American Turf at Churchill Downs in May, GI Belmont Derby at Aqueduct in July and most recently the GII Secretariat at Colonial Downs Aug. 11.
Motion noted Saturday’s City of Hope will be his stiffest challenge yet.

“I realize it’s a big step up, a tall task, but we need to see how he stacks up with these kinds of horses,” Motion said. “He’ll need to be at his best.”
The decision to ship Trikari to California came down to two main factors, Motion added.

“I like that it’s five weeks out from the Breeders’ Cup, I thought it would be better than waiting another week and running at Keeneland,” he said. “Also, you know the turf is likely to be firm at Santa Anita. At Keeneland, you never know.”

Coming west to ride Trikari is jockey John Velazquez. The Hall of Famer was aboard for Trikari’s wins in the Belmont Derby and Secretariat.

The City of Hope Mile, which boasts a stacked field, goes as the 10th and final race on Saturday. Post time is approximately 5 p.m. The field in post position order: Du Jour, Juan Hernandez; Irideo, Tyler Baze; Johannes, Umberto Rispoli; Packs a Wahlop, Mike Smith; Easter, Antonio Fresu; Trikari, John Velazquez; Astronomer, Kazushi Kimura; Almendares, Flavien Prat; Conclude, Hector Berrios.

Motion’s other runner Saturday, Toupie, will have top rider Flavien Prat aboard for the first time in the Unzip Me presented by Thoroughbred Alliance Aftercare. The Uncle Mo filly last year won the Stewart Manor Stakes at Aqueduct and this year scored in the Stormy Blue Stakes at Laurel Park in June. Both were 5 ½ furlongs on turf.

“Those 5 ½ races are probably too short for her actually, so I really like the distance on Saturday,” Motion said. “That’s where she should be at her most effective, six and seven furlongs.”

The Unzip Me goes as the fifth race Saturday with post time at approximately 2:30 p.m. The field in post position order: Dreamfyre, Hector Berrios; Andiamo Ragazza, Umberto Rispoli; Visually, Edwin Maldonado; Roberta’s Love, Tiago Pereira; Back On Track, Jose Valdivia Jr.; Zona Verde, Juan Hernandez; Antifona, Mike Smith; Sea Dancer, Armando Ayuso; Omaha Girl, Abel Cedillo; Golden Canary, John Velazquez; Toupie, Flavien Prat; Alluring, Kazushi Kimura; Wrigleyville, Umberto Rispoli (AE); Queen Maxima, Antonio Fresu (AE).

FINISH LINES: A nine-race card Friday starting at 1 p.m. kicks off Santa Anita’s 16-day Autumn Meet…The popular $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 featuring a player-friendly 15 percent takeout returns Saturday. The wager, which combines races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, will be offered every Saturday and Sunday during Santa Anita’s Autumn Meet, which concludes Oct. 27. Saturday’s Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 2:08 p.m. PT with the ninth race from Gulfstream. The sequence also includes the California Crown John Henry Turf presented by 1/ST Bet, California Crown Eddie D presented by FanDuel and City of Hope Mile from Santa Anita…The sale-topper at Tuesday’s Fasig-Tipton California fall yearling sale was a colt by Stay Thirsty, who sold to John Maroney for $250,000. The colt, consigned by Loveacres Ranch as agent, is a full brother to stakes winner Finneus and half-brother to stakes winner Fi Fi Pharoah …Jockeys Tiago Pereira and Santiago Gonzalez are now represented by agent Craig Stephen…Agent Ryan Glatt has taken the book of Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza…Apprentice jockey Serafin Carmona is represented by agent Chuck Costanzo.
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WORKOUTS:

Balnikhov (D’Amato) 9-22-24

Katonah (O’Neill) 9-22-24

​​​​​​​Air Force Red (Powell) 9-22-24

King of Gosford (White Cap), Conclude(Gray Cap), Motorious (Red Cap) and Laugier Night (D’Amato) 9-22-24

Muth (Outside) and Ultra Power (Baffert) 9-21-24

Newgate (Outside) and Prince of Monaco (Baffert) 9-21-24

Senor Buscador (Fincher) 9-20-24

​​​​​​​National Treasure (Baffert) 9-20-24

Salesman (Outside) and Subsanador (Mandella) 9-16-24

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