Eastern invader Test Score, winner of the Belmont Derby at Saratoga, ships in from Maryland’ Fair Hill Training Center for the Twilight Derby.
Grade II Twilight Derby, GIII Autumn Miss & Tokyo City Cup Highlight Closing Weekend Of 2025 Autumn Meet At Santa Anita
Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.—The 2025 Santa Anita Autumn Meet comes to a close on Sunday but not before the stakes program is rounded out with a pair of a graded events—the Grade II Twilight Derby and GIII Autumn Miss—and the revised Tokyo City Cup Stakes.
All the action on closing weekend at Santa Anita gets underway on Friday with a nine-race program starting at 1 p.m. PT. On-track patrons will receive free parking and admission plus can enjoy an all-day Happy Hour with 50 percent off select beer and cocktails. Admission gates open at 11 a.m.
On Saturday, Santa Anita will host 10 races starting at 1 p.m. highlighted by the Twilight Derby or 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf and the Tokyo City Cup. This year the Tokyo City will be run at one mile after previously being contested at 1 ½ miles.
Rating top billing in the Twilight Derby is eastern invader Test Score, a Grade I winner who ships in from Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland for trainer Graham Motion. In August, Test Score took down the GI Belmont Derby also going 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga. Most recently, the Lookin At Lucky colt was an even fourth in the GIII Nashville Derby going 1 5/16 miles at Kentucky Downs. Test Score will have the services of Santa Anita leading rider Juan Hernandez.
Looming a major threat in the Twilight Derby is European import Namaron. Bred and raced in Germany, where he was a Group III winner, Namaron will be making his second U.S. start for trainer John Sadler and owner Hronis Racing. Namaron debuted domestically in the Gun Runner Stakes going one mile at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 6. The gelding by Amaron, a son of Shamardal, rallied to be third under Eclipse Award-winning jockey Flavien Prat. He will have noted Santa Anita turf rider Hector Berrios aboard for his local debut.
The Twilight Derby goes as the fifth race with post time at 3:05 p.m.
The Tokyo City Cup features the duo of Gaming and Privman for trainer Bob Baffert and the promising 4-year-old Pony Express for Sadler.
Gaming, a 3-year-old Game Winner colt, won the Affirmed going 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita in June and most recently was third in the one-mile Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar Aug. 31. Berrios was aboard for both those of those starts and retains the mount.
Privman, a 3-year-old Justify colt, gets class relief and a slight cutback in distance after finishing third in the GI Goodwood going 1 1/8 miles when making his stakes debut Sept. 27 at Santa Anita. Prior to the Goodwood, Privman won two straight races at the Del Mar summer meet.
Pony Express makes his first start since June 15 at Santa Anita. That day the Gun Runner colt returned from an 8 ½-month layoff and romped by six lengths in a first-level allowance going one mile. Umberto Rispoli was aboard for the promising victory and again has the call.
The Tokyo City Cup goes as the second race Saturday. Post time is set for 1:31 p.m.
The Autumn Miss for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turfSunday includes the top three finishers from last month’s GIII John C. Harris Stakes. They will all be stretching out in distance after being separated by less than one length when sprinting about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course.
Innovative got the win that day when rallying from mid-pack under Ricky Gonzalez to win by a neck over Lee’s Baby Girl. Finishing third was Warming by three-quarters of a length. Innovative, a Complexity filly, was making her stakes debut for trainer Phil D’Amato. In her previous start, Innovative won a first-level allowance going one mile on turf at Del Mar.
Lee’s Baby Girl was a tough-luck loser at 26-1 in the Harris. The daughter of Malibu Moon, trained by Carla Gaines, led the entire way under Mirco Demuro before getting nailed on the wire by Innovative. She is 0-for-6 with three runner-up efforts going a flat mile on turf.
Warming in the Harris was making her first start in California after coming west for Motion. The daughter of Global Campaign previously was fifth in both the GI Belmont Oaks and GII Lake Placid this summer at Saratoga.
The Autumn Miss goes as the eighth race Sunday. Post time is approximately 4:40 p.m.
On both Saturday and Sunday, on-track 1/ST Rewards members can draw for free from a $30,000 Cherry Tree with a $5,000 grand prize. The Cherry Tree is presented by Oak Tree Racing Association. This weekend is also Japan Family Days. Additionally, fans can enjoy a Pumpkin Patch and Fall Fun Fest in the infield.With Sunday also being closing day, all pari-mutuel pools will have mandatory payouts. For more information, visit santaanita.com.
