Princess Bettina winning the China Doll. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Lane Way, First Peace Loom Large in Sunday’s Siren Lure
$1.55 Million Maiden Nuclear Returns After Year Layoff
Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund Telethon This Sunday
The Past the Wire annual Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby seminar, the best in the game DETAILS HERE
Stable Notes By Victor Ryan
ARCADIA, Calif.— Among trainer Peter Eurton’s 10 scheduled starters opening weekend of the Santa Anita Hollywood Meet are the morning-line favorite in Saturday’s GIII Providencia, Medoro, and turf stakes winner Princess Bettina, who switches to dirt for Sunday’s GII Santa Maria.
In the Providencia foe 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on turf, Medoro puts her perfect 3-for-3 record on the line as the 6-5 choice on Jon White’s morning line. By Honor Code, Medoro made it back-to-back stakes wins last month when taking the one-mile China Doll in sharp fashion under Antonio Fresu. Medoro stalked the pace in the China Doll, bid three-wide entering the stretch and kicked clear late to score by 2 ¼ lengths at 6-5.
Medoro, who won the one-mile Blue Norther prior to the China Doll, has returned with two snappy works heading into the Providencia.
“It seems like she’s coming into it as well as her last race, and that was impressive,” Eurton said Friday morning.
With the unblemished start to her career, Medoro has banked $156,600 for owner C R K Stables. She will break from post three in a field of eight Saturday with Fresu up.
“Medoro is a lightly made filly, but she’s tall with a huge gait and a quick turn of foot,” Eurton explained. “Those are all good things to have, especially on turf.”
The Providencia goes as the eighth race on a nine-race card Saturday. Post time is set for 4:33 p.m.
In the Santa Maria for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on dirt, Princess Bettina will test the main track for the first time since a 2-year-old in September 2022. The Will Take Charge filly made her first two starts on dirt without a win before switching to turf. Last year, Princess Bettina became a stakes winner when winning the China Doll in front-running fashion. Most recently, she has earned minor awards in a pair of second-level allowance heats on the hillside turf course.
“It’s something we’ve thought about doing,” Eurton said of the surface switch. “She has some dirt pedigree and she’s fast.”
Princess Bettina, who drew post two in an eight-horse field, will have Edwin Maldonado aboard for the first time. Eurton expects her to be forwardly placed if not on the lead.
“We’re going to let her rock on out of there,” he said. “The horse inside of us (Big Novel) may have some pace, but our filly won’t be covered up that’s for sure.”
Bred in Florida, Princess Bettina is campaigned by breeder Donald R. Dizney. She is 2-1-4 in 12 starts with $165,590 in earnings.
The Santa Maria goes as the ninth race Sunday on a 10-race card. Post time is approximately 5 p.m. PT.
Lane Way, First Peace Loom Large in Sunday’s Siren Lure Stakes
A field made up exclusively of stakes winners is set to go in Sunday’s $100,000 Siren Lure Stakes for older horses on the hillside turf course.
The competitive group includes Lane Way, a Grade II winner on the hillside course for trainer Richard Mandella, and First Peace, a stakes winner down the hill who’s dropping out of the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile for trainer Mark Glatt.
Two other entrants are exiting stakes wins over the unique hillside course. Mucho Del Oro, trained by Doug O’Neill, won the GIII San Simeon March 9 by a half length over Lane Way, who was making his first start in three months. Johnny Podres, trained by Librado Barocio, exits his first-ever stakes win in the restricted Sensational Star down the hills March 24.
Rounding out the field is Mackinnon, also trained by O’Neill. Mackinnon, who won the 2021 Zuma Beach at Del Mar, most recently earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure when finishing second in a second-level allowance going six furlongs on the flat turf course March 17.
Lane Way, First Peace and Mucho Del Oro are a combined 9-for-15 on the hillside turf course. Mackinnon will be trying the hill for the first time.
The Siren Lure goes as the fourth race on a 10-race card Sunday. Post time is approximately 2:30 p.m. PT.
$1.55 Million Maiden Nuclear Returns After Year Layoff
Set to return from a 53-week layoff Saturday is Nuclear, a now 4-year-old colt for trainer John Sadler who commanded $1.55 at the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sale.
Nuclear is entered in a one-mile maiden race on dirt which goes as the third. By Justify out of the Latent Heat mare True Feelings, Nuclear finished third in a pair of maiden tries on turf early last year at Santa Anita. He has worked eight times since Feb. 23 for his comeback, which includes a bullet six-furlong move on 1:12.20 Monday on the training track.
Nuclear is owned by Stonehaven Steading LLC, Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds. He will break from post four under Antonio Fresu.
Nuclear isn’t the only million dollar-plus buy in the lineup. Set to break from the rail is Normandy Landing for Bob Baffert. Purchased for $1.05 million at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale, he is by Gun Runner out of Perfect Flute, by Pleasantly Perfect. Normandy Landing most recently fell to 0-for-3 when second in a one-mile maiden race here March 24. He is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing Madaket Stables, et al.
Post time for Sunday’s third race is 2 p.m.
Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund Telethon Set For Sunday
The 6th annual Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund telethon is this Sunday and will be broadcast on both FanDuel TV and America’s Day at the Races on the Fox Sports family of networks.
Active and retired jockeys will be on hand live accepting donations at call centers at Santa Anita and Keeneland from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT as their schedules permit. Fans can participate by calling 1-844-884-7353 or can donate directly at the PDJF website, pdjf.org/donate.
Popular retired jockeys scheduled to participate include Steve Cauthen, Sandy Hawley, Chris McCarron, Donna Barton Brothers, Alex Solis, Shane Sellers and more.
Since the inaugural event in 2018, the telethon has raised in excess of $1.5 million in support of the PDJF.
$1 Coast-To-Coast Pick 5 Returns Saturday At 2:20 P.M.
After a week off, the $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 featuring races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park returns Saturday starting at 2:20 p.m. PT.
The sequence kicks off with the ninth race from Gulfstream, an allowance/optional claimer at one mile on turf. Ipanema Princess is the lukewarm 9-2 favorite for trainer Patrick Biancone in a field of 10. Gulfstream’s 10th and 11th races are also part of the puzzle. The 10th is an allowance/optional claimer at seven furlongs on dirt. In a field of 10, Great Navigator is the 7-2 morning line favorite for trainer Eddie Owens Jr. The 11thrace is a $35,000 maiden-claimer at 1 1/16 miles on turf. Corrin Peak is the 9-5 favorite for trainer Nolan Ramsey in a field of 11.
Santa Anita joins the fray with its fourth and sixth races, which are both for statebred maidens at six furlongs on turf. A field of 10 is set to go in each.
The Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 features a player-friendly 15 percent takeout rate. It is offered every Saturday and Sunday through the end of the Santa Anita Hollywood Meet June 16.
FINISH LINES __________________
Chatalas, winner of last fall’s GII Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita, had her first published work of the year Friday when timed going a quarter mile in 24.0 seconds. Trained by Mark Glatt, Chatalas finished ninth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies after the Chandelier win. She has not started since a runner-up finish Dec. 29 in the Blue Norther at a mile on turf at Santa Anita…
Jockey Kazushi Kimura Thursday night collected his fourth overall Sovereign Award and third as Canada’s outstanding jockey in a ceremony hosted by the Jockey Club of Canada. Kimura, who spends the winter and early spring riding at Santa Anita, won 175 races combined last year in Canada and the U.S. with earnings of $8,798,122. He has 14 mounts booked at Santa Anita this weekend…
Horseplayer Gino Buccola will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Saturday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 11:50 a.m.
