Mystik Dan got a look at the Santa Anita track. (Zoe Metz)
Derby Winner Gets Acquainted With Santa Anita
Works: Citizen Bull, Bevy Of Opening Day Starters Drill
Nation’s Top Jockeys Converge On Santa Anita Opening Day
Opening Day: First Post Thursday Is 11 A.M For 11-Race Card
Memorial For Eddie Truman To Be Held Jan. 24 At Santa Anita
Stable Notes By Victor Ryan
Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan, who arrived at Santa Anita Wednesday night following a nearly 1,900-mile van ride from New Orleans, took his first tour of the Santa Anita grounds Thursday morning.
Emerging from Barn 54 at about 8:15 a.m. PT, Mystik Dan’s first order of business was going to the main track for some light exercise. Mystik Dan was backed up to the seven-eighths pole while on the outer rail, then turned and galloped about 1 1/8 miles under local exercise rider Tony Gutierrez.
Mystik Dan, who is trained by Ken McPeek, then took the tunnel just past the finish line into the paddock where he took two circuits around before heading back to the barn.
On hand to oversee the activity was assistant trainer Dermot Magner and Greg Morehead, director of operations for McPeek Racing. Both Magner and Morehead shared the driving duties for Mystik Dan’s lengthy journey west from his winter base at Fair Grounds.
Mystik Dan, who won the 150th Kentucky Derby in May under Brian Hernandez Jr., is entered to run in the Grade I Malibu Stakes next Thursday, opening day of Santa Anita Park’s 90th anniversary season. The Malibu is one of six graded stakes on a blockbuster 11-race opening day program. First post is at 11 a.m. PT. The Malibu for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs is carded as the eighth race with a post time of approximately 2:30 p.m.
Mystik Dan, who drew comfortably in post six for the Malibu, will be making his first start since the Belmont Stakes in June. After winning the Derby by a nose, Mystik Dan finished second in the Preakness and then eighth in the Belmont before receiving time off. He has been working steadily since the end of October for his comeback.
Both McPeek and Hernandez are expected to arrive at Santa Anita Thursday morning. Mystik Dan will be Hernandez’s only mount on opening day.
In addition to the Malibu, Santa Anita’s opening day card features a dynamite edition of the Grade I La Brea for 3-year-old fillies, Grade I American Oaks, Grade II San Gabriel Stakes featuring Breeders’ Cup Mile runner-up Johannes, the Grade II Mathis Mile and the first running of the Grade II Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes, which was formerly known as the San Antonio.
Works: Citizen Bull, Bevy Of Opening Day Stakes Starters Drill
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Citizen Bull, highly regarded Eagles Flight and 13 horses entered to run in stakes next Thursday on opening day recorded timed workouts Friday morning at Santa Anita.
Citizen Bull worked four furlongs in 49.0 seconds for trainer Bob Baffert. It was Citizen Bull’s second work since rolling to a 1 ½-length victory in the Juvenile on Nov. 1 at Del Mar. Eagles Flight, who was nominated to the GI Malibu but not entered, worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 for trainer John Sadler.Below is a quick rundown of Friday’s works by stakes starters on opening day (trainer in parentheses):
GI Malibu Stakes: Stronghold (D’Amato), 5f, 1:01.0; Winterfell (Baffert), 4f, 47.20; Senior Officer (Cox), 4f, 48.0.GI La Brea Stakes: OneMagic Philly, 5f, 1:01.40; Hope Road (Baffert), 4f, 48.0; Splendora (Baffert), 4f, 48.80.
GI American Oaks: Baltic Fire (Callaghan), 4f, 49.60.
GII San Gabriel: Astronomer (Callaghan), 4f, 49.20; Easter (D’Amato), 5f, 1:02.0; Nineeleventurbo (Drysdale), 5f, 1:01.60; Seal Team (Mandella), 5f, 1:01.80.
Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes: Tarantino (Eurton), 5f, 1:04.40; Goldeneye (Eurton), 4f, 49.60.
Nation’s Top Jockeys Converge On Santa Anita For Opening Day
Opening day of the Santa Anita Classic Meet has attracted an All-Star cast of jockeys that will compete on a highly competitive 11-race card next Thursday.
Of the top 12 jockeys based on purse earnings this year, six will be riding at Santa Anita on opening day. Topping that group is Flavien Prat, who leads all jockeys in earnings with $36.7 million. Prat this year also set a new record for stakes wins in a season with 80, which bested the former record of 79 set by Irad Ortiz Jr. in 2022. Additionally, with a graded stakes win on opening day, Prat would surpass Jerry Bailey’s record of 55 graded stakes wins in a calendar year. He is also expected to win his first Eclipse Award this year as the nation’s outstanding jockey.
Also, among the top 12 in earnings set to ride at Santa Anita are Luis Saez (#5, $25.4 million), Brian Hernandez Jr. (#6, $20.5 million), John Velazquez (#8, $16.7 million), Joel Rosario (#11, $15.4 million) and Frankie Dettori (#12, $13.3 million).
Kentucky-based Hernandez is in the midst of a career year. Winner of the 2004 Eclipse Award as outstanding apprentice, Hernandez in May won both his first Kentucky Derby aboard Mystik Dan and first Kentucky Oaks with Thorpedo Anna. Hernandez’s only mount on opening day is aboard Mystik Dan in the GI Malibu Stakes.
Velazquez was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2012. He’s the all-time leading jockey in money won with $491,719,012 entering this weekend’s action. Velazquez has won two Eclipse Awards, three Kentucky Derbies, two Belmonts, a Preakness and 21 Breeders’ Cup races, which trails only Mike Smith (27) for most ever by a jockey.
Saez is a two-time Belmont Stakes winner, Breeders’ Cup winner and ranks 17th all-time in purse earnings with $229.6 million.
As for Smith, a 2003 Hall of Fame inductee who is based year-round in Southern California, he has three mounts on opening day including Tamara in the GI La Brea. Smith has won two Eclipse Awards and ranks third all-time in money won with $353.9 million.
Rosario ranks fifth all-time in money won with $329.77 million. Winner of 16 Breeders’ Cup races and three Triple Crown events, Rosario earned the 2021 Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey and was inducted in the Racing Hall of Fame in 2024.
That group will be joined by local stalwarts Juan Hernandez, Antonio Fresu and Umberto Rispoli, who each rank in the top 20 in money won this year. Hernandez, a seven-time leading rider at Santa Anita, ranks 14th with $13.1 million. He is followed by Fresu (#19, $10.7 million) and Rispoli (#20, $10.2 million).
FINISH LINES … … ………..
A memorial service for longtime Southern California Eddie Truman, who died last week at the age of 77, will be held Friday, Jan. 24 at Clockers’ Corner from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Truman’s daughter, Kasey Truman, has asked those who have memories of Eddie Truman to send them to kaseytruman@mac.com. Kasey Truman hopes to share those memories with her young daughter, Quinn, as she gets older…
Santa Anita will host four consecutive days of live racing next week beginning with opening day on Thursday…Veteran racing journalist Jay Hovdey, winner of five media Eclipse Awards, will hold a book signing on opening day for his latest non-fiction title, “Well Armed: A Thoroughbred of Destiny” published by Johnsen Holdings Publishing…
Opening day general admission tickets can be purchased for $10 at Santaanita.com. Walk-up general admission will be $20. Members of Santa Anita’s 1/ST Rewards program can buy opening day tickets with their loyalty card for just $5 at the Infield Admission Gate.
