ARCADIA, Calif. –Three Santa Anita-based horses finished final preparations for a pair of graded stakes to be run this Saturday at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Dan Blacker’s Hit the Road drilled five furlongs on turf prior to Sunday’s Santa Anita’s races, as did the Richard Baltas-trained Bob and Jackie, both in preparation for the Grade I, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational while the Baltas-trained Bodhiccta went the same distance while readying for Gulfstream’s Grade III, $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf.
All three came onto Santa Anita’s one mile main track via the quarter mile chute at about 11:45 a.m. and worked separately over the turf oval.
Blacker’s Grade I stakes winning Hit the Road drilled five furlongs under assistant trainer and regular exercise rider Juan Landeros in 1:01.42 in what appeared to be a maintenance move. In his penultimate Pegasus work last Sunday, the 5-year-old horse by More Than Ready smoked five furlongs on turf in in 58.42.
Bob and Jackie, a winner of the Grade III San Gabriel Stakes here on Dec. 26, was the first horse on the turf and he went three furlongs in 35.80 en route to a final clocking of 59.77 under Jose Valdivia, Jr.
A 6-year-old horse by Twirling Candy, Bob and Jackie, a four-time stakes winner, will be looking for his second graded stakes win.
Bodhicitta, a 6-year-old English-bred mare, broke off about three furlongs behind her stablemate and worked five furlongs in preparation for the Grade III, $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf with Umberto Rispoli up in 59.61.
The Grade I, $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational heads a total of seven graded stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park and will feature a showdown between presumptive Horse of the Year Knicks Go and recent Grade I Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Life Is Good.
Santa Anita will offer three graded stakes on Saturday, the Grade II, $200,000 San Vicente, the Grade III, $200,000 Palos Verdes and the Grade III, $100,000 Megahertz.
First post time on Saturday at Santa Anita will be at 12:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.
Santa Anita Press Release
Photo: Bodhicca/ Benoit Photo
