SANTA ANITA LEADERS
(Through Thursday)
Jockeys / Wins
Antonio Fresu / 5
Kyle Frey / 4
Hector Berrios / 3
Mike Smith / 3
Geovanni Franco / 3
Kazushi Kimura / 3
Edwin Maldonado / 3
Trainers / Wins
Jeff Mullins / 3
Librado Barocio / 3
Peter Eurton / 3
Mark Glatt / 3
Richard Baltas / 2
Bob Baffert / 2
WEEKEND STAKES
SANTA ANITA
Saturday
• $100,000, Grade III Royal Heroine Stakes, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, 1 mile on turf
• $100,000 Kona Gold Stakes, 4-year-olds and up, 6 1/2 furlongs
Sunday
• $100,000 Singletary Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 mile on turf
LOS ALAMITOS
Saturday
• $40,000 Kaweah Bar Handicap, quarter horses, 3-year-olds and up, 350 yards
DOWN THE STRETCH
• The popular 6-year-old California-bred The Chosen Vron goes for his fourth straight win, 12th in a row in non-Breeders’ Cup races and 17th in 22 career starts in the Kona Gold Stakes at Santa Anita on Sunday. The Grade I-winning sprinter and regular rider Hector Berrios must contend with Grade II winner Forbidden Kingdom and Juan Hernandez, and 2022 Santa Anita Handicap winner Express Train and Mike Smith, in a field of seven.
• National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame voters elected 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner and jockey Joel Rosario in the “contemporary” category, and honored the late owner and Oak Tree race meet co-founder Clement Hirsch and writing legend Joe Hirsch as “pillars of the turf.” Enshrinement ceremonies are Aug. 2 in Saratoga Springs.
• Frankie Dettori and Kazushi Kimura, who have been riding at Santa Anita, picked up mounts for the May 4 Kentucky Derby. Dettori has Society Man, the Wood Memorial runner-up to Resilience, and Kimura has TO Password, 2 for 2 in Japan. Dettori’s only other Kentucky Derby was in 2000, a sixth-place finish on China Visit.
• Kimura had a big final weekend at Santa Anita, winning the Californian Stakes with Bob Baffert-trained Mr Fisk to complete a Saturday hat trick. Canada’s leading jockey will be riding at Woodbine when the Toronto-area track opens an eight-month season on Friday.
• Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally, 91, recorded his first victory of the Santa Anita season when 6-year-old The Giants Candy and jockey Jose Verenzuela won a $25,000 claiming race last Friday. It has been 40 years since McAnally’s most famous pupil, John Henry, capped his career with his second Horse of the Year title.
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• Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella praised Santa Anita’s new synthetic training track, saying it should prevent the kind of wet-weather interruptions in workouts that he blamed for Santa Maria Stakes winner Coffee in Bed’s poor previous race. “Love it,” Mandella said. “It took a couple of weeks to break in, just as they explained it would. It’s done exactly as they said, and I think it’s a great asset.”
• Fear N Fridays will be seeking trainer Monty Arrossa’s fourth straight victory in the Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity for quarter horses on May 12 after the gelding and jockey Armando Cervantes won the fastest trial — 300 yards in 15.665 seconds — last Sunday at Los Alamitos. My Budd (15.702) was second-fastest.
• Tickets went on sale Monday for the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Nov. 1 and 2. Go to BreedersCup.com/tickets or call 859-514-9428.
— Kevin Modesti