Racing returns to Santa Anita Park Thursday with a stakes-packed card that includes three Grade I races interspersed with three Grade II events. The Arcadia track's traditional Boxing Day feature, the GI Malibu Stakes has attracted a field of eight, with returning GI Kentucky Derby hero Mystik Dan (Goldencents) garnering most of the pre-race headlines. Off since finishing eighth in the GI Belmont Stakes in June, the bay colt is 5-2 on the morning line and breaks from post six. He is cutting back to seven furlongs and makes his first start at less than a mile since breaking his maiden at 5 1/2 furlongs in November 2023.
Bentornato (Valiant Minister), the 3-1 second choice on the Malibu morning line, captured the GII Gallant Bob Stakes in September and was most recently second, beaten just a half-length by Straight No Chaser (Speightster), in the Nov. 2 GI Breeders' Cup Sprint.
Hope Road (Quality Road), the 3-1 morning-line favorite, takes a four-race win streak into the GI La Brea Stakes. The Cicero Farms homebred comes into the seven-furlong race off a pair of graded scores over a mile at Del Mar in the Aug. 31 GIII Torrey Pines Stakes and Nov. 2 GIII Bayakoa Stakes.
Hope Road is one of four Bob Baffert trainees in the La Brea. The trainer will also saddle two-time Grade III winner Kinza (Carpe Diem), making her first start since finishing second in the Apr. 6 GII Santa Anita Oaks, and promising allowance winners Cavalieri (Nyquist) and Splendora (Audible).
John Gallegos's homebred One Magic Philly (Good Magic), the 4-1 second choice in the La Brea, won the Oct. 5 GIII Chillingworth Stakes in October and put forth a good effort when sixth in the Nov. 2 GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint last time out.
Santa Anita's trio of Grade I events is rounded out by the GI American Oaks, where Cherie DeVaux saddles 7-5 morning-line favorite She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}). The Lael Stables colorbearer already has a pair of top-level victories to her credit. She won the 2023 GI Natalma Stakes and romped to a six-length victory in the GI Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Keeneland in her most recent start Oct. 12.
Thursday's graded-stakes menu at Santa Anita also includes the first running of the GII Laffit Pincay, Jr. Stakes, previously the track's San Antonio Stakes. Pincay joins fellow Hall of Fame jockeys Bill Shoemaker and Eddie Delahoussaye with a Santa Anita stakes race named in their honor.
“It really means a lot,” the 77-year-old Pincay said. “I remember when Shoemaker and Delahoussaye had a stakes named for them and I thought that was very special. Now I get the chance to have one in my name.”
The 1 1/16-mile race attracted a field of eight runners led by tepid 3-1 morning-line favorite Katonah (Klimt). Trained by Doug O'Neill, Katonah exits a fifth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar and he gets a touch of class relief following three consecutive Grade I efforts.
Johannes (Nyquist) is the 4-5 morning-line favorite in the GII San Gabriel Stakes and King of Gosford (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}) is the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the GII Mathis Mile Stakes.
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