Horse racing notes: Bob Baffert-trained Faiza headlines Santa Anita Oaks
SANTA ANITA LEADERS
Through April 6
JOCKEYS / WINS
Juan Hernandez / 56
Flavien Prat / 27
Frankie Dettori 24
Ramon Vazquez / 23
Tiago Pereira / 22
TRAINERS / WINS
Philip D’Amato / 30
Bob Baffert / 26
Doug O’Neill / 25
Steve Knapp / 22
Mark Glatt / 20
WEEKEND STAKES (SANTA ANITA)
Saturday
• $750,000 Grade I Santa Anita Derby, 3-year-olds, 1-1/8 miles
• $400,000 Grade II Santa Anita Oaks, 3-year-old fillies, 1-1/16 miles
• $200,000 Grade II Whittingham Stakes, 4-year-olds and up, 1¼ miles (turf)
• $200,000 Grade II Monrovia Stakes, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, 6½ furlongs downhill turf course
Sunday
• $100,000 John Shear Stakes, 3-year-olds, 6½ furlongs downhill turf course
DOWN THE STRETCH
• NBC Sports will provide live coverage of a pair of Kentucky Derby prep races on Saturday – the Santa Anita Derby and Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. Coverage will begin at 1 p.m. Practical Move and National Treasure headline the Santa Anita Derby, which drew a field of nine. Tapit Trice and Raise Cain appear to be the live contenders in the Blue Grass. NBC will also televise the Shakertown from Keeneland live.
• Santa Anita’s 12-race card Saturday that begins at noon will also include the $400,000 Grade II Santa Anita Oaks, $200,000 Grade II Whittingham Stakes and $200,000 Grade II Monrovia Stakes. Faiza, trained by Bob Baffert, headlines the Santa Anita Oaks. She has aspirations on the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 5. Faiza goes into the race, which drew a field of nine, off three consecutive graded-stakes wins.
• None of the 13 horses scheduled for Saturday’s Wood Memorial at Aqueduct are among the top 20 in Kentucky Derby qualifying points. Five have 13 or more points. The Brad Cox-trained Hit Show is the 5-2 morning-line favorite. “There’s a lot on the line with Derby points here,” Cox told bloodhorse.com. “The Wood has the potential to really shake things up.”
— Art Wilson