Before Santa Anita Park stages five graded stakes races May 26-27, topped by Monday's Gamely Stakes (G1T) and Shoemaker Mile (G1T), the racing emphasis is on California-breds May 25.
Five stakes worth $100,000 or more are on tap Saturday, California Gold Rush Day. The races are over a variety of distances and conditions.
Among them is West Coast star The Chosen Vron—whose only defeat over his last 13 starts, a stretch dating back to September 2022, came when he ran fifth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) last fall. Winner of the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) last summer at Del Mar and the Kona Gold Stakes at Santa Anita last out, he is 17-for-22 overall for trainer Eric Kruljac and goes for a repeat victory in the $100,000 Thor's Echo Stakes, a race he emphatically took in 2023.
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Kruljac co-owns the 6-year-old Vronsky gelding with Sondereker Racing, Robert Fetkin, and Richard Thornburgh. Hector Berrios rides. Four foes—Sawasdee, Big City Lights, Moose Mitchell, and California Tiger—are entered against the rail-drawn heavy favorite in the day's third race.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, May 25, 2024, Race 3Entries: Thor's Echo S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1The Chosen Vron (CA) Hector Isaac Berrios 126 J. Eric Kruljac 2/5 2 2Sawasdee (CA) Diego A. Herrera 124 Craig Dollase 12/1 3 3Big City Lights (CA) Juan J. Hernandez 126 Richard E. Mandella 5/2 4 4Moose Mitchell (CA) Umberto Rispoli 124 George Papaprodromou 6/1 5 5California Tiger (KY) Antonio Fresu 122 Hector O. Palma 12/1
Grand Slam Smile Favored in First Start Since January
The $125,000 Melair Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile test for 3-year-old fillies on the main track, marks the first start in more than four months for Grand Slam Smile, a stakes winner on both dirt and turf for trainer Northern California-based trainer Steve Specht.
Following a dominant win Jan. 13 in the Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks on turf at Santa Anita, Specht pondered starting her in the Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) on dirt before opting to give her a break when that race was postponed due to inclement weather.
The Smiling Tiger filly has worked six times since early April, which includes a pair of six-furlong works and a mile breeze. This past weekend, she sped five furlongs in a bullet :58 4/5 at Golden Gate Fields.
"She's as fit as possible," Specht said. "That mile work she had was really good. She finished strong."
The Melair will be her first race beyond a mile for the two-time stakes winner on Santa Anita's main track. She previously won the Golden State Juvenile Fillies Stakes at seven furlongs on dirt in November and the Fasig-Tipton Debutante Stakes at five furlongs in June.
"Every time we come down here, it's a new experience for her," Specht said. "Dirt, turf, short, long. But I think she'll handle the added distance. In the Oaks, it looked like they were going to run by her but she took off again."
In later racing action:
- Kings River Knight leads the Crystal Water Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at a mile on turf.
- Tam's Little Angel heads south from Northern California for the Fran's Valentine Stakes for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, over the same trip.
- Curlin's Kaos competes in the $125,000 Snow Chief Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, May 25, 2024, Race 4Entries: Crystal Water S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Barely Funtional (CA) Mario Gutierrez 124 Antonio C. Garcia 15/1 2 2Coalinga Road (CA) Antonio Fresu 126 Carla Gaines 8/1 3 3None Above the Law (CA) Tyler Baze 126 Jorge Periban 15/1 4 4Kings River Knight (CA) Juan J. Hernandez 126 John W. Sadler 1/1 5 5Old Pal (CA) Mike E. Smith 126 Mark Glatt 3/1 6 6Carmelita's Man (CA) Tiago Josue Pereira 126 Dean Pederson 6/1 7 7Passarando (CA) Kyle Frey 126 Steven Specht 20/1 8 8Clouseau (CA) Edwin A. Maldonado 122 Ian Kruljac 15/1 9 9Oubabe (CA) Umberto Rispoli 122 Richard Baltas 15/1
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, May 25, 2024, Race 6Entries: Fran's Valentine S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Carmen Miranda (CA) Juan J. Hernandez 122 John W. Sadler 7/2 2 2Jessebear (CA) Jose Valdivia, Jr. 122 Aggie Ordonez 20/1 3 3Abhita (CA) Diego A. Herrera 122 Antonio C. Garcia 10/1 4 4Sneaker (CA) Kyle Frey 114 George Papaprodromou 12/1 5 5Shezmisbehaving (CA) Tiago Josue Pereira 122 Jorge Gutierrez 20/1 6 6Tam's Little Angel (CA) Frank T. Alvarado 126 Steven Specht 6/1 7 7Cornelia Fort (CA) Tyler Baze 124 Ian Kruljac 10/1 8 8Madiha (CA) Armando Aguilar 122 Craig Dollase 5/1 9 9Moment's Pleasure (CA) Hector Isaac Berrios 114 Craig Anthony Lewis 12/1 10 10Rose Dawson (CA) Geovanni Franco 126 Philip D'Amato 12/1 11 11Stay and Scam (CA) Mario Gutierrez 122 Doug F. O'Neill 5/2
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, May 25, 2024, Race 8Entries: Snow Chief S. presented by City National Bank
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Shady Tiger (CA) Juan J. Hernandez 120 Philip D'Amato 5/2 2 2Size Does Matter (KY) Umberto Rispoli 120 Peter Miller 6/1 3 3Takes Three (CA) Armando Ayuso 120 Mike Puype 12/1 4 4Two by Four (CA) Hector Isaac Berrios 120 Craig Anthony Lewis 6/1 5 5Curlin's Kaos (CA) Diego A. Herrera 122 Antonio C. Garcia 3/1 6 6Stay On the Fence (CA) Ricardo Gonzalez 120 Antonio C. Garcia 10/1 7 7Tamarando Star (ID) Geovanni Franco 122 Jeff Bonde 15/1 8 8Final Storm (CA) Kyle Frey 120 Philip D'Amato 6/1 9 9Stolen Treasure (CA) Mario Gutierrez 120 Edward R. Freeman 12/1 10 10Keep Movin' On (CA) Antonio Fresu 120 Ian Kruljac 20/1
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, May 25, 2024, Race 9Entries: Melair S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Safa (CA) Tiago Josue Pereira 120 Gary Stute 4/1 2 2Only One America (CA) Umberto Rispoli 124 Peter Miller 5/1 3 3Loretta Lynn (CA) Tyler Baze 120 Philip D'Amato 6/1 4 4Grand Slam Smile (CA) Frank T. Alvarado 124 Steven Specht 8/5 5 5Putt for Dough (CA) Mario Gutierrez 120 Antonio C. Garcia 15/1 6 6Madison Rae (CA) Edwin A. Maldonado 124 Peter Miller 10/1 7 7Roberta's Love (CA) Juan J. Hernandez 120 Hector O. Palma 3/1
