At seven points, San Vicente Stakes (G2) is at Santa Anita . Park may not look like a preparation for the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). It also has no Derby points. However, in 2016 Nyquist used it as part of a trip to the Derby winner’s circle.
The January 29 San Vicente attracted five ponies with a lot of potential, although none have had a lengthy résumé yet. Even the most successful, 2021 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity (G1) winner Pinehurst only started three times.
Bob Baffert trains three out of five, all for the slightly altered major partnerships but led by SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables. In addition to Pinehurst, the Baffert trilogy includes Doppelganger and McLaren Vale who have ever won their only start.
Veteran Mike Smith from post 2 will ride Pinehurst, with whom Smith won Del Mar Futurity by 4 and a half. The son of Spinning candy –Huge victory via Giant high riser , Pinehurst is priced at $385,000 at Keeneland’s September 2020 sale. Following the seven-step Del Mar Futurity, Pinehurst, led by John Velazquez, finished fifth in the TVG Breeders’ 1/16-mile Juvenile Cup presented by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) while Smith won the won a boat race coached by Baffert Corniche .
Doppelganger, son of Into Mischief , priced at $570,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Selected Yearling rollout. In her single start, Doppelganger broke her maidenhood to three and a half lengths. Flavien Prat rides the pony in that race and will return to the ship from lesson 4.
McLaren Vale has broken her maiden by a long stretch. The son of Gunman priced at $625,000 at the 2020 Keeneland sale in September. Baffert named Abel Cedillo to ride the McLaren Vale from post 3.
Trainers Richard Mandella and John Sadler each entered the herd for the Baffert competition. Mandella’s may have more root preferences because Forbidden Kingdom race for MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm. Many of the MyRacehorse runners microshare owners are at Santa Anita whenever one of their horses competes.
Forbidden Kingdom is by American pharoah , trained by Baffert to win the 2015 Triple Crown. Spendthrift and MyRacehorse bought Forbidden Kingdom for $300,000 at the Fasig-Tipton 2020 show sale, after he won his first race of the year. Forbidden Kingdom finished third in the October 1 Speakeasy Stakes on grass and second on November 14 Bob Hope Stakes (G3) on dirt.
“He won a quarter of his last race,” Mandella said of Bob Hope. “It was a bad game, and it took a while to recover. But now he is back in good form.”
Juan Hernandez has ridden Forbidden Kingdom in each of his races and will once again be the driver, this time from the tracks.
Sadler has a single hybrid, What’s in Blazes (Tyler Baze, lesson 5), in the fields of San Vicente. Kevin and Kimberly Nish’s KMN Racing bred What in Blazes, son of Straight fire , in California. What in Blazes finished second in his first start and then scored 5 3/4 length in the state-breeding competition last July.
Item: San Vicente S. (G2)
Santa Anita . ParkSaturday, January 29, 2022, Race 4
- Level II
- 7f
- Dust
- 200,000 dollars
- 3 yo
- 2:10pm (local)
