Santa Anita Park statistics, horse racing notes

SANTA ANITA LEADERS

Through Thursday

JOCKEYS / WINS

Rafael Bejarano / 40

Flavien Prat / 34

Tyler Baze 28

Joe Talamo / 24

Edwin Maldonado / 23

TRAINERS / WINS

Philip D’Amato / 23

Jerry Hollendorfer / 14

Bob Baffert 12

Mark Glatt / 11

Peter Miller / 10

Mike Puype / 10

STAKES SCHEDULE

SANTA ANITA

Saturday

• $100,000 Grade III Affirmed Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles

Sunday

• $75,000 Southe Truce Stakes, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, 1 1/16 miles

Monday

• $100,000 Spring Fever Handicap, fillies and mares bred in Califoia, 3-year-olds and up, 6 furlongs

• $100,000 Thor’s Echo Handicap, 3-year-olds and up bred in Califoia, 6 furlongs

DOWN THE STRETCH

• For Santa Anita track aouncer Michael Wrona, Cigar and Sunday Silence stand out as perhaps the top two horses he’s called in the U.S. Best overall? An Australian horse named Kingston Town, who he never had the opportunity to call but who won the country’s top race, the Cox Plate, an unprecedented three consecutive years. “(Kingston Town) will always be my favorite race horse,” he said. “Cigar will always be my favorite American race horse.” Wrona said Kingston Town was “a horse that was absolutely a catalyst for my becoming hooked on racing in the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s.”

• Dortmund, third behind American Pharoah in the 2015 Kentucky Derby, is recovering nicely from foot problems at trainer Bob Baffert’s Los Alamitos ba. He worked five furlongs Tuesday in 59.80 seconds and Baffert said he’s trying to get the giant 4-year-old colt ready for the Grade II San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 23. Baffert also said Lord Nelson, impressive wier of the Grade I Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita last Saturday, might run in the Grade I Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar. Lord Nelson is being pointed toward the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita.

• Baffert is eager to see what he’s got in Danzing Candy, who will make his first start for the Hall of Fame trainer since being transferred from the Clifford Sise ba in Saturday’s $100,000 Grade III Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita. Danzing Candy won the Grade II San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita in impressive gate-to-wire fashion before a disappointing fourth in the Santa Anita Derby and a 15th-place showing in the Kentucky Derby. “It will be interesting,” Baffert said. “His last two races were sort of disasters. We taught him how to haess some of that speed. He’s got a good post (No. 5 in field of five) and we should have options from there.”

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– Art Wilson