Santa Anita

Jockey Florent Geroux, based at Fair Grounds this winter, is expected to shift his tack to Santa Anita this week, according to the DRF on Sunday. According to DRF, the rider is set to arrive in California on Thursday and is scheduled to ride on Friday. Representing Geroux during his California sojourn, Matt Nakatani is also the agent for Umberto Rispoli, recently sidelined after falling during a race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 24. "I went to visit [Rispoli] in the hospital," Geroux told DRF Sunday morning. "We talked it...

Trainer Bob Baffert came into Saturday's hot-looking maiden at Santa Anita with a trio of high-profile chances on paper, but that number was reduced to a single runner with the program scratches of the rail-drawn Duntov, a $575,000 son of Maxfield, and Crude Velocity (Beau Liam), himself a $250,000 breeze-up purchase. But the one that remained, Speedway Stables' POTENTE (c, 3, Into Mischief--Sweet Sting, by Awesome Again), shouldered the load, outgaming the more experienced Captain Shreve (Runhappy) by a length. Away very smartly from an outside draw, the $2.4-million Fasig-Tipton...

Newly-turned 3-year-old 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Intrepido (Maximus Mischief) led a busy Saturday work tab at Santa Anita Park. The GI American Pharoah Stakes winner was joined on track by fellow 3-year-olds Litmus Test (Nyquist), Desert Gate (Omaha Beach), Acknowledgemeplz (Bucchero), Robusta (Accelerate) and Secured Freedom (Practical Joke) who all recorded timed workouts. Top sophomore fillies on the tab included Santa Ynez third-place finisher Revera (Lexitonian) and French Blue (Gun Runner), a promising debut winner for Bob Baffert earlier this month. Intrepido, Robusta and Secured Freedom are all...

6th-SA, $70K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 6:12 p.m. ET. While a good portion of the country is tossing another log on the fire in an attempt to stave off the frigid temperatures, out in toasty Arcadia a group of maidens led by some intriguing prospects have assembled for a hot race. Chief among them is POTENTE (Into Mischief) who Speedway Stables made the second topper when they went to $2.4-million to acquire the colt at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. Sent to trainer Bob Baffert, the first-time starter is out...

Greenwich Village (c, 3, Quality Road--Houtzen {Aus}, by I Am Invincible {Aus}) not only got his blinkers off and switched surfaces, but also completely changed tactics Sunday in Santa Anita's Baffle Stakes, eschewing his pace-setting and pace-pressing past while opting instead to drop back to last down the hillside turf course. While he caboosed the field, 25-1 Track Tiger (Sharp Azteca) and 5-2 Later Than Planned (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) battled up front through :22.41 and :44.25 fractions. The first half-dozen runners stayed tightly packed as Greenwich Village continued to...

There are no rules, no guidelines, nothing of the kind, when it comes to Eclipse Award voting. You can vote for whomever you want for whatever reason you want. But I always was of the belief that there was an unwritten rule, or at least an understanding, that the Eclipse Awards were all about recognizing year-round excellence, that champions were the ones who most excelled throughout the year. Maybe that's because I became a racing fan and later a racing journalist when horses really did race more than four or...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Inbox at Santa Anita. Ectot Filly Struts Her Stuff In Arcadia Phil D'Amato saddled Inbox in her American debut, and the three-year-old daughter of Ectot rolled to a 1 1/4-length victory at second asking on Saturday evening (video). Owned by Hopeless Stables, Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables and Marsha Naify, the bay filly was bred by Orbis Bloodstock. Out of Trainnah (Pivotal),...

Santa Anita has nominated five of the nation's top riders, Tyler Baze, Alex Birzer, Julien Leparoux, Jareth Loveberry and Tim Thornton, for the 77th George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award at Santa Anita Park, the track announced Friday. Since 1950, The Woolf Award honors riders whose careers and personal character earn esteem for the individual and the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. One of the most prestigious awards in sports, the Woolf Award is voted on by their peers nationwide and can only be won once. The 2025 Woolf Award was...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit's (HIWU) "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Resolved ADMC Violations Dates: 01/15/2026 Licensee: Charles Frock, trainer Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility for Covered Person, beginning on January 16, 2026; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a...

5. CINISTER CIX, TP, 1/16-6th, 6 furlongs Beyer Speed Figure-83 (2nd) (c, 4, by Curlin--Auntjenn, by Uncle Mo) O-Bartolome Mafla Herrera. B-Breffni Farm. T-Shane Sands. J-Walter Rodriguez. Privately purchased from the breeder after a half-dozen mostly uninspiring starts, the Curlin filly ran a career-best Beyer and appears to be just coming around. The pedigree is solid: dam Auntjenn was twice stakes-placed, five times ran Beyers between 81 and 83 for Brad Cox, and out of four foals to race has also produced GSW Petulante ($254k) and SW The Donegal Clan...

The latest salvo in the fight over the legality of a suite of Racing On Demand slot machine-style pari-mutuel games that were removed from Santa Anita by state Department of Justice (DOJ) law enforcement officers Saturday afternoon was fired Tuesday by the track, which filed a writ of mandate against the DOJ in the Los Angeles Superior Court. There had been 26 such machines in total operating in the Santa Anita grandstand pavilion since last Thursday. They offered $1 bets and required gamblers to select the first three finishers of...

Two days after first being quietly unveiled at Santa Anita, the Racing on Demand slot machine-style parimutuel games-with distinct similarities to Historic Horse Racing-were removed from the track by Department of Justice law enforcement officers Saturday afternoon in a pubic operation that saw DOJ personnel wheel the machines out the back of the Santa Anita grandstand on gurneys during racing. Given the apparent abruptness of the law enforcement operation, little information was shared publicly about who and what precipitated the action. But reached briefly Sunday morning, Los Angeles Turf Club...