Santa Anita statistics, horse racing notes

SANTA ANITA LEADERS

Through Thursday

JOCKEYS / WINS

Flavien Prat / 31

Rafael Bejarano / 29

Joe Talamo / 29

Evin Roman / 24

Tyler Baze / 16

Tiago Pereira / 16

TRAINERS / WINS

Peter Miller / 27

Richard Baltas / 23

Philip D’Amato / 19

Bob Baffert / 12

Steven Miyadi / 12

STAKES SCHEDULE

SANTA ANITA

Saturday

• $200,000 Grade II Summertime Oaks, 3-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles

• $200,000 Grade II Honeymoon Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, 1 1/8 miles (turf)

Sunday

•$100,000 Grade III Desert Stormer Stakes, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 6 furlongs

DOWN THE STRETCH

•Jack Liebau, former president of Hollywood Park, hopes Santa Anita isn’t forced to go to three-day race weeks permanently. “They may be forced to do that, but I think that would be a total disaster and result in a further decline of racing in Califoia. It would accelerate the downfall,” he said. “First, think about your labor force. You’ve already reduced them by 20 percent when we went to four (days per week) ... and the customers, they aren’t going to stop betting. They’re going to go to New York or Maryland on that day they’re missing. Pretty soon they’ll be following horses on those circuits on the days you’re operating here in Califoia.”

• Gun Runner, the No. 3-ranked horse in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s weekly thoroughbred rankings, was installed as the 4-5 moing-line favorite in Saturday’s $500,000 Grade I Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs. The 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and older attracted a field of eight. Florent Geroux will ride the son of Candy Ride for trainer Steve Asmussen. Trainer Todd Pletcher, who will saddle Stanford in the race, has tons of respect for Gun Runner. “It’s a very, very tall task taking on Gun Runner,” Pletcher told bloodhorse.com. “He’s just a very good horse, but we’re going to give it a shot.”

• A pair of $200,000 Grade II stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday, the Summertime Oaks and Honeymoon Stakes, highlight the weekend’s action at Santa Anita. Trainer Bob Baffert will saddle a pair in the Summertime Oaks, Faypien and Noted and Quoted. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer will send out It Tiz Well, who’s been facing some of the toughest sophomore fillies in the country. Undefeated Sircat Sally will seek her seventh consecutive victory in the Honeymoon, which drew a field of six. Sircat Sally’s toughest competition figures to come from Pacific Wind and Beau Recall.

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— Art Wilson

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