Santa Anita Park statistics, horse racing notes

SANTA ANITA LEADERS

Through Thursday

JOCKEYS / WINS

Rafael Bejarano / 55

Santiago Gonzalez / 44

Flavien Prat / 38

Edwin Maldonado / 28

Joe Talamo / 25

TRAINERS / WINS

Philip D’Amato / 25

Doug O’Neill / 24

Jerry Hollendorfer / 19

Bob Baffert / 18

Richard Baltas / 17

STAKES SCHEDULE

SANTA ANITA

Saturday

• $500,000 Grade I Santa Margarita Stakes, 4-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/8 miles

• $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes, 4-year-olds and up, fillies and mares bred in Califoia, 6 1/2 furlongs (turf)

Sunday

• $100,000 Grade III Las Flores Stakes, 4-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 6 furlongs

DOWN THE STRETCH

• Taris is the 8-5 moing-line favorite for Saturday’s $500,000 Grade I Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita. Gary Stevens will ride the 5-year-old daughter of Flatter for trainer Simon Callaghan in the 1 1/8-mile race for older fillies and mares. Taris goes in off a 5 1/4-length victory in the Grade II La Canada Stakes on Jan. 16. “She couldn’t be training any better,” Callaghan said. “She’s got a good post (outside in seven-horse field). She relaxed well in the La Canada and I couldn’t be happier with the way she’s going.”

• David Hofmans, who saddled Melatonin for a 16-1 upset in last weekend’s Santa Anita Handicap, is uncertain what’s next for the 5-year-old gelding. “The horse looks great and he goes back to the track tomorrow, but I don’t know where he’ll run next,” Hofmans said. “I’ll know more in the next four or five days.” One possible destination could be the $500,000 Grade I Gold Cup at Santa Anita on June 25. Melatonin went gate to wire to win the Big ‘Cap, ruing the 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.01.

• Untapable, 2014 Breeders’ Cup Distaff champion, will make her 5-year-old debut Saturday in the $350,000 Grade II Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Untapable, trained by Steve Asmussen, made her 2015 debut in the same race, finishing second, before wiing the Grade I Apple Blossom Stakes at Oaklawn in May. Untapable missed last fall’s Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland when she spiked a fever before the Distaff. The daughter of Tapit, even-money, will break from the No. 7 post in the eight-horse field.

–Art Wilson

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