SANTA ANITA LEADERS

Through Thursday

Jockeys / Wins

Antonio Fresu / 31

Juan Hernandez / 27

Hector Berrios / 21

Armando Ayuso / 20

Umberto Rispoli / 16

Trainers / Wins

Phil D’Amato / 22

John Sadler / 16

Steve Knapp / 14

Bob Baffert / 14

Mark Glatt / 12

UPCOMING STAKES

SANTA ANITA

Saturday

$100,000, Grade III Daytona Stakes, 3-year-olds and up, about 6 1/2 furlongs on turf

$100,000 Possibly Perfect Stakes, fillies and mares, 3 and up, 1 1/4 miles on turf

Sunday

$100,000, Grade III San Juan Capistrano Stakes, 3 and up, about 1 3/4 miles on turf

LOS ALAMITOS

Saturday

$75,000, Grade III Abigail Kawananakoa Handicap, quarter-horse fillies and mares, 3 and up, 350 yards

Sunday

$900,000, Grade I Ed Burke Futurity, 2-year-old quarter horses, 350 yards

DOWN THE STRETCH

The San Juan Capistrano Stakes, Santa Anita’s distinctive closing-day feature, drew eight horses trying the about-1 3/4-mile trip on turf for the first time. The sharp 5-year-old mare Mrs. Astor (Umberto Rispoli riding) is the best of three trained by Jonathan Thomas, who also entered the 4-year-old gelding Time Song (Hector Berrios) and 4-year-old filly For Arrogate (Drayden Van Dyke). The improving 4-year-old gelding Nitty (Armando Ayuso) jumps in class and distance for Leonard Powell.

Saturday’s deep Daytona Stakes marks the return of Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint runner-up and Joe Hernandez Stakes winner Motorious (Antonio Fresu) for trainer Phil D’Amato. He faces fellow graded-stakes winners Bran (Rispoli), Air Force Red (Ayuso), Goliad (Mike Smith), Stay Hot (Juan Hernandez) and Watsonville (Kazushi Kimura). For Saturday’s Possibly Perfect, Mrs. Astor (Rispoli) was entered and will be tough if Thomas chooses that fillies-and-mares race over the San Juan Capistrano.

Fresu led Hernandez, 31 wins to 27, going into the final three days of Santa Anita’s Hollywood Meet as the 34-year-old Italian seeks to end Hernandez’s string of seven Santa Anita winter-spring and fall meet jockey titles dating back to 2022-23. D’Amato leads John Sadler 22-16 as he closes in on his sixth Santa Anita trainer title in 12 meets since 2021.

Doug O’Neill, who trained Raging Torrent to victory over Fierceness in the Metropolitan Handicap last Saturday at Saratoga, goes into Ttoday’s races three wins from becoming the 24th North American trainer with 3,000. O’Neill has 12 horses entered today, Saturday and Sunday at Santa Anita as he tries to reach the milestone at his home track.

— Kevin Modesti