Juan Hernandez

She rolled into the lane with all the momentum and Forced Entry (Charlatan) carried it right to her first black-type win in the GIII Santa Ysabel Stakes. Debuted Jan. 11 at this venue in a six-furlong turf maiden, she faded to last after having to fight every step of the way, but it was a much different result when she resurfaced Feb. 1 on this main track. Out to set the pace again, they were never able to reel her back in, and Forced Entry cantered home to win easily...

Trainer Bob Baffert had a two-strong chance to earn a record-extending 10th win in Saturday's GII San Felipe Stakes. His best shot looked to be with the 4-5 favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Brant (Gun Runner) who was making his first start back since running third to Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar last November. But it was his other runner, 8-1 shot and $2.4-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale graduate Potente (Into Mischief) who secured the win and 50 Kentucky Derby points for the...

Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Splendora (Audible) picked up her second Grade I Saturday, easily taking down the GI B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile at Santa Anita for Bob Baffert. Saturday's win, the mare's fifth straight in a streak that began back at Del Mar last summer, was her second of her year after she returned victorious in the emotionally-poignant seven-furlong GII D. Wayne Lukas Stakes Feb. 7. Having shown the ability to be versatile in her wins, the 1-9 favorite needed no help in...

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...

'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard' Explora (Blame), last seen running second as the favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, returned to the track Saturday for her 3-year-old debut in the listed Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita. Favored in each of her previous four starts and a winner in two of them, the daughter of Blame has been denied in each of her Grade I tries, suffering a loss earlier in the season to stablemate Bottle of Rogue (Vino Rosso) in the GI Del Mar Debutante. With...

For the sixth time since December Thoroughbred racing on the Southern California circuit has been staged at Los Alamitos Race Course in Orange County, juveniles trained by Bob Baffert swept the winter meet's featured events--the GII Starlet Stakes and GII Los Alamitos Futurity Stakes. One week after Juddmonte homebred Consequent (Into Mischief) took out the fillies' event, earning 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, favored Litmus Test (Nyquist) followed suit in the Dec. 14 Futurity and picked up 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby....

When the GII Los Alamitos Futurity--formerly the Hollywood Futurity, which was also known for a time as the CashCall Futurity--was renamed in 2014, perhaps it should have been labeled as the Bob Baffert Futurity, as the Hall of Famer has now won the race a record 15 times since 1997, including seven straight from 2014 to 2020. To put an exclamation point on his domination in the race, the silver-haired trainer finished one-two-three Saturday, with 3-5 choice Litmus Test (c, 2, Nyquist--Study Hard, by Malibu Moon) bringing home a Baffert...

Juddmonte homebred Salamis (Speightstown) largely avoided traffic issues in what ended up a sit-sprint renewal of the GI Hollywood Derby, and, with clear sailing through the final furlong, was along in the final strides to give his late sire his second new graded winner on the program. The half-brother to Sunday's GI Matriarch Stakes hopeful Segesta (Ghostzapper) was taken back to the latter third of the field by Umberto Rispoli, with odds-on Test Score (Oscar Performance) riding the rails to his inside and Salamis had cover on the back of...

Connections had Queen Maxima (Bucchero) under serious consideration for another start against the boys in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, but instead opted for Friday's sex-restricted $200,000 Listed Senator Ken Maddy Stakes over those same five furlongs. Firming into 7-5 favoritism in the final tick or two, the dual graded winner made that decision look good when racing over the top of her rivals to post a soft victory while snapping a baby two-race skid. Having found trouble when 2 3/4 lengths' sixth as the favorite in the one-mile...

Juan Hernandez, Phil D'Amato and Spendthrift Farm were the leading jockey, trainer and owner, respectively, during the Santa Anita Autumn Meet which concluded Sunday, Oct. 26. It was a ninth jockey's title at Santa Anita for Hernandez, who posted 28 wins from 92 runners (30.4%) and was also tops among jockeys with eight wins in stakes company and $1,707,338 in purse earnings. Umberto Rispoli was runner-up in the standings on 19 winners from 79 mounts ( 24.1%). Among Hernandez's biggest wins at the meet were 'TDN Rising Star' presented by...

The GI Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes winner Test Score (Lookin At Lucky) returned to his winning ways with a sharp victory in the GII Twilight Derby at Santa Anita Park. Facing elite company in three straight races starting May 3 at Churchill Downs, where he ran second to Zulu Kingdom (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), Test Score rebounded to secure the aforementioned Belmont Derby, and again hit the board two back Aug. 2 at Saratoga in the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational as World Beater (Oscar Performance) turned the tables on him...

Making his belated debut after earning a final bid of $2,000,000 at Keeneland September as a yearling in 2023, Jude (Uncle Mo) proved waiting for as he put in a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'-worthy performance at Santa Anita for Bob Baffert and Zedan Racing Stables Friday. Drawn outside his favored stablemate in second time starter Into Midnight (Into Mischief), Jude earned second billing of the three Bob Baffert-trained starters, going off at 3-1 just off the rail while Mutaz (Nyquist), also owned by Zedan, had improvement to find...