Santa Anita Park Picks | Cinema Stakes 2024

Fresh off a front-running allowance win at 1 1/8 miles on turf, Final Boss returns to the stakes ranks in the $100,000 Cinema Stakes for 3-year-olds, also at 1 1/8 miles on turf, Sunday at Santa Anita Park. Sunday is closing day of the Santa Anita Hollywood Meet.

First post Sunday is 12: 30 p.m. PT. Admission gates open at 10:30 a.m.

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Trained by John Sadler, Final Boss scored by 1 ¼ lengths in the allowance win under Juan Hernandez May 12 at Santa Anita. This will be his third attempt at a stakes win. On Feb. 17, he tried the Baffle Stakes sprinting on the hillside turf course and finished fourth. The American Pharoah colt ended his 2-year-old season with a fifth-place effort in the one-mile Eddie Logan Stakes on turf Dec. 29 at Santa Anita.

Final Boss will be ridden by Juan Hernandez. He is 6: 2-1-0 with $91,500 in earnings for owners Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds.

Trainer Michael McCarthy has three entered. Stakes-placed Blue Eyed George makes his first start at Santa Anita after previously being based with McCarthy’s string in Kentucky. Most recently, the Flameaway colt finished 11th at 42-1 in the GII American Turf at 1 1/16 miles on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 4.

Prior to the American Turf, Blue Eyed George was third in the Crescent City Derby on dirt at Fair Grounds, third in the Battaglia Memorial on synthetic at Turfway Park and second in the Leonatus Stakes at Turfway.

Owned by BG Stable, Blue Eyed George is 7: 2-1-2 with $116,775 in earnings. He will be ridden by Umberto Rispoli in his local unveiling.

Sea Singer was imported from Ireland last year and promptly finished seventh in the GIII Del Mar Juvenile Turf in September. The Sea The Moon gelding didn’t resurface until May 5 at Santa Anita when again finishing off the board in an allowance/optional claimer at one mile on turf.

Owned by Team Valor International, Sea Singer is 4: 1-0-0 with $20,875 in earnings. He will be ridden by Abel Cedillo.

McCarthy’s third runner is Gold Foot. The Goldencents gelding has won two straight, both at 1 1/8 miles on Santa Anita’s turf course, but is taking a big step up in class. He first won a starter/optional claimer on April 27 then came back to win a straight starter allowance from off the pace May 26.

Gold Foot is 8: 3-1-0 with $70,000 in earnings for owner Stepside Farm LLC. H will be ridden by Kyle Frey, who was aboard for his two most recent victories.

British Isles makes his stakes debut for trainer Richard Baltas. British Isles went winless in five starts with trainer Bob Baffert to start his career before being transferred to Baltas following a private sale. In his second start for Baltas May 4 at Santa Anita, the Justify colt graduated going 1 1/8 miles on turf.

British Isles, who is 7: 1-2-0 with $64,280 in earnings, is owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Baltas and Jerry McClanahan. He will be ridden by Santa Anita’s leading rider Antonio Fresu.