Santa Anita Stable Notes: San Pasqual Nominee Arrogate To Work Tuesday

Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Arrogate, a leading contender for Horse of the Year along with California Chrome, is scheduled to work at 9 a.m. Tuesday for a possible start in the Grade II San Pasqual Stakes for four-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles, a race that could lead to the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28.

A three-year-old gray son of Unbridled’s Song trained by Bob Baffert for Juddmonte Farms, Inc., Arrogate has won his last five starts including the Classic, in which he handed California Chrome a half-length defeat, ending a six-race winning streak for the popular California-bred son of Lucky Pulpit, himself Horse of the Year in 2014.

California Chrome is scheduled to have his final career race in the Pegasus. Trainer Art Sherman plans to ship the five-year-old chestnut to Florida from his Los Alamitos headquarters on Jan. 6, with three works over the track before the inaugural Pegasus at 1 1/8 miles.

STEVENS WALKS THE WALK AFTER HIP SURGERY

Gary Stevens was moving with alacrity on an invigoratingly brisk Monday morning at Clockers’ Corner after undergoing surgery last Wednesday for replacement of his left hip at St. John’sHospital in Santa Monica.

”Everything went pretty well,” the Hall of Fame rider said. “I had (right) knee surgery in the past and on a scale of one to 10 from what I felt with my knee, the pain on this is a one. I was out of recovery for an hour and the nurse had me up and walking. There is some pain from the swelling, but that’s it.

“They said it would be 12 weeks before I can ride competitively, but my body will tell me when I’m ready. The doctor said I could get on horses in six weeks but he’d prefer to have me wait until eight weeks.”

SANTA ANITA WAGERING MENU INCLUDES ENHANCED PICK SIX

Santa Anita’s Winter Meet offers fans a comprehensive pari-mutuel betting menu that will include an enhanced Pick Six with a Single Ticket Jackpot component. Seventy percent of the pool will continue to be paid out to those with six winners, and the same 70 percent will be carried over in the event there are no tickets with six winners.

Consolation tickets will now be paid with 15 percent of the remaining pool, while the remaining 15 percent will be allocated for a separate “jackpot,” which will be paid in the event of a single winning ticket. On a mandatory payout day, consolation payoffs will be made just as they ordinarily would on any other racing day.

Santa Anita will also continue to offer the nation’s lowest major track takeout of 15.43 percent on win, place and show wagers, as well as the popular 50 cent Players Pick Five, one dollar exactas, one dollar trifectas, two dollar rolling Daily Doubles, one dollar rolling Pick Threes, an early and late 50 cent Pick Four, a one dollar Super High Five and 10 cent Superfectas.

Santa Anita’s 2016-17 Winter Meet Wagering Menu will offer the following:

-$500,000 guaranteed Late Pick 4 each weekend (excluding Sun. Feb. 5)

-$300,000 guaranteed Late Pick 4 each weekday

-$100,000 guaranteed Pick 6 each weekend

-The 50 cent Players Pick 5. Comprised of races one through five, the Pick Five features a low takeout of 14 percent. If no one correctly selects all five winners, 100 percent of the net pool is carried over to the next racing day.

-Two dollar Win, Place & Show wagering on each race, featuring the lowest takeout (15.43 percent) of any major racetrack in the nation.

-One dollar Trifectas on each race (minimum of four runners required).

-10 cent Superfectas will be offered on all races (minimum of six horses scheduled to start).

-One dollar Exactas are offered on each race.

-The newly enhanced two dollar Pick Six will be on the final six races each day.

-The 50 cent early Pick 4 will cover races two, three, four and five, each day. The Late Pick 4 will cover the final four races on each card.

-Rolling two dollar Daily Doubles, which feature a 20 percent takeout.

-One dollar rolling Pick Threes will start with the first race each day.

-One dollar Super High Five, which requires bettors to correctly select the first five finishers in each day’s final race (minimum of eight runners) will again be offered. If no one selects the top five horses in exact finish order, 100 percent of the net pool carries over to the next day.

For more information on Santa Anita’s Winter Meet, visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

MORE NEWS

Champion filly Songbird is due back at Santa Anita from WinStar Farm in Kentucky the second week in January, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Monday morning . . . Hollendorfer added that Unique Bella, who worked six furlongs Monday under Mike Smith in 1:12.60, is ticketed for the Grade II Santa Ynez Stakes at seven furlongs on Jan. 8 . . . FrontRunner winner Gormley, headed for the Sham Stakes on Jan. 7, worked five furlongs for John Shirreffs in 1:00.40 . . . After a recent spate of rain, there were 279 recorded workouts at Santa Anita Monday, including 13 on the training track . . . Unable to connect on his flight from Kentucky, jockey David Flores missed his ride on Constellation in today’s Grade I La Brea Stakes. Flavien Prat picked up the mount for Hollendorfer . . . Players wishing to gain a seat in the 2017 National Handicapping Championship Challenge in Las Vegas Jan. 7 or get a head start in the 2018 event can buy in to Santa Anita’s Players Choice contest for $500, a $300 bankroll plus a $200 entry fee. The top five finishers in the Players Choice competition will have their choice of a 2017 or 2018 NHC Challenge entry. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top four Players Choice finishers as follows: $10,000, $2,500, $1,500 and $1,000. For further information, visit santaanita.com/contest.

Source: Santa Anita Park