Through Thursday
JOCKEYS / WINSFlavien Prat / 30
Joel Rosario / 30
Heriberto Figueroa / 20
Tiago Pereira / 18
Mike Smith / 17
TRAINERS / WINSDoug O'Neill / 19
Peter Miller / 16
Richard Baltas / 12
Jerry Hollendorfer / 12
John Sadler / 12
WEEKEND STAKES SCHEDULE (SANTA ANITA)Saturday
• $250,000 Grade II Santa Monica Stakes, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, 7 furlongs
Monday
• $200,000 California Cup Derby, 3-year-olds bred in California, 1-1/16 miles
• $200,000 California Cup Oaks, 3-year-old fillies bred in California, 1 mile (turf)
DOWN THE STRETCH• Six graded-stakes winners, including three who have won Grade I races, are part of Saturday's $250,000 Grade II Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita that drew a field of seven. In addition to Grade I winners Marley's Freedom, Paradise Woods and Dream Tree, Selcourt, Escape Clause and Mopotism have won Grade II stakes. Selcourt is also a Grade III winner. The meet's leading trainer, Doug O'Neill, will saddle 12-1 longshot Mopotism in the 7-furlong race. "The most important thing is she's doing really, really well right now," O'Neill told Ed Golden of Santa Anita publicity.
• O'Neill had opened a five-win lead, 19-14, over runner-up Peter Miller in the Santa Anita trainer standings heading into Thursday's eight-race card. The Michigan native had started a meet-high 110 horses, well clear of second-place Miller's 73. "I'm very happy and grateful to the owners and our staff," O'Neill told Golden. "We're enjoying our success and hope we can keep it going." O'Neill will be busy again Saturday, saddling horses in seven of the 10 races. "I came here from Detroit and hope to stay here forever," O'Neill said. "I love it."
• Blind Luck, Gio Ponti, Rags to Riches, Royal Delta and Havre de Grace were named Thursday as finalists for the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, along with trainers Mark Casse, Christophe Clement and David Whiteley and jockey Craig Perret. Hall of Fame voters are allowed to cast ballots for as many of the candidates as they feel are worthy. Finalists who receive a majority of the vote (50.1 percent) will be elected to the Hall of Fame. The old rule that capped the number of inductees at four was eliminated last year. Ballots will be mailed to voters March 1 and the results will be announced April 22.
— Art Wilson