With Straight No Chaser, the Eclipse Award-winning male sprinter of 2024, in the Middle East preparing for the April 5 Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1), five other California sprinters will look to capitalize while he is away in the March 29 San Carlos Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park. The quintet, led by 3-5 morning-line choice Pilot Commander, sprint seven furlongs on the main track.
The San Carlos is one of two grade 3 races worth $100,000 apiece on the Saturday program at the Arcadia, Calif., track—the other being the Wilshire Stakes (G3T) for fillies and mares at a mile on grass, where Augustin Stables' Tirupati is favored over six rivals.
Though Pilot Commander has yet to win a stakes race, he has twice run well in such company, finishing second to Muth in the San Vicente Stakes (G2) in January 2024 and fourth behind Raging Torrent, Stronghold, and Imagination in the Malibu Stakes (G1) in December. He weakened slightly late in each of those two starts, both at seven furlongs, losing the San Vicente by 2 3/4 lengths and the Malibu by 2 1/2 lengths.
He faces significantly easier company in the San Carlos, entering Saturday's race off a confidence-building 2 1/2-length victory against second-level allowance optional claiming runners Feb. 1 when sprinting six furlongs at Santa Anita. That race marked his only start since he turned 4 at the start of the year.
Juan Hernandez, aboard for five of the Justify colt's six starts and all three of his wins, returns in the irons for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and owners CSLR Racing Partners.
Stablemate Fort Bragg, winner of the Dwyer Stakes (G3) last year, is the 3-1 second favorite on the morning line, followed by For All Mankind (7-2), Spirit of Makena (10-1), and Vlahos (12-1).
Spirit of Makena, a 7-year-old, won the San Carlos and the Triple Bend Stakes (G2) during the first half of 2023, but after going unplaced in three starts over the summer and fall, he went to the sidelines. Saturday's race is his first since he ran ninth in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes (G2) in late September of that year. He adds blinkers.
Entries: San Carlos S. (G3)
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, March 29, 2025, Race 3
- Grade III
- 7f
- Dirt
- $100,000
- 4 yo's & up
- 2:00 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1Pilot Commander (KY) | Juan J. Hernandez | 120 | Bob Baffert | 3/5 |
| 2 | 2Fort Bragg (KY) | Kazushi Kimura | 124 | Bob Baffert | 3/1 |
| 3 | 3Spirit of Makena (KY) | Kyle Frey | 124 | George Papaprodromou | 10/1 |
| 4 | 4For All Mankind (KY) | Antonio Fresu | 120 | John W. Sadler | 7/2 |
| 5 | 5Vlahos (KY) | Edwin A. Maldonado | 122 | Doug F. O'Neill | 12/1 |
Tirupati FavORED After Buena Vista Near Miss
Tirupati, caught in the closing strides when second in the March 1 Buena Vista Stakes (G2T), is rematched against two other Buena Vista rivals, fourth-place Uncorked and fifth-place Big Hug. Tirupati is pegged at 7-5 on the morning line with Umberto Rispoli aboard the Jonathan Thomas-trained 4-year-old daughter of Mitole .
A newcomer to a California turf course is Don Alberto Stable's Alpha Bella, who was thrice second in graded stakes on dirt after being sent west from the East Coast to join trainer John Sadler's stable in California. Most recently, she ran fifth in the March 8 B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile Stakes (G1).
The 5-year-old mare has twice won on grass, with the most significant of those two victories coming in the La Prevoyante Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park in January 2024 when racing for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.
"Obviously she was a stakes winner on grass before," Sadler said. "She had been running very well on dirt but then got a bad trip in the Beholder Mile, so we thought this would be a good chance to go ahead and get back on the turf."
Like Pilot Commander, she is by 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, March 29, 2025, Race 8Entries: Wilshire S. (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Tirupati (KY) Umberto Rispoli 120 Jonathan Thomas 7/5 2 2Tahini (KY) Mike E. Smith 120 George Papaprodromou 15/1 3 3Alpha Bella (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 124 John W. Sadler 2/1 4 4Desert Rhapsody (KY) Kyle Frey 120 Doug F. O'Neill 20/1 5 5Uncorked (AUS) Antonio Fresu 124 Philip D'Amato 5/2 6 6Sophisticate (KY) Hector Isaac Berrios 120 John A. Shirreffs 12/1 7 7Big Hug (AB) Armando Ayuso 122 Val Brinkerhoff 30/1
