The Santa Anita Park Classic Meet wrapped up April 6 with Mark Glatt as leading trainer, Juan Hernandez as the top rider, and Reddam Racing earning the title as leading owner. Live racing will resume at the Great Race Place April 18 with the start of its 29-day Hollywood Meet.
For Glatt, a 52-year-old native of Auburn, Wash., this was his second Santa Anita trainer's title and first at the traditional Classic Meet. He finished the stand with 31 wins from 122 starters (25%) and $1,549,998 in purse earnings. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was second with 26 wins followed by Michael McCarthy (24) and Jeff Mullins (23).
Glatt's biggest win at the Classic Meet came when Freedom's Not Free won the Pasadena Stakes for 3-year-olds going a mile on turf March 9. He also won the trainer's title at the 2023 Santa Anita autumn meet.
Hernandez won 53 races from 232 mounts (23%) to finish well ahead in the race for leading jockey. It was the eighth riding title at Santa Anita for the 33-year-old native of Veracruz, Mexico.
"I'm really happy and grateful to everyone," Hernandez said during a winner's circle celebration on closing day. "I'm thankful for my agent, the owners, trainers, and grooms. They do all the hard work and leave me the easy work."
Hernandez also led all jockeys with 10 stakes wins at the Classic Meet. They include the B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile Stakes (G1) and La Canada Stakes (G1) with Cavalieri, San Vicente Stakes (G2) on Barnes, Santa Anita Oaks (G2) and Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) aboard Tenma, and the Monrovia (G3T) and Wishing Well stakes with Queen Maxima.
Paul and Zilla Reddam's Reddam Racing won 12 races from 69 starters to lead all owners at the Classic Meet. Reddam Racing, which won the Santa Ynez Stakes with Look Forward and California Cup Oaks with Take Another Card, also finished on top in earnings with $647,974.
