Michael McCarthy has quickly proved he can train just about any horse by a variety of stallions. So how will he do against an always-tough Bob Baffert onslaught in the April 4 Santa Anita Oaks (G2) when he brings two by a leading sire such as Gun Runner ?
The Gun Runner fillies have vastly different experience levels. Meaning is the 3-5 morning-line favorite in the 1 1/16-mile Oaks off her victory in the Feb. 8 Las Virgenes Stakes. After battling odds-on favorite Explora throughout the stretch, Meaning won by a decisive 1 1/2 lengths.
Meaning started only twice as a 2-year-old, but they were impressive outings. She trounced maidens by 3 1/2 lengths in September, and with only that race behind her took on the best in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). Meaning finished a creditable fourth after encountering tight quarters deep in the second turn of that 1 1/16-mile test.
Not only is Meaning a daughter of Gun Runner, she is out of a mare by perennial leading sire Into Mischief . That mare, Figure of Speech, ran third in the 2019 Spinaway Stakes (G1) and comes from a family that includes Flying Continental, an iron horse from the early 1990s with many of his 51 starts occurring at Santa Anita.
Juan Hernandez, who has ridden both of Baffert's Oaks entrants, will pilot Meaning for the first time.
Brooklyn Blonde, McCarthy's other Gun Runner filly, is making her stakes debut. Kazushi Kimura has ridden the filly in her three previous starts, including her 1 1/4-length maiden victory March 1, and returns for the Oaks. Though all of the Oaks runners who sold at auction brought at least six figures, Brooklyn Blonde was the most expensive at $510,000, successfully bid by Bobby Flay, who owns her with Sun-Kissed Stable.
The Oaks offers 100 qualifying Kentucky Oaks (G1) points to the winner, along with 50, 25, 15, and 10 points for second through fifth. Baffert, who is looking for his fourth consecutive Santa Anita Oaks win and sixth overall, could certainly scoop up many of those points with his two entries, Forced Entry and French Blue.
The pair finished first and third in the March 8 Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3). Forced Entry, a daughter of Baffert-trained Charlatan , proved an impressive 7 1/4-length winner in her debut Feb. 1, while French Blue, another daughter of Gun Runner, won her first race by 2 1/4 lengths.
Bank Shot, trained by Ryan Hanson, separated the Baffert pair in the Santa Ysabel at 22-1. She also finished third to Meaning in the Las Virgenes at 28-1.
Hypergamy, a daughter of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah trained by Doug O'Neill, is making her main-track debut after eight races on the turf. She is coming off a second in the one-mile China Doll Stakes March 8.
Red Cherry won in her third start and will try stakes competition for the first time. But her connections are first rate—John Sadler trains her for Michael Talla, who co-owns Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) and Beholder Mile (G1) winner Splendora (trained by Baffert).
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, April 4, 2026, Race 6Entries: Santa Anita Oaks presented by Surfside (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Forced Entry (KY) Mike E. Smith 124 Bob Baffert 4/1 2 2Bank Shot (KY) Adrian Escobedo 124 Ryan Hanson 20/1 3 3French Blue (KY) Florent Geroux 124 Bob Baffert 5/1 4 4Hypergamy (KY) Emisael Jaramillo 124 Doug F. O'Neill 20/1 5 5Meaning (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 124 Michael W. McCarthy 3/5 6 6Red Cherry (KY) Armando Ayuso 124 John W. Sadler 30/1 7 7Brooklyn Blonde (KY) Kazushi Kimura 124 Michael W. McCarthy 6/1
Queen Maxima Morning-Line Favorite in Monrovia
Five races after the Santa Anita Oaks, older turf distaff sprinters will vie down the Santa Anita hillside course in the Monrovia Stakes (G3T).
Hernandez will ride Queen Maxima for trainer Jeff Mullins, and that 5-year-old mare is the 4-5 morning-line favorite off back-to-back turf sprint stakes wins at Santa Anita. The seven-horse field includes two shippers: multiple stakes winner Love Appeals trained by Miguel Clement and stakes winner Spirited Boss trained by Jose D'Angelo.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, April 4, 2026, Race 11Entries: Monrovia S. presented by Don Julio (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Queen Maxima (FL) Juan J. Hernandez 124 Jeff Mullins 4/5 2 2Tirupati (KY) Ricardo Gonzalez 124 Jonathan Thomas 6/1 3 3Love Appeals (KY) Emisael Jaramillo 122 Miguel Clement 3/1 4 4Sareeha (IRE) Kazushi Kimura 120 Mark Glatt 15/1 5 5Amorita (KY) Mirco Demuro 120 Richard E. Mandella 12/1 6 6Princesa Moche (PER) Antonio Fresu 124 Doug F. O'Neill 8/1 7 7Spirited Boss (FL) Mike E. Smith 122 Jose Francisco D'Angelo 12/1
