Santa Anita kicks off Classic Meet with 6 stakes races

Santa might have finished his business with us mere mortals Monday night, but he has plenty of gifts for local racing fans Tuesday as Santa Anita opens its 49-day Classic Meet with a stakes-filled program.

You’ve heard of the old marketing slogan, “What do you open the day after Christmas?” Well, in this instance it’s Santa Anita and six graded stakes among the 11-race program that kicks off at 11 a.m.

A trio of $300,000 Grade I races – the traditional opening-day Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds, the La Brea for 3-year-old fillies and the American Oaks for sophomore fillies on the grass – highlight the card. Three $200,000 Grade II stakes – the Mathis Brothers Mile, San Gabriel Stakes and San Antonio – also are part of the card.

The Malibu, first run in 1952, attracted a field of eight, highlighted by the Bob Baffert-trained threesome of Fort Bragg, Speed Boat Beach and Hejazi. Baffert was on the fence about entering Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure, but decided to wait for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 27.

Baffert, who won last year’s Malibu with Taiba, will be seeking to match fellow Hall of Famer Richard Mandella with a record-tying sixth victory in the 7-furlong race.

Speed Boat Beach will be reunited with Flavien Prat, who plans to ride full time at Santa Anita until Keeneland opens for its spring meet April 5. Prat has ridden the Bayern colt three times during his six-race career, winning twice. Speed Boat Beach, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, goes into the Malibu off a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.

“I think we’re all excited to get running again,” Santa Anita racing secretary Jason Egan told Victor Ryan of Santa Anita publicity. “Opening day is always a special day for Santa Anita.”

Perhaps one of the most interesting races Tuesday will be the $200,000 Grade II San Antonio Stakes for 4-year-olds and older that serves as the first prep race for the $400,000 Grade I Santa Anita Handicap on March 2.

Trainer John Sadler will unveil Southern American import Subsanador in the 1 1/16-mile race. The 4-year-old son of Fortify has won seven of 12 in his native Argentina, including a trio of Grade I events. The 9-5 morning-line favorite, he’ll be ridden by Prat in his first race since a victory in the Grade II Peru Stakes on July 29.

Sadler, who ranks seventh all-time in stakes victories at Santa Anita, will be looking to add to his total with starters in three of the six stakes.

“We’ve given him plenty of time to acclimate and get used to California tracks,” the 67-year-old Sadler told Santa Anita publicity. “He’s trained really well. You don’t know until you run them, but he has a really good record in South America.”

Sadler expects Subsanador to be forwardly placed in the six-horse field that also includes three other graded-stakes winners.

“He’s a stalker,” Sadler said. “Especially if you look at this race, there’s a lot of speed with Brickyard Ride and Newgrange. I imagine he’ll be coming a little off the pace.”

In addition to the array of jockeys who plan to ride full time this meet, including Prat, Juan Hernandez, Joel Rosario, Umberto Rispoli, Antonio Fresu and Frankie Dettori, East Coast-based Irad Ortiz Jr. is in town to ride in all six stakes races.

Ortiz, a four-time Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top jockey and a recipient of the Shoemaker Award four times for leading rider at the Breeders’ Cup, will be aboard Fort Bragg in the Malibu, Royal Spa in the La Brea and Be Your Best in the American Oaks.

The 31-year-old Ortiz, a native of Puerto Rico, has been a leading rider on the New York circuit since 2012. He’s won 17 Breeders’ Cup races, third all-time behind Mike Smith (27) and John Velazquez (19).

Opening day

When: 11 a.m. Tuesday

Where: Santa Anita Park, Arcadia

How to watch: FanDuel TV