Hronis Racing's Accelerate and Suzanne and William Warren Jr.'s City of Light both won grade 1 races March 10 at Santa Anita Park, but at different distances, and will meet in the middle Saturday for the 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap.
After a trouble-filled victory in the Feb. 3 San Pasqual Stakes (G2), Hronis Racing's chestnut son of Lookin At Lucky splashed home to his first top-level win in the March 10 Santa Anita Handicap (G1).
The $400,000 Triple Bend Stakes (G1) might not have the star power that was expected, but a top-level performer still remains in the six-horse field March 10 at Santa Anita Park.
Accelerate changed his connections' opinion about his distance limitations with his first start of 2018, and now he's back to try 1 1/4 miles again in the $600,000 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) March 10.
Hronis Racing's Accelerate and jockey Victor Espinoza went on quite a journey in the $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes (G2) Feb. 3 at Santa Anita Park, but it all worked out in the end.
Trainer John Sadler was confident he had the best horse in the $150,000 Donald Valpredo California Cup Sprint despite what the odds board said, and he was proven right emphatically by Edwards Going Left Jan. 27 at Santa Anita Park.
For the California-based trio of Hronis, his brother Pete, and their trainer John Sadler, the Pegasus will be filled with a gamut of emotions.
The $150,000 Donald Valpredo California Cup Stakes, which comes on a Jan. 27 card that features nine Cal-bred races (four stakes) at Santa Anita Park, is no layup.
Edwards Going Left's transformation from maiden claimer to stakes winner was completed Nov. 19 at Del Mar.
Owner Kosta Hronis won't be sad when his best horse retires. He'll be happy.
Hronis Racing's Artistic Diva put on an impressive display of speed to take the $70,000 Anoakia Stakes Oct. 22 at Santa Anita Park.
Del Mar's annual summer meeting came to a close Sept. 4 and the most crucial issue facing the seaside racetrack saw a marked improvement.
Lane's End Sales will consign Eclipse champion and six-time grade 1 winner Stellar Wind to the 2017 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
A day after he ran 1-2 in the TVG Pacific Classic (G1), trainer Bob Baffert was still unsure about the path his two top Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) contenders will take back to Del Mar in early November.
Trainer John Sadler wasn't present when Accelerate was purchased for $380,000 at the Keeneland September sale in 2014 for his major client, Hronis Racing. But he had an idea that it might prove to be a good buy.
The budding rivalry between two of the grittiest females in the country saw a repeat performance July 30 in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) at Del Mar.
A week after stunning Arrogate, the world's top-rated horse, with Hronis Racing's Accelerate in the TVG San Diego Handicap (G2), trainer John Sadler is already eyeing a potential rematch with the gray.
Unlike the TVG San Diego Handicap (G2), when Hronis Racing, trainer John Sadler, and jockey Victor Espinoza upset Arrogate with Accelerate, the connections will occupy the pre-race spotlight in the Clement L. Hirsch (G1) Sunday at Del Mar.
Hronis Racing's Accelerate stunned the world July 22 with a dominant upset in the $300,000 TVG San Diego Handicap (G2). Jockey Victor Espinoza sent the horse to a gate-to-wire victory as Mike Smith was unable to get heavily favored Arrogate going.
Hronis Racing's Stellar Wind and jockey Victor Espinoza simply imitated the tactics they used to take down the four-time champion and namesake of the race at Santa Anita Park.
Songbird may be heading to New York, but the short field entered for the June 3 Beholder Mile Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park still features a showdown of champions and another with similar aspirations.
California-based Stellar Wind shipped out of town and won a grade 1 for trainer John Sadler.
Stellar Wind, who defeated Beholder twice last year after earning a divisional championship in 2015, makes her 2017 debut in Oaklawn Park's Apple Blossom Handicap (G1).
The 7-year-old son of Hard Spun has two wins in his last 17 starts and both have come on the dirt at 1 1/2 miles.
With a relatively short turf prep race under his belt, Michael House's Big John B will attempt to repeat his 2016 victory in the $100,000 Tokyo City Cup (G3) April 2 at Santa Anita Park.
The three-furlong breeze in :36 4/5 was nothing groundbreaking--Stellar Wind happily went through the motions under exercise rider Jose Contreras--but it was simply a starting point
A Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) for the ages on paper played out in real time in the most dramatic and epic way.
Sophomore Accelerate is being asked to make a major step forward in the Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I).
John Sadler chose to say on schedule instead of moving Stellar Wind's workout up because of looming storms in Southern California.
The 5-year-old daughter of High Chaparral (IRE) wins Rood & Riddle Dowager Stakes (gr. IIIT) by a nose over Apple Betty (IRE).
How John Sadler described Stellar Wind's workmate Oct. 21 at Santa Anita Park says a little something about the feelings he has for his champion Curlin filly.
Trainer John Sadler has had a deliberate plan for Stellar Wind's 2016 campaign, and so far, Hronis Racing's Curlin filly has checked off every box.
In close to a carbon copy of their previous meeting, Hronis Racing's Stellar Wind again got the measure of Beholder in the $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes (gr. I) Oct. 1 at Santa Anita Park.
The budding rivalry between champions Beholder and Stellar Wind will see its third round Oct. 1 in the $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes (gr. I) at Santa Anita Park.
Hronis Racing's Accelerate took the long way around the racetrack and had to wait out a lengthy inquiry, but was able to survive both to win his graded stakes debut Sept. 24 in the $200,000 Los Alamitos Derby (gr. II).
They saved the best for last during the Sept. 18 session of the Keeneland September yearling sale when the day’s highest-price of $700,000 was paid by Paul Haughey’s PTK Racing for a Pioneerof the Nile colt.
Book 3 of the Keeneland September yearling sale got off to a strong start early Sept. 18 when a daughter of Mineshaft was sold by Lane's End for $410,000.
California Chrome wasn't the only star on the work tab Sept. 10 in Southern California. Champions of 2015 Stellar Wind and Nyquist both put in drills for upcoming starts, as did 2016 Travers Stakes (gr. I) winner Arrogate.
Hronis Racing's Stellar Wind logged her first breeze Aug. 20 since she defeated three-time champion Beholder in Clement L. Hirsch (gr. I).
If there was ever a time to celebrate, July 30 was the day for trainer John Sadler, who saddled Stellar Wind to an upset victory over Beholder in the Clement L. Hirsch (gr. I) on his 60th birthday.
The two champions were head-and-head from the five-sixteenths pole July 30 in the Clement L. Hirsch (gr. I) at Del Mar, but Stellar Wind outdueled her rival to the wire to win by a half-length, ending an eight-race win streak for Beholder.
Stellar Wind's connections are trying three-time champion Beholder again, after a non-threatening second-place run in the Vanity Mile (gr. I) last time out.
Hronis Racing's Hard Aces took control at the start and repelled a stern challenge from Quick Casablanca around the final turn to win the $100,000 Cougar II Handicap (gr. III) July 24 at Del Mar.
Grade I winner Hard Aces highlights a field of six entered for the $100,000 Cougar II Handicap (gr. III) July 24 at Del Mar.
Three-time champion mare Beholder went through a business-like workout July 17 at Del Mar, where she covered seven furlongs in company in 1:27 under gray skies with regular rider Gary Stevens at the controls and trainer Richard Mandella looking on.
Spendthrift Farm's three-time champion Beholder and 2015 champion 3-year-old filly Stellar Wind will face talented sprinters stretching out in the two-turn Vanity Mile (gr. I) June 4 at Santa Anita Park.
Hronis Racing's Nancy From Nairobi, a British-bred 5-year-old mare, gets her first graded stakes win while winning her third straight mile turf race at Santa Anita in the May 5 Royal Heroine Stakes (gr. IIT).
Santa Anita Park saw a significant increase in on-track attendance and a slight decrease in all-sources handle when its 2015-2016 winter meet came to a close April 10.
It may be more than two months away, but Stellar Wind took an important step toward a potential showdown with fellow Eclipse Award winner Beholder with her first timed workout of 2016 April 2 at Santa Anita Park.
Some of the West Coast's brightest equine stars from last year are getting back into the swing of things at Santa Anita Park.
