Barn tour: Glatt has candidates to fill Dr. Schivel’s shoes

Arcadia, Calif.

Trainer Mark Glatt is looking to fill a big hole in his stable following the retirement of top sprinter Dr. Schivel, but the veteran conditioner says he has several young horses and a couple European imports who could ease the sting of the stable star’s departure.

Glatt, 51, interviewed Sunday alongside the rail at the top of the stretch at Santa Anita, said two-time Grade 1 winner Dr. Schivel left a big void when he was retired to Taylor Made Stallions in Nicholasville, Ky., in October. After all, the son of Violence finished his career with nearly $1.35 million in earnings and a 15: 7-2-3 record, including victories in the Bing Crosby and Del Mar Futurity, both Grade 1s, and a heart-breaking nose loss to Aloha West in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

“Right now we have a lot of young horses,” Glatt said. “We’re looking for the next Dr. Schivel, hoping one of them will take his spot.”

While the good doctor will be a hard act to follow, Glatt said he has a number of up-and-coming horses and a pair of recent European imports who might be able to fill the void. Here’s a rundown of some of those promising runners inhabiting his shedrow at Santa Anita or expected to join him there soon:

Watsonville, winner of the Mathis Mile (G2) on opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting on Dec. 26: “He’s a 3-year-old who just now turned 4,” Glatt said. “Very consistent horse. He’s gotten a little better with each start. He’s a Grade 2 winner now. He’s going to have to face older horses this year, which is always a step up in class, but he’s a young horse that’s improving. We decided to give him a little bit of a break after the Mathis Mile, so we won’t see him until a little later into the spring. He’d had quite a 3-year-old campaignm so we just felt like it was a good time to back off on him and let him get a little break. Hopefully he’ll be here in the spring or early summer and he’ll be ready to roll again.”

Another opening-day winner was Judge Miller, a just turned 3-year-old who broke his maiden in a seven-furlong dash in his second start:

“He’s a full brother to Clairiere, who’s one of the top fillies and mares over the last couple years, so he’s got as good a pedigree as there is,” Glatt said. “He’s a big strong horse. Got a little late start to his career, but he’s a big horse. And I think the sky’s the limit for him. We’ll come back in a first-level allowance condition. He’s sprinted twice. He’s won sprinting, which he’s not really bred to be a sprinter nor is he really a sprinter, but his abilities gave him a good chance to win and he did. …. So looking forward to getting him stretched out around two turns, and I think he has the potential to develop into any kind of horse.”

Glatt also has a proven winner by the name of Chatalas, a Gun Runner filly who won Chandelier (G2) at Santa Anita on Oct. 7.

“She’s getting a little break too before she starts her 3-year-old campaign,” he said. “But she’s a high-quality filly”

Other new faces in the Glatt barn at Santa Anita, which typically has between 50 and 60 residents, augmented by runners preparing for their first starts at San Luis Rey Downs and training centers in Florida and Tesas, are a pair of European imports recently purchased by Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners.

“One filly’s name is Khinjani, and she’ll be running soon,” he said. “The other one (Montjica) just got here. They both come with excellent credentials from overseas. Just going to see where they will end up fitting here in the United States. They were pretty high-class fillies overseas, so hopefully they’ll maintain their form or perhaps even get better here in the U.S. with firmer ground. That’s the idea at least.”

Even if his experienced runners don’t step up into Dr. Schivel’s big shoes, Glatt, who is currently third in the Santa Anita standings, has several newcomers who could possess that kind of ability.

“I’ve got a lot of 2-year-olds just turned 3 that are very close to a start or ready to run,” Glatt said. “There’s a few of those who look like they could be quality animals.

“A filly called Nay V Belle who’s by Midshipman. She has trained very well leading up to her debut. We’ve got another young horse by the name of Santarena, who’s an Omaha Beach colt. He sure acts the part to this point. They’re both probably within 30 days of a race. I’ve got a Blame colt that’s trained very well. His name is Ball Don’t Lie.”

And even if those promising runners don’t live up to his expectations, Glatt has something else to look forward to: Dr. Schivel’s future sons and daughters.

“I’m sure the owners will support him at some level, and hopefully we’ll get a few of them,” Glatt said.