Santa Anita: Big City Lights goes for Palos Verdes repeat

Big City Lights, winner of the Grade 3, $100,000 Palos Verdes in 2024, will look to make it back-to-back successes in the six-furlong sprint when he takes on five rivals including graded winner Anarchist Saturday at Santa Anita.

Big City Lights, trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, got up just in time in last year’s Palos Verdes to score by a nose as the odds-on favorite. He enters this year’s edition in perhaps the best form of his career.

Big City Lights most recently crushed state-bred foes by 7 3/4 lengths when winning the California Cup Sprint going six furlongs on Jan. 18 at Santa Anita. The effort earned a career-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form. A 6-year-old horse by Mr. Big, Big City Lights has a record of 13: 7-4-2 with $578,420 in earnings for owner Wiliam R. Peeples. He will break from the rail under Juan Hernandez.

Drawn directly outside of Big City Lights is graded winner Anarchist, who will be making his first start since September when he shipped to Korea and finished third in the Korea Sprint (G3). Trained by Doug O’Neill, Anarchist earned his biggest win in 2022 when taking the Pat O’Brien (G2) going seven furlongs at Del Mar.

Anarchist is a 6-year-old horse by Distorted Humor. Owned by Ilium Stables, he is 15: 3-7-1 with $572,078 in earnings. Anarchist will have Edwin Maldonado in the irons.

Roll on Big Joe and For All Mankind step up to the graded ranks after running one-two in second-level allowance going 6 1/2 furlongs Jan. 3 at Santa Anita.

Roll On Big Joe prevailed by three-quarters of length over For All Mankind after setting the pace that day. Trained by Bob Hess Jr., Roll On Big Joe’s only previous stakes try was a runner-up effort in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) in September.

A 5-year-old gelding by Prospective, Roll On Big Joe is owned by Rancho Temescal, White Fence and Richard Hale Jr. He is 14: 4-5-1 with $238,850 in earnings. Umberto Rispoli rides Roll On Big Joe.

For All Mankind also makes his first stakes start since last year’s Santa Anita Sprint Championship. He faded to sixth that day after being forwardly placed. Trained by John Sadler for owner Hronis Racing, For All Mankind is 13: 3-3-2 with $119,569 in earnings. The 6-year-old gelding by Into Mischief will be ridden by Antonio Fresu for the first time.