Santa Anita: Roll On Big Joe wins depleted Palos Verdes

Roll On Big Joe earned the biggest win of his career Saturday when he scored a front-running victory under Umberto Rispoli in the Grade 3, $100,000 Palos Verdes Stakes going six furlongs at Santa Anita.

The 5-year-old’s chances received a big lift Saturday morning when 2-5 morning-line favorite Big City Lights, was scratched by trainer Richard Mandella. Winning trainer Bob Hess Jr. said he had a flight booked to Oaklawn for Roll On Big Joe on Tuesday but decided to stay after the favorite scratched.

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Sent off the 2-1 second choice in the field of five older horses, Roll On Big Joe broke alertly and soon found himself dueling on the lead up the backstretch with For All Mankind (9-2) through an opening quarter-mile in 22.40 seconds.

Roll On Big Joe edged clear of For All Mankind on the turn, reached the quarter pole in 44.16 seconds and extended his lead through the stretch to win by four lengths. For All Mankind, ridden by Antonio Fresu, held second by three-quarters of a length over 3-2 favorite Bartholdy.

The winning time was 1:08.60 on the fast main track.

“He always breaks sharp,” Rispoli said. “The key with him is not to fight him. ... Today he was really relaxed for me. At the three-eighths he pointed his ears, and I said OK, we look like we are in good shape.”

In his only previous stakes try, Roll On Big Joe finished second behind champion Straight No Chaser in last fall’s Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2).

Rispoli also rode Roll On Big Joe’s four previous starts. Most recently they teamed to win a second-level allowance going 6 1/2 furlongs Jan. 3 at Santa Anita.

Roll On Big Joe is a Florida-bred gelding by Prospective. He improved to 15: 5-5-1 with $298,580 in earnings for owners Rancho Temescal, White Fence and Dick Hale.

“The owners were patient with him when he was young and allowed him to go through some growing pains,” Hess said. “I think he’s improving.”

The Palos Verdes was Hess’s first graded-stakes win since the 2023 Cougar II (G3) at Del Mar with Order and Law. It was his first Santa Anita graded-stakes victory since Cairo Memories finished first in the 2022 Honeymoon (G3).

“Rancho Temescal and the Cohen family (who owns it have) been great for the industry for 50 years,” Hess said. “Then we brought in Dick Hale, who I’ve worked for for 35 years, and David Marabella, who I’ve worked for for 30 years. It’s very satisfying for me, more for the people involved.

Roll On Big Joe paid $6.00, $3.40 and $2.20. For All Mankind, ridden by Antonio Fresu for trainer John Sadler, returned $3.80 and $2.40. Bartholdy, with Tyler Baze up for trainer Steve Knapp, paid $2.10.