Santa Anita: Thomas, D'Amato discuss closing-day feature

The Santa Anita spring meet closes Sunday with a highly competitive 12-race card featuring large fields and mandatory payouts in all wagering pools. First post is 3:30 p.m. EDT.

Highlighting the program on Father’s Day is Santa Anita traditional closing-day feature, the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes at about 1 3/4 mile on turf. On Saturday morning, trainer Jonathan Thomas reported Mrs. Astor, who is the morning line favorite in both the San Juan Capistrano and Saturday’s Possibly Perfect for filles and mares, would run in the Possibly Perfect at 1 1/4 miles on turf.

“I just think (the Possibly Perfect) is better to set her up for Del Mar,” said Thomas, who still has long shots Time Song (8-1) and For Arrogate (20-1) in the San Juan Capistrano. “She’s already a graded winner, so we didn’t have to take that into the equation. I also didn’t want her to possibly have to gut herself against the boys, although it’s not like Saturday is a shoo-in. She still has to show up and run.”

As for the more fancied of Thomas’s two remaining runners, Time Song, he most recently returned from a 5 1/2-month layoff to finish third in a one-mile optional claimer/starter allowance on turf June 7. A 4-year-old gelding, Time Song is by Not This Time out of the Smart Strike mare New Song, breeding that suggests he should like longer distances.

“It’s more of a pedigree play with him,” Thomas said. “He has no turn of foot, but he seems to have a lot of stamina.”

Time Song will have top turf rider Hector Berrios aboard for the first time.

With Mrs. Astor out of the San Juan Capistrano picture, inheriting the favorite’s role is Divin Propos, who will have Ricky Gonzalez up for trainer Phil D’Amato.

In the San Luis Rey (G3) at 1 1/2 miles on March 22, Divin Propos and Gonzalez had the lead in the stretch but were overtaken late by winner Atitlan to finish second. Divin Propos was subsequently sent to Pimlico where he tried the Dinner Party (G3) at 1 1/8 miles on May 17. He finished a no-threat fourth that day under Luis Saez.

“That last race here (the San Luis Rey) was a really good effort and Ricky Gonzalez seems to get along with him well,” D’Amato said.

D’Amato has won the San Juan Capistrano three times, which came consecutively from 2019 to 2021. Divin Propos, a 5-year-old France-bred gelding by George Vancouver, is seeking his first stakes win.

The expected pacesetter in the San Juan Capistrano is Balladeer, who’ll have Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux up for trainer George Papaprodromou. Most recently, Balladeer showed the way in the Whittingham (G2) at 1 1/4 miles and had the lead at the eighth pole before ultimately finishing fourth, 1 1/4 lengths back of winner Atitlan.

While Balladeer customarily wears blinkers, they will be removed for the San Juan Capistrano.

“He’s going a little further,” Papaprodromou explained. “He’s worked a couple times without them and he seems to relax a little more. Hopefully it will be the same in the afternoon.”