Santa Anita news: Rain alters Accelerate's work schedule

A soaking rain forced the closing of Santa Anita’s main track for training Saturday, postponing the scheduled workout for Breeders’ Cup Classic favorite Accelerate, in addition to champion West Coast, who was second to Accelerate in the Awesome Again Stakes Sept. 29.

“Hopefully tomorrow,” trainer John Sadler said when asked when Accelerate would have the first of three planned breezes at Santa Anita before shipping to Kentucky for the Classic, which will be run Nov. 3. “The weather is supposed to clear by 11 o’clock this morning.”

While the rain halted conditioning on the main track, a few hardy souls took to Santa Anita’s training track, among them Simon Callaghan, Keith Desormeaux and Mike Puype.

One trainer moving forward despite the inclement weather was Michael McCarthy, enjoying a noteworthy campaign early on during the 22-day Autumn Meet with four wins, four seconds and two thirds from just 17 starters, an impressive 24 percent victory rate.

McCarthy, 47, has Breeders’ Cup options with multiple Grade 1 winner City of Light (Classic or Dirt Mile), but his preference is for the latter on Nov. 3.

“Missing one day of training is OK,” McCarthy reasoned. “We’re on the West Coast, so we rarely run into this type of weather. On the other hand, as the Breeders’ Cup draws near, you like everything to be as close to on schedule as possible.

“But it’s hard to handicap Mother Nature sometimes. Hopefully, tomorrow everything’s in good shape and we’ll go then.”

WATCH ME BURN MAY SIZZLE ON LEAD IN ANOAKIA

Trainer Val Brinkerhoff looks for a return to form from Watch Me Burn in Sunday’s $75,000 Anoakia Stakes for two-year-old fillies at six furlongs.

The Kentucky-bred daughter of Hold Me Back owned by Val’s wife, Kelly and Bobby Grayson Jr., was fifth by some 12 lengths in the Grade I Del Mar Debutante Sept. 1 after winning her two prior races in front-running fashion by a combined margin of nearly 13 lengths.

“She’s working a lot better now,” Brinkerhoff said. “I ran her three times at Del Mar, then turned her out for a couple weeks and freshened her up. Hopefully, she’ll go to the lead Sunday like she did in her two wins at Del Mar . . . If I get the lead they may never catch me.”

The Anoakia, race five: Watch Me Burn, Alonso Quinonez, 10-1; It’sjustanillusion, Mike Smith, 8-5; Marrazano, Octavio Vergara Jr., 5-1; Andyoushallreceive, Tiago Pereira, 9-2; and Chasing Yesterday, Drayden Van Dyke, 6-5.

HESS, STEVENS MAKE HISTORY WITH THREE WINS TOGETHER

Bob Hess Jr. and Gary Stevens joined forces Friday to create some personal history.

For the first time in their long careers, the 53-year-old trainer and the 55-year-old Hall of Fame jockey won three races together, the early Daily Double by a nose with All Tea All Shade ($5.40) in the first and Give Me A Hint ($3) by 6 ½ lengths in the second, and the seventh with Midnight Miracle ($6.60), who scored by three-quarters of a length.

“That definitely was the first time Gary ever won three in one day for me,” Hess said, adding that he has won three in one day several times in the past.

The first winner is owned and was bred in California by Paul and Cathy Schroeder, who race as Schroeder Farms, LLC. The second winner also is owned and was bred by the Schroeders, in addition to Welton and Beata Manfield and Hess. Midnight Miracle is owned by Loooch Racing Stable and was bred in Kentucky by Bobby McQueen and Dale Taylor.

“They’re lovely, lovely people,” Hess said of his owners.

Friday’s triple moved Hess and Stevens among the meet leaders, Hess with four wins from 12 starters (33 percent), and Stevens with seven wins from 24 mounts (29 percent).

FINISH LINES: Jockey Martin Garcia, injured in a training mishap Sept. 22, will resume working horses Sunday “so we’re back in business,” agent Thom Mitchell said Saturday . . . Jockey Ruben Fuentes has been suspended four days (Oct. 13, 14, 18 and 19) for causing interference on Queen of the Track in last Friday’s third race . . . Jockeys Matt Garcia and Tiago Pereira have been fined $200 each for disorderly conduct (an altercation in the jockeys’ room at Del Mar) last Sept. 3.