Santa Anita news: Recovering Espinoza scheduled to breeze horses
Triple Crown-winning jockey Victor Espinoza is set to return to the saddle after recovering from major injuries in a training accident at Del Mar on July 22.
“We plan to work horses next Saturday,” said his agent, Brian Beach. “We need to see where he is in his fitness, so there’s no set date as to when he’ll ride his first race.”
Previously, the middle of January had been mentioned as a target date.
AFLEET ASCENT RETURNS TO HILL ON NEW YEAR’S DAY
Afleet Ascent returns to a venue he favors, Santa Anita’s unique downhill turf course, in Tuesday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes at about 6 ½ furlongs.
Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer for Ed and Susie Orr, Afleet Ascent is coming off a seventh-place finish in the restricted Let It Ride at one mile Nov. 10, but has two wins and a second down the hill at Santa Anita, the second coming in the Baffle Stakes last February.
The Joe Hernandez is named for the legendary Voice of Santa from opening day, Christmas, 1934, until he fainted at the microphone on Jan. 27, 1972. During that time, he called an incredible 15,587 races in a row— with each stanza beginning, “And There They Go…”
Hernandez was not only a race caller, but a highly respected sportswriter, handicapper, jockey and bloodstock agent, radio and television producer, music composer, actor, athlete and philanthropist.
First post time for the 10-race program on New Year’s Day will be 12 noon PT.
FINISH LINES: Happy birthday number 72 to all-time great Laffit Pincay Jr., who will be on hand Saturday to present the trophy for the Grade 1 American Oaks. Santa Anita’s Winter Meet leading rider a record 14 times, Pincay is also Santa Anita’s all-leading rider, with 2,860 Arcadia wins...Bob Baffert plans to enter both promising maiden winner Coliseum and Much Better in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes on Jan. 5, an important starting point for 3-year-olds on the Triple Crown trail. Joe Talamo rides the gray Coliseum, owned by Goldolphin LLC.
...Congratulations to apprentice Heriberto Figueroa on recording a triple Friday, winning the fourth race on Shut It Up ($16.20) for Doug O’Neill, the seventh on Aristocratic ($5) for Peter Miller and the featured Eddie Logan Stakes aboard Bob and Jackie (7.80) for Richard Baltas, who has nine — count ‘em, nine — horses entered on Sunday’s program. He ran one-two in Friday’s Eddie Logan Stakes with Bob and Jackie and favored Rijeka. O’Neill, meanwhile, is off to a flying start with three wins the first two days.
“Things are going well and the crew is doing a great job,” said O’Neill, who won Santa Anita’s Winter Meet title three straight times from 2004-5 through 2006-07. “We’ve got a great team and the horses are feeling good right now.”