(Journalism / Photos by Holly M. Smith)

From the Santa Anita Media Team / Victor Ryan:

JOURNALISM, TOP OAKS PROSPECT MEANING WORK FOR MCCARTHY

Journalism, winner of last year’s Preakness Stakes, GI Santa Anita Derby and GI Haskell, had his first official workout of the year Sunday at Santa Anita. Also working for trainer Michael McCarthy was Meaning, winner of the Las Virgenes for 3-year-old fillies on Feb. 8. Journalism worked three furlongs in 36.80 seconds.

“Nice and easy,” McCarthy said. “He got in a good rhythm and galloped out well. It’s kind of a maintenance pattern with him right now.”

Journalism has been off since finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1. McCarthy has said the GI Metropolitan Handicap in June at Saratoga is likely the first major target for Journalism this year.

Last year in addition to his trio of Grade I wins, Journalism also finished second in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. The son of Curlin enters his 4-year-old season with a record of 11: 6-3-1 and $4,348,880 in earnings for owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable and partners.

Meaning worked for the first time since her 1 ½-length victory in the Las Virgenes going one-mile. She was officially clocked going four furlongs in 48.40 seconds, though McCarthy said he timed the drill in 49.20.

“I thought it was a nice maintenance move also,” McCarthy added.

The next stakes engagement for 3-year-old fillies on dirt at Santa Anita is the GIII Santa Ysabel going 1 1/16 miles on March 8. It is followed by the GII Santa Anita Oaks on April 4. “We’ll keep all of our options open, but we’d definitely like to make the Santa Anita Oaks,” McCarthy said.

Meaning is owned by Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. Prior to the Las Virgenes, the daughter of Gun Runner finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Oct. 31 at Del Mar. The Juvenile Fillies was just her second start and first time racing around two turns.

SO HAPPY ON TRACK FOR GII SAN FELIPE AFTER SUNDAY DRILL

Trainer Mark Glatt reported So Happy, winner of the GII San Vicente going seven furlongs on Jan. 10, is likely to run in the GII San Felipe on March 7 following a stiff six-furlong work in company Sunday at Santa Anita.

So Happy, with Hall of Famer Mike Smith in the irons, worked with older graded stakes winner Mi Hermano Ramon. Both were timed in 1:11.60, which tied for the fastest of 11 works at the distance.

“I thought everything went well,” Glatt said. “So Happy is just an average work horse, so we worked him with a really good work horse. It was good.”

Last Sunday, So Happy worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds. It was the second-fastest of 73 works at the distance.

After winning his debut sprinting at Del Mar in November, So Happy returned in the San Vicente and promptly scored by two lengths with Smith aboard. The San Felipe, contested at 1 1/16 miles, would be his first time racing around two turns. As a son of champion sprinter Runhappy, distance capabilities remain a major question mark for So Happy. However, there is reason for optimism based solely on pedigree as his dam-sire, Blame, won the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic going 1 ¼ miles.

Nominations for the San Felipe close on Sunday. Entries will be taken a week from Monday.

VODKA VODKA SET FOR BIG ‘CAP, OM N JOY READY FOR GI BEHOLDER

Vodka Vodka and his younger half-sister Om N Joy are both on target for Grade I assignments on March 7 at Santa Anita after each worked five furlongs Sunday at Santa Anita.

Trained by Aggie Ordonez, Vodka Vodka and Om N Joy each worked with Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard. As for Vodka Vodka, he was timed in 1:00.20. Ordonez was pleased with the drill and said he’s set to go in the Santa Anita Handicap in two weeks.

“He’s doing so great right now. I could run him tomorrow,” Ordonez said. “He’s just floating on air, doing everything right. He’s fit. It’s just a matter of keeping him happy while I hold my breath for the next two weeks.”

A 5-year-old California-bred gelding by Stay Thirsty, Vodka Vodka most recently won the Unusual Heat Turf Classic on Jan. 17 at Santa Anita. Prior to that effort, he was fourth in the GII Laffit Pincay Jr. on Dec. 28 in his only stakes try against open company.

Om N Joy worked five furlongs in 59.60 seconds. The 4-year-old California-bred daughter of Om hasn’t started since finishing fourth in the GII Raven Run in October at Keeneland. “It was exactly what I was looking for,” Ordonez said of the drill.

Om N Joy is now confirmed to run in the GI B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile on the Big ‘Cap card. That hoped-for assignment had been in doubt following what was a lackluster work last Sunday by Om N Joy.

“She needed a serious work and it was a serious work,” Ordonez said. “Kent set a target behind two Baffert horses. That’s usually a good idea when you need a good work. It played out perfectly. She had a target and picked it up down the lane immensely. Last week, Om N Joy worked five furlongs in 1:02.6.

“I was a little concerned with her work last week, but Kent made a smart move that day and gave her a strong gallop-out. It turned into a stamina work really,” Ordonez said. “We discussed that she would need to wake up this week and she did.”

Vodka Vodka and Om N Joy were both bred and are co-owned by Jerry Baker and Connie Baker, who were on hand Sunday morning to watch the works.

GI WINNER GOLD PHOENIX REGROUPING AFTER SAN MARCOS MISFIRE

Veteran Grade I winner Gold Phoenix turned in an uncharacteristically flat effort last weekend when making his 8-year-old debut in the Grade III San Marcos. It was his first start since the Breeders’ Cup Turf 3 ½ months earlier at Del Mar.

Sent off the even-money favorite in the 1 ¼-mile San Marcos on turf, Gold Phoenix raced on the outside and in the clear while biding his time near the rear of the field. When asked to pick it up by jockey Kazushi Kimura entering the stretch, Gold Phoenix had no response. He ultimately finished seventh, beating just one horse to the wire.

Trainer Phil D’Amato, who expressed confidence in Gold Phoenix heading into the San Marcos, said the Irish-bred gelding was in good order after the misfire. He offered a couple of potential reasons for the sub-par effort from Gold Phoenix.

“He came out of the race great,” D’Amato said. “I don’t know if it was the four-wide trip that did him in, or if he was short off the layoff, or both. But we’ll just regroup and then decide what we want to do next.”

Gold Phoenix previously was fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 1 at Del Mar. It was his fourth-straight appearance in the race. Owned by Agave Racing Stable, Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables and Marsha Naify, Gold Phoenix has won eight graded stakes and banked more than $2.3 million in earnings in a career that began in 2001 in Ireland. Last year, he most notably won the GII Del Mar Handicap for an unprecedented fourth year in a row. The next major graded stakes on turf for older horses at Santa Anita is the Grade III San Luis Rey going 1 ½ miles on March 21.

FREE PPS FOR SUNDAY CARRYOVERS IN $2 PICK 6, $1 SUPER HIGH 5

There are carryovers Sunday in both the $2 Pick Six and $1 Super High 5 at Santa Anita, as well as the $1 Sunset Pick Six that combines the final three races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.

Santa Anita’s $2 Pick Six carryover is $40,088. Track officials estimate the total pool will reach $300,000. The Super High 5, which will be offered on the 10th and final race, has a $16,854 carryover. The $1 Sunset Pick Six carryover is $23,783.

To aid horseplayers, Santa Anita has teamed with Daily Racing Form to provide free past performance of Sunday’s full card at Santa Anita. They can be accessed at https://promos.drf.com/santaanita25.

Santa Anita’s $2 Pick Six Sunday starts at 2:34 p.m. PT with the fifth race. The Super High 5 carryover will be offered at 5:07 p.m. The Sunset Pick Six starts at 12:49 p.m. with the eighth race from Gulfstream Park.

FINISH LINES: Nominations close Sunday for the GI Santa Anita Handicap, GI B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile, GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile and GII San Felipe, all to be run on March 7. Also closing Sunday are nominations for the GIII Santa Ysabel and China Doll, both to be run on May 8…Trainer Tim Yakteen bagged three wins Saturday on a 10-race card. Yakteen won the opener with Third Beer ($5.20), the sixth with Bowtie Boys ($3.60) and the 10th and final race with longshot Essential Lady ($65.80). Yakteen now has seven wins at the Classic Meet…Jockey Francisco Oduna-Rojas won for the first time at Santa Anita Saturday when guiding Tom’s Star ($7.40) to victory in the fourth race for trainer Martin Valenzuela Jr. Orduna-Rojas primarily rides Los Alamitos night programs and has won 216 Thoroughbred races since 2016, according to Equibase… Sunday’s $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 starts at 1:19 p.m. PT with the ninth race from Gulfstream Park.