From the Santa Anita Media Team / Victor Ryan:

• O’NEILL, NEW ARRIVAL JARAMILLO STEAL THE SHOW FRIDAY • WORKS: TOP 3-YEAR-OLDS INTREPIDO, DESERT GATE DRILL • FRIDAY’S $2 PICK 6 PAYS $29K; $1 SUNSET PICK 6 RETURNS $26K • KIMURA BAGS 2 MORE WINS FRIDAY, LEADS JOCKEY’S STANDINGS

O’NEILL, NEW ARRIVAL JARAMILLO STEAL THE SHOW FRIDAY

Trainer Doug O’Neill nearly matched a Santa Anita record and veteran jockey Emisael Jaramillo, a new addition to the Santa Anita riding colony, stole the show on a 10-race program Friday at Santa Anita.

O’Neill saddled four winners on the card, which was one victory shy of the most by a trainer in a single day at Santa Anita. Jaramillo, who relocated from Gulfstream Park to ride at the Santa Anita Classic Meet, announced his presence by providing the winning ride on three of O’Neill’s winners.

“Those are days you dream about,” O’Neill said Saturday morning. “The races unfolded perfectly, which so seldomly happens. Just a great day and a credit to our new jockey in town. What a great addition to the colony. He really gave some great rides for us.”

O’Neill won the first three races Friday and then the nightcap. After jockey Edwin Maldonado won the opener for O’Neill with Gemadini ($3.60), Jaramillo scored in the second race with a cagey last-to-first ride aboard Crazy Cavalier ($13.20). Jaramillo then nursed longshot Robusta ($51.60) to a gate-to-wire victory in the third race. In the 10th and final, Jaramillo worked out a trip with Lovin’ On The Run ($6.60) and won comfortably by 1 ¼ lengths.

Jaramillo is a 48-year-old native of Venezuela, where he first rose to the rank of riding legend before coming to the U.S. full-time in the summer of 2015. In Venezuela, Jaramillo was a 13-time champion and is the all-time leading rider with more than 4,000 wins. He also won Venezuela’s Triple Crown on three separate occasions.

Since arriving in the U.S. to stay more than a decade ago, Jaramillo had ridden almost exclusively in south Florida where he consistently ranked among the leading jockeys. Then this winter, Jaramillo made a connection with Santa Anita-based agent Tom Knust at O’Neill’s recommendation and decided to come west.

“I always try to stay one step ahead of the game, make my moves at the right time and not the wrong time,” Jaramillo said. “I thought this was the right time to come to California. The O’Neill racing stable opened the door for me, and I have a great agent. I put those two things together and decided it was the right time.”

Through the first five days of the Classic Meet, Jaramillo has four wins from 16 mounts (25 percent). His first Santa Anita win came on Jan. 2 for O’Neill in a $10,000 claimer aboard Dirt Words.

“I take my job serious everywhere I go and try to stay positive,” said Jaramillo, who has won 1,886 races since arriving in the U.S. “That’s always been the key to success for me.”

Jaramillo has a relatively light Saturday lined up with two mounts scheduled on a 10-race card. He rides Ah Jeez (10-1) for O’Neill in the eighth race and Cullen J (10-1) in the 10th race for trainer Richard Baltas. On Sunday, Jaramillo rides seven of 10 races. His mounts include No Bad Beats (12-1) in the GIII Las Flores Stakes and Miss Lizzy (10-1) in the GIII Las Cienegas, both for O’Neill.

“I’m happy here,” Jaramillo said. “It feels like I’m fitting in right away.”

WORKS: TOP 3-YEAR-OLDS INTREPIDO, DESERT GATE AMONG NOTABLES

Top 3-year-olds Intrepido and Desert Gate each worked six furlongs at Santa Anita Saturday ahead of their respective sophomore debuts. They were among 201 horses to record timed workouts either on the main track of synthetic training track.

Intrepido, trained by Jeff Mullins, was clocked officially in 1:14.80. Jockey Hector Berrios was aboard for the solo drill. By Maximus Mischief, Intrepido won the GI American Pharoah at Santa Anita in October by three-quarters of a length over runner-up Desert Gate. He returned in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and checked in fifth after a slow start.

Mullins was unavailable for comment, but earlier this week Daily Racing Form reported Intrepido was likely to return to action in the GIII Robert B. Lewis going one mile on Feb. 7 at Santa Anita.

Desert Gate hasn’t started since finishing runner-up to Intrepido as the favorite in the American Pharoah. Trained by Bob Baffert, the colt by Omaha Beach worked in 1:11.20.

Multiple horses that ran in graded stakes during opening week of the Classic Meet also got back on the tab Saturday. Simply Joking, third in the GI La Brea behind Baffert-trained winner Usha, worked four furlongs in 46.80 seconds for trainer Michael McCarthy.

Brilliantly, fourth in the La Brea, worked four furlongs in 50.0 for Baffert.

Bartholdy, third in the GII Laffit Pincay Jr. on Opening Day Dec. 28, worked five furlongs in 59.40 seconds for trainer Steve Knapp. Madaket Road, fourth in the GI Malibu on opening day, fired a bullet for Baffert when going five furlongs in 58.20 seconds.

Sumter returned to the tab following a second-place finish in the GII Joe Hernandez on Dec. 29. Trained by Richard Mandella, Sumter worked three furlongs on the training track in 38.0 seconds. Among the notables gearing up for the seasonal bows were multiple graded stakes winner Mrs. Astor and top California-bred mare Grand Slam Smile.

Mrs. Astor, trainer by Jonathan Thomas, worked four furlongs on the main track in 47.0 seconds. She most recently won the GIII Red Carpet at Del Mar on Nov. 23.

Grand Slam Smile worked four furlongs in 47.60 seconds for trainer Sean McCarthy. A seven-time stakes winner—which includes two against open company—Grand Slam Smile most recently won the seven-furlong Betty Grable for statebreds on Nov. 9 at Del Mar.

FRIDAY’S $2 PICK 6 PAYS $29K; $1 SUNSET PICK 6 RETURNS $26K

There were single winning tickets Friday in both the Santa Anita’s $2 Pick Six and the $1 Sunset Pick Six. Santa Anita’s Pick Six paid $29,918, while the Sunset Six returned $26,389. According to track officials, the winning Sunset Six ticket was purchased for just $16 at Hollywood Park OTB in Inglewood. Santa Anita’s winning Pick Six ticket was purchased for $864 at The Derby OTB in nearby Pomona.

The winning horses in Friday’s Santa Anita Pick Six starting with the fifth race were #3 Marcos Performance ($12.40), #6 Kokosan ($3.60), #3 Dakota’s Shadow ($14), #9 Empire Classic ($9.80), #5 Nafisa ($6.80) and #5 Lovin’ On The Run ($6.60).

The Sunet Pick Six combines the final three races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park. It offers a low 15 percent takeout and is open to retail customers only. The winning horses at Gulfstream starting with the eighth race were # Operation Overlord ($7), #5 Bad Gal Party ($12.60) and #7 One Sweet Girl ($9.20).

Saturday’s Pick Six at Santa Anita starts with the fifth race at approximately 2 p.m. PT. The Sunset Pick Six starts at 1:20 p.m. with the ninth race from Gulfstream.

FINISH LINES: Jockey Kazushi Kimura won two races Friday to move atop the jockey’s standings through the first five days of the Classic Meet. Kimura won the eighth race aboard Empire’s Classic ($9.80) for trainer Mike Puype and the eighth race with Nafisa ($6.80) for trainer Bob Baffert. Kimura is now 6-for-27 (22 percent) at the stand…A 10-race card is set for Saturday with first post at 12 p.m. The co-features are the GIII Las Flores for older fillies and mares at seven furlongs, which goes as the fifth at approximately 2 p.m.; and the GII Las Cienegas featuring Queen Maxima for older fillies and mares on the downhill turf course. The Las Cienegas goes as the eighth race at approximately 3:30 p.m… Santa Anita will host a makeup card on Thursday, Jan. 15 following multiple cancellations because of rain. It will begin five straight days of racing ending with a special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday program on Monday, Jan. 19. On MLK Day, on-track patrons will receive free parking via Gate 3 and be treated to $2 hot dogs, $2 beers and $2 sodas…Clocker Toby Turrell will be host Tom Quigley’s handicapping guest Sunday on the Santa Anita simulcast feed starting at 10:50 a.m. PT.