(Tempus Volat / Photo by Benoit & Courtesy of Santa Anita Park)

From the Santa Anita Park Media Team:

POWELL SENDS OUT QUARTET IN OPENING DAY TURF STAKES

Trainer Leonard Powell enters the Classic Meet having already set career-highs for both wins (38) and purse earnings ($2,393,471). On Opening Day Sunday, the 49-year-old Frenchman will look to add his successful season with starters in all three graded stakes scheduled for the lawn.

Powell’s best hope on the day comes with Tempus Volat in the Grade II Mathis Mile for 3-year-olds. The Not This Time colt is 9-2 on the morning line in a field of seven. Two starts back in the Let It Ride Stakes at Del Mar going a mile on turf, Tempus Volat beat multiple horses entered in the Mathis Mile when scoring by three-quarters of a length at 10-1. He then stepped up in the Grade I Hollywood Derby going 1 1/18 miles on Nov. 29 at Del Mar. Tempus Volat stalked the pace in second before crossing the wire fourth, 1 ¾ lengths behind winner Salamis.

“He ran a good race that day—just got beat by the three horses who shipped in from back east,” Powell said. “We finished ahead of all the Californians. Hopefully that’s the case again on Sunday.”

After starting his career with Steve Asmussen, Tempus Volat was entered in the Fasig-Tipton May Digital sale and sold for $180,000 to owner Sondereker Racing. He enters the Mathis Mile 7: 2-1-2 with $160,058 in earnings. He’ll have regular rider Mirco Demuro in the irons.

The Mathis Mile is the first stakes on the Opening Day card. With an early first post of 11 a.m. PT for an 11-race program, it goes as the fifth race at approximately 1:05 p.m. PT. The field in post position order: Hiding in Honduras, Antonio Fresu (6-1); Tempus Volat, Mirco Demuro (9-2); Namaron, Flavien Prat, (3-2); Geometry, Joel Rosario (12-1); Friendly Confines, Irad Ortiz Jr. (7-2); Lyle The Crocodile, Umberto Rispoli (12-1); Maaz, Jose Ortiz (5-1).

In the Grade I American Oaks at 1 ¼ miles, which attracted a competitive field of 11, Powell will send out double-digit longshots Ribbons and Resolve. Ribbons, a daughter of Liam’s Map, will look to steal the race on the front-end with Demuro aboard. She’ll break from the far outside post, which Powell acknowledged is not ideal.

In her most recent start, a first-level allowance for 3-year-olds going a mile on turf in October at Del Mar, Ribbons set a moderate pace under Demuro and had enough late to prevail by a nose over Ambaya, who returns in the Oaks for trainer Jonathan Thomas and is 8-1 on the morning line.

“She’s got speed,” Powell said of Ribbons “We didn’t get a very good post for those tactics. But hopefully she’s fast enough where she can clear early.”

Ribbons began her career based in the east with trainer Brad Cox. After one start in February at Gulfstream, she was entered in the Fasig-Tipton April Digital Sale and was purchased by Sondereker Racing for $85,000. She enters the Oaks 6: 2-1-2 with $115,200 in earnings. This will be her first start beyond 1 1/16 miles.

“Distance is a question mark, but this was the option to keep her against her own age group,” Powell said.

Resolve is a daughter of Midnight Lute who was purchased for $250,000 at auction as a 2-year-old by co-owners California Racing Partners and Joseph Ciaglia Jr. She’ll be getting a major class test Sunday. Most recently on Nov. 24, Resolve raced 1 3/8 miles against older horses in a first-level allowance at Del Mar. She had the lead at the eighth pole after making a strong middle move under Diego Herrera before yielding late to finish second.

“I think a mile-and-quarter is up her alley,” Powell said. “Last time she ran longer against older. We’re going up in class, but it’s back against straight 3-year-olds. Hopefully she can pick up a good piece of it. It would be good for her value as a broodmare.”

The Oaks goes as the 11th and final race at 4:20 p.m. The field in post position order: A Thousand Miles, Mike Smith (30-1); Will Then, Flavien Prat (7-2); Cliffs, Jose Ortiz (6-1); Ambaya, Antonio Fresu (8-1); Slick, Umberto Rispoli (20-1); Take A Breath, Irad Ortiz Jr., 15-1); Resolve, Diego Herrera (30-1); Totally Justified, Juan Hernandez (5-1); As Catch Can, Joel Rosario (8-1); Atsila, Tiago Pereira (5-2); Ribbons, Mirco Demuro (15-1).

In the GIII San Gabriel at 1 1/8 miles, veteran 7-year-old Flashiest gets class relief for Powell following a career-best performance in the GII Hollywood Turf on Nov. 28 at Del Mar. In the 1 ½-mile Turf Cup, Flashiest overcame trouble on the final turn and rallied to be second by 1 ¾ lengths behind winner Truly Quality.

“He ran a very good race in the Turf Cup,” Powell said. “He was a little unlucky on the turn and then still came back and re-rallied to finish second. Hopefully we can get a good trip Sunday.”

Flashiest is owned by Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, Nicolas G. Drion and Mathilde Powell. The son of Mizzen Mast will look to replicate his last effort while racing three furlongs shorter than the Turf Cup. Regular rider Armando Ayuso will be aboard.

“He’s very versatile distance wise, so I’m not worried about the cutback in distance,” Powell said.

The San Gabriel goes as the ninth race at 3:49 p.m. The field in post position order: Twirling Candy, Mirco Demuro (20-1); Mondego, Flavien Prat (8-1); Endlessly, Umberto Rispoli (6-1); Stay Hot, Irad Ortiz Jr. (4-1); St Anthony, Juan Hernandez (5-1); Nesso’s Lastharrah, Edwin Maldonado (30-1); Suchet, Joel Rosario (6-1); Astronomer, Antonio Fresu (8-1); Cabo Spirit, Mike Smith (8-1); Flashiest, Armando Ayuso (20-1); Nineeleventurbo, Hector Berrios (10-1).

PRAT, ORTIZ JR. CONTINUE ECLIPSE AWARD BATTLE ON OPENING DAY

It’s generally acknowledged the 2025 Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey is down to two candidates: Flavien Prat and Irad Ortiz Jr. On Opening Day Sunday at Santa Anita, the two reinsmen will continue their year-long battle with a combined 17 mounts on the 11-card that includes head-to-head matchups in five of the six graded stakes

Entering Friday’s racing action, Ortiz led North America with 348 wins and Prat was second with 300 victories. Ortiz also held a slight advantage in total earnings with $40,270,607 versus $39,801,665 for Prat. But then the roles are reversed when it comes to wins in graded stakes and Grade Is. Entering Friday, Prat had tallied 45 graded stakes with 13 Grade Is including two Breeders’ Cup races (Filly & Mare Sprint, Splendora; Dirt Mile, Nysos). Ortiz had 35 graded stakes wins with nine Grade Is including three Breeders’ Cup races (Sprint, Bentornato; Turf Sprint, Shisospicy; Cy Fair, Juvenile Turf Sprint).

Last year, Prat won his first Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey with Ortiz finishing second in the voting. Ortiz is a previous five-time Eclipse Award winner with his most recent coming in 2023.

On Opening Day at Santa Anita, Prat has mounts in nine races scheduled including in all six graded stakes. Ortiz has eight mounts booked including five of the graded stakes.

Prat’s stakes mounts Sunday are aboard 3-2 program favorite Namaron in the GII Mathis Mile for trainer John Sadler; 3-5 program favorite Nysos in the GII Laffit Pincay Jr. for trainer Bob Baffert; Brilliantly (6-1) in the GI La Brea for Baffert; Mondego (8-1) in the GIII San Gabriel for trainer Michael McCarthy; second-choice Cornucopian (7-2) in the GI Malibu for Baffert and (7-2) second choice Will Then in the GI American Oaks for trainer Jonathan Thomas.

Ortiz’s stakes mounts are aboard Friendly Confines (7-2) in the Mathis Mile for trainer Richard Baltas; Five G (7-2) in the GI La Brea for trainer George Weaver; (4-1) program favorite Stay Hot in the San Gabriel for trainer Peter Eurton; Madaket Road (5-1) in the Malibu for Baffert and Take A Breath (15-1) in the American Oaks for trainer Mark Glatt. First post Sunday is 11 a.m. PT.

LEGEND: PINCAY JR. JOINS QUIGLEY ON PRE-CARD SEMINAR MONDAY

Fans will want to tune-in early to the Santa Anita simulcast feed on Monday as host Tom Quigley will have a special guest for the pre-race seminar: legendary jockey Laffit Pincay. Jr. Piincay will be spending part of his 79th birthday Monday with Quigley sharing stories and offering picks and analysis for the day’s nine-race program. With first post Monday at 12 p.m. PT, the seminar will get underway at 10:50 a.m.

A day earlier on Sunday, opening day of the Classic Meet, Pincay will be honored with the second running of the Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes. Previously known as the San Antonio, Santa Anita named the race in the Hall of Fame jockey’s honor last year.

Pincay retired in 2003 as the sport’s all-time winningest rider with 9,530 career victories. He is also the winningest jockey in Santa Anita history with 2,698 victories.

On Opening Day, set to join Quigley on the pre-race handicapping seminar is Brad Free of Daily Racing Form who’ll be offering full-card selections and analysis. With an early first post of 11 a.m. that day, Sunday’s seminar starts at 9:50 a.m.

FINISH LINES:

There will be live racing this Monday and Wednesday due to the delayed start to the Classic Meet. First post Monday is 12 p.m. PT for a nine-race card. Monday’s card includes the GII Joe Hernandez and Blue Norther Stakes. Wednesday’s program, which is being drawn today, will feature the GIII Robert J. Frankel and Eddie Logan Stakes…Opening Day Sunday marks the return of the $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 and $1 Sunset Pick Six. Both wagers feature a low 15 percent takeout and are open to retail players only. The Coast-to-Coast Pick 5, which combines races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, starts at 1:18 p.m. PT with the seventh race from Gulfstream Park. The Sunset Pick 6 includes the final three races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park. Sunday’s Sunset Pick Six starts at 1:48 p.m. with the eighth race from Gulfstream…Nominations close Sunday for both the GII San Vicente Stakes on Jan. 10 and GIII Las Cienegas on Jan. 11. The seven-furlong San Vicente is for 3-year-olds of 2026 and kicks off the road to the GI Santa Anita Derby on April 4.