Horse racing notes: Ed Moger Jr. still marveling his Big ‘Cap win

SANTA ANITA LEADERS

(Through Thursday)

JOCKEYS / WINS

Juan Hernandez / 43

Frankie Dettori / 18

Flavien Prat / 18

Edwin Maldonado / 15

Three tied / 14

TRAINERS / WINS

Philip D’Amato / 22

Bob Baffert / 21

Doug O’Neill / 19

Steve Knapp / 14

Mark Glatt / 13

WEEKEND STAKES AT SANTA ANITA

Saturday

• $500,000 Grade I Beholder Mile, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, 1 mile

• $200,000 Grade II San Carlos Stakes, 4-year-olds and up, 7 furlongs

Sunday

• $100,000 Grade III Santa Ana Stakes, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, 1¼ miles (turf)

DOWN THE STRETCH

• Trainer Ed Moger Jr. was still basking in the glow of his second career Grade I victory on Sunday while driving Santa Anita Big ’Cap winner Stilleto Boy to his home at Golden Gate Fields. In a career that’s nearing five decades, Moger won the Grade I Matriarch at Del Mar with Stormy Lucy in 2015. “I thought we had a really good chance going in,” Moger told Victor Ryan of Santa Anita publicity. “I’ve been training for 47 years and never thought I’d be in that position to have a top contender for the Santa Anita Handicap, much less win it.”

• Philip D’Amato, shooting for his third consecutive trainer’s title during Santa Anita’s winter-spring meets, pulled into a tie with Bob Baffert by winning six races over the weekend. He won one race Thursday, giving him a 22-21 lead over Baffert, with Doug O’Neill three back with 19 victories. On Sunday, D’Amato won his ninth stakes race of the Classic meet, one fewer than Baffert, with Motorious in the Grade III San Simeon Stakes. D’Amato won last year’s trainer’s title in a breeze, beating O’Neill 63-40.

• Baffert will send out a trio of runners in Saturday’s $500,000 Grade I Beholder Mile at Santa Anita. The race for older fillies and mares over the main track drew a field of eight, including Baffert’s Fun to Dream (the 5-2 morning-line favorite), Midnight Memories and Ganadora. Steve Asmussen and Brad Cox have flown in Pauline’s Pearl (7-2) and A Mo Reay (5-1), respectively, for one of the biggest races of Santa Anita’s Classic meet.

— Art Wilson