NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND........STAKE LINER NOTES

SKY HIGH GAL, WITH NAKATANI UP, PREVAILS IN BLANKET FINISH TO TAKE $75,000 WISHING WELL, SADLER WINS FOUR RACES, THREE STAKES ON WEEKEND
ONE WINNING PICK SIX TICKET, PURCHASED FOR JUST $16.00 AT PENN NATIONAL, PAYS $119,476


Trainer John Sadler, off to a slow start at the current meet, won his third stakes of the weekend on Sunday, as his Sky High Gal prevailed in a four-horse blanket photo to win the $75,000 Wishing Well Stakes by a head under Corey Nakatani, negotiating 6 ½ furlongs down Santa Anita’s hillside turf course in 1:12.22.




CANDY BOY, WITH STEVENS AT THE CONTROLS, CHARGES HOME IN STYLE TO WIN GRADE II ROBERT B. LEWIS BY A HALF LENGTH; NEXT STOP--THE GRADE I, $1 MILLION SANTA ANITA DERBY APRIL 5
‘HE’S A SUPER, MAJORLY TALENTED RACEHORSE,’ SAYS STEVENS



With a second place finish in the Grade I CashCall Futurity fresh on his mind, jockey Gary Stevens bided his time aboard Candy Boy in Saturday’s Grade II, $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes and the result was a rousing half length win, as the John Sadler trainee won in-hand going 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.83.

VAGABOND SHOES RALLIES TO WIN GRADE II SAN MARCOS STAKES; IRISH-BRED, IDLE SINCE BREEDERS’ CUP, IS BET TO 5-2 FAVORITE IN 11-HORSE FIELD

Mid-pack past the half mile pole, the John Sadler-trained Vagabond Shoes was caught six wide turning for home and finished resolutely as the 5-2 favorite, winning Saturday’s Grade II, $200,000 San Marcos Stakes by a 1 ¼ lengths under Victor Espinoza, while covering 1 ¼ miles on turf in 1:58.88.

BLINGO BENEFITS FROM TORRID PACE DUEL AND TAKES GRADE II SAN ANTONIO UNDER GRYDER, FAVORED GAME ON DUDE OFF BOARD


ARCADIA, Calif. (Feb. 8, 2014)—With a hot pace to shoot at, longshot Blingo, with Aaron Gryder aboard, wheeled four-deep turning for home and out-gamed fellow longshot Imperative inside the sixteenth pole to take Saturday’s Grade II, $300,000 San Antonio Stakes by a half length, covering 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.95.


SAN ANTONIO STAKES QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

AARON GRYDER, BLINGO, WINNER: “I’m very happy with this race and how (Blingo) positioned himself. I’ve ridden (second-place finisher) Imperative before and he ran one hell of a race today but my horse just kept digging.“I was hoping for a hot pace today and I was real happy with first eighth of a mile. By the time we had gone three-sixteenths I could tell we had established a fast pace and I just wanted my horse to settle. I didn’t care if that made us third, or second, or gave us the win. I just knew the only chance we would have would be if he settled.