San Felipe Stakes

Notes:
Dual graded stakes hero and Goldencents is by far the most accomplished among those entered in the 300,000 G2 San Felipe S., but he may well be the 2 nd wagering choice behind the highly-regarded Flashback. They will be challenged by six others for a total of 85 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, with 50-20-10-5 going to the respective top four finishers. Goldencents, whose only defeat in four starts came at the hooves of eventual Breeders Cup Juvenile and Eclipse Award winner Shanghai Bobby, could give conditioner Doug O Neill his second consecutive Kentucky Derby score. He retains the services of little-known jockey Kevin Krigger, who could find himself on the national stage much like Mario Gutierrez did last year with I ll Have Another. Flashback, a perfect 2-for-2, looked sensational when winning the G2 Robert Lewis S. here in just his 2 nd start and shows two bullet works for his return. Should Flashback falter, trainer Bob Baffert has another shot at top honors a dual stakes winner of his own, Carving. A notoriously poor worker in the mornings, Carving has won half of his six races but failed to hit the board in three graded stakes attempts. Tiz a Minister made a jaw-dropping last-to-first move to win the restricted California Breeders Champion S. on 1/26 in his 1 st start over a dirt surface (wet-fast). A duplication of that effort will put him in the mix. Omega Star looked to be home free in that Cal stakes but couldn t withstand the late rally from Tiz a Minister and wound up 1 1/4 lengths back at the wire. Hear the Ghost exits a runner up effort in the 6f San Pedro S. at Santa Anita for Hall of Fame trainer and co-owner Jerry Hollendorfer. Kochees showed some serious acceleration when surprising in his debut on the Santa Anita turf in early January but couldn t reproduce that effort when finishing a non-threatening 4 th on the main track next out. Salutos Amigos, the only runner in the field not yet eligible for the Triple Crown, makes his two-turn debut off a flashy maiden breaker over this course. Like Omega Star, he loses pilot Julien Leparoux to Flashback.
The San Felipe Stakes is normally held in mid-March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. This Grade II race is an American thoroughbred horseracing event and is run each year at a distance of eight and a half furlongs on the left-handed dirt track of Santa Anita Park racetrack. The stakes currently carries 300,000 and is officially listed as a preparation race for the first leg of the American Triple Crown Kentucky Derby. The race was inaugurated as the San Felipe Handicap in 1935 but due to the World War II there was no race between 1942 and 1945. Since the inauguration of this race, the distance for the race has changed for a couple of times between the years 1938-1940 and 1945-1946 the distance was six furlongs in 1937, 1941 and between 1947 and 1951 that race started running at a distance of seven furlongs. Since 1952, the race has been running at a distance of one and one sixteenth miles. In 1968 and 1970, the San Felipe Stakes was run in two divisions. In 2009, Pioneer of the Nile clinched the title.

San Felipe Stakes Past Winners

Year	Winner	Trainer	Jockey	Owner	Time
2012	Creative Cause	Mike Harrington	Joel Rosario	Heinz Steinmann	1:41.84
2011	Premier Pegasus	Myung Kwon Cho	Alonso Quinonez	Myung Kwon Cho	1:41.23
2010	Sidneys Candy	John W. Sadler	Joe Talamo	Sid & Jenny Craig Trust	1:42.30
2009	Pioneer of the Nile	Bob Baffert	Garrett Gomez	Zayat Stables	1:43.35
2008	Georgie Boy	Kathy Walsh	Michael Baze	George Schwary	1:42.35
2007	Cobalt Blue	Doug O\'Neill	Victor Espinoza	Merv Griffin Ranch	1:42 2/5
2006	A.P. Warrior	John Shirreffs	Corey Nakatani	Stanley E. Fulton	1:42.40
2005	Consolidator	D. Wayne Lukas	Rafael Bejarano	Robert & Beverly Lewis	1:40.11
2004	Preachinatthebar	Bob Baffert	Javier Santiago	Michael E. Pegram	1:42.87
2003	Buddy Gil	Jeff Mullins	Gary L. Stevens	Desperado Stables et al	1:43.64
2002	Medaglia d\'Oro	Robert J. Frankel	Laffit Pincay, Jr.	Edmund A. Gann	1:41.95
2001	Point Given	Bob Baffert	Gary L. Stevens	The Thoroughbred Corp.	1:41.94
2000	Fusaichi Pegasus	Neil D. Drysdale	Kent Desormeaux	Fusao Sekiguchi	1:42.66
1999	Prime Timber	Bob Baffert	David R. Flores	Aaron & Marie Jones	1:42.16
1998	Artax	Randy Bradshaw	Chris McCarron	Paraneck Stable	1:41.73
1997	Free House	J. Paco Gonzalez	David R. Flores	McCaffeey & Toffan	1:42.49
1996	Odyle	J. Paco Gonzalez	Corey Nakatani	McCaffery/Toffan et al	1:42.43
1995	Afternoon Deelites	Richard Mandella	Kent Desormeaux	Burt Bacharach	1:42.11
1994	Soul of the Matter	Richard Mandella	Kent Desormeaux	Burt Bacharach	1:44.68
1993	Corby	John W. Sadler	Chris McCarron	Allen E. Paulson	1:42.11
1992	Bertrando	Bruce Headley	Alex Solis	Headley/Nahem/505 Farms	1:42.76
1991	Sea Cadet	Ron McAnally	Chris McCarron	VHW Stables (Lessee)	1:41.80
1990	Real Cash	D. Wayne Lukas	Alex Solis	Lukas & Overbrook Farm	1:42.00
1989	Sunday Silence	Charlie Whittingham	Pat Valenzuela	H-G-W Partners	1:42.60
1988	Mi Preferido	Laz S. Barrera	Chris McCarron	Barrera & Saiden	1:42.20
1987	Chart the Stars	Richard Mulhall	Ed Delahoussaye	Arnold, Clearman et al	1:43.00
1986	Variety Road	Bruce Headley	Chris McCarron	Kjell H. Qvale	1:45.40
1985	Image of Greatness	D. Wayne Lukas	Laffit Pincay, Jr.	Kinsman Stable	1:43.20
1984	Fali Time	Gary Jones	Sandy Hawley	Mamakos & Stubrin	1:42.60
1983	Desert Wine	Jerry M. Fanning	Chris McCarron	Cardiff Stud/T90 Ranch	1:41.60
1982	Advance Man	Ross Fenstermaker	Chris McCarron	Fred W. Hooper	1:42.20
1981	Stancharry	Melvin F. Stute	Fernando Toro	Cole, Freeman & Gold	1:42.00
1980	Raise a Man	Chay R. Knight	Bill Shoemaker	Northwest Farms	1:41.60
1979	Pole Position	G. E. Goodwin	Sandy Hawley	Eldorado Stables	1:41.20
1978	Affirmed	Laz Barrera	Steve Cauthen	Harbor View Farm	1:42.60
1977	Smasher	Jay M. Robbins	Sandy Hawley	Robbins & Rogers	1:42.60
1976	Crystal Water	Roger Clapp	Bill Shoemaker	Connie M. Ring	1:42.60
1975	Fleet Velvet	Tom Pratt	Fernando Toro	Leone J. Peters	1:42.40
1974	Aloha Mood	Cecil Jolly	Don Pierce	Joan Winchell	1:42.40
1973	Linda\'s Chief	Robert J. Frankel	Braulio Baeza	Neil Hellman	1:41.80
1972	Solar Salute	Lou Glauburg	Laffit Pincay, Jr.	M/M John J. Elmore	1:41.80
1971	Unconscious	Joseph C. Canty	Laffit Pincay, Jr.	Arthur A. Seeligson, Jr.	1:42.60
1970	Cool Hand	Gene Cleveland	Jerry Lambert	M/M John C. Mabee	1:41.80

San Felipe Stakes Video