Next Monday, three horses that have previously competed in separate Breeders’ Cup races—Motorious, Imagination, and Gas Me Up—will face off in the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez Stakes, a $200,000 race held on Santa Anita’s unique Hillside Grass Course. This high-energy sprint, covering roughly six-and-a-half furlongs, features a large field of 15 contenders.
Motorious, trained by Phil D’Amato, who won last year’s Thriller race, aims to continue his winning streak in the Joe Hernandez Stakes. On November 1st at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar, the 7-year-old gelding finished fifth in the Turf Sprint. On the same day, Imagination secured second place in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar under trainer Bob Baffert and jockey. Despite never having raced on turf before, the 4-year-old colt, sired by Into Mischief, poses a significant threat. Gas Me Up, who previously ran in the Breeders’ Cup Mile finishing seventh, was trained by Kevin Attard for that race but will now return to trainer Peter Urton, who handled the horse earlier in its career. The 5-year-old hard-spanned gelding has shown strong potential.
Motorious boasts a record of 24 starts with 10 wins, 5 seconds, and 2 thirds, earning nearly $1 million for owner Anthony Fanticola. Imagination, owned by a large group including SF Racing and Starlight Racing, holds a 14:3-6-2 record and earnings of $943,700. Gas Me Up has a 10:4-1-1 record and has earned $370,162 for owners Exline Border Racing, Michael Joll, and Aaron Kennedy.
These three will face tough competition from others in the field, including El Potente, a Grade 3 winner ridden by Dan Brucker. Returning after a 10-month break, the 6-year-old recently finished third in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Stakes at Del Mar. Campaigning for My Way Racing LLC, El Potente has a record of 15 starts with 6 wins, 2 seconds, and 3 thirds, earning over $270,000.
Phil D’Amato also enters Unconquerable Keene and Sorrento Sky. Unconquerable Keene recently won the Stormy Liberal Stakes at Del Mar on November 30 after a layoff, boasting a record of 24 starts with 8 wins and earnings of $449,129. Sorrento Sky, similar in ownership, recently finished third in the same race and is still chasing his first stakes victory with a record of 15 starts and 4 wins, earning $256,838.
Below is the list of horses with jockeys and post positions for the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez Stakes, with an approximate race start time of 3:00 PM PT:
1. Imagination — Juan Hernandez — 125 lbs
2. Uncle Joe — Joel Rosario — 121 lbs
3. Sorrento Sky — Umberto Rispoli — 125 lbs
4. Fligive — Bass Tyler — 121 lbs
5. Yellow Card — Kazushi Kimura — 121 lbs
6. Motorious — Antonio Fres — 123 lbs
7. Unconquered Passion — William Pyle — 121 lbs
8. Powerful Ones — Hector Berrios — 123 lbs
9. Gas Me Up — Mirco DeMuro — 125 lbs
10. Sumter — Flavien Prat — 121 lbs
11. (AE) Wonderful Rhythm — Armando Ayuso — 121 lbs
12. (AE) Schwatsmeyer — Edwin Maldonado — 121 lbs
13. (AE) Feel the Magic — Giovanni Franco — 121 lbs
14. (AE) Son of the Birch — Umberto Rispoli — 121 lbs
15. (AE) First Peace — Mike Smith — 121 lbs
First post is scheduled for 12 PM PT, with entry gates opening at 10 AM.
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Fan Take: This race is a thrilling chance for horse racing enthusiasts to see top-level sprinters with Breeders’ Cup experience compete on Santa Anita’s challenging Hillside Turf Course. The outcome could highlight rising stars and reinforce the depth of talent in turf sprint racing, signaling exciting developments for the sport’s future.
