Proletariat Seeks Fourth Consecutive Victory in Santa Anita Finale

Proletariat enters Sunday’s Grade II Twilight Derby as the favorite to extend his winning streak to four consecutive races. The three-year-old gelding, trained by Jeff Mullins and ridden by Kyle Frey, will compete in a six-horse field for the 1 1/8-mile turf event. The race serves as the final event of the Santa Anita autumn season.

The field includes Unrivaled Time, a California-bred stakes winner trained by Leonard Powell and ridden by Joel Rosario. Phil D’Amato sends out a pair: Path to Power with Juan Hernandez, and Melismatic with Kazushi Kimura. Tribalism, ridden by Jamie Spencer, and Essos, with Umberto Rispoli, complete the lineup. Winning this race previously propelled Test Score and Cabo Spirit into Breeders’ Cup contention, though Test Score was scratched from the Turf race on Wednesday.

Saturday’s card features the Grade III Goldikova Stakes, a grass mile for fillies and mares. Jonathan Thomas enters Miss Nightfall, who won at Saratoga, and Ambaya, ridden by Emanuel Esquivel. Richard Mandella’s May Day Ready, with Drayden Van Dyke, also contests the event. The field consists of 11 horses. British-bred Miss Nightfall has a chance to become the third out-of-state winner in the race’s history.

The Santa Anita autumn riding title has effectively been decided as top jockeys shift focus to the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland. Juan Hernandez leads the standings with 19 wins, securing his first track title since the previous year’s meet. He is scheduled to ride seven horses on Sunday. Emisael Jaramillo sits second with 17 wins but has no further mounts. Kazushi Kimura (15) and Joel Rosario (14) are entered in six races each on Sunday. Doug O’Neill leads the trainer standings with 13 wins.

Admission gates at Santa Anita open at 8:15 a.m. on Friday and 7:45 a.m. on Saturday to accommodate the Breeders’ Cup schedule in Lexington, Kentucky. Los Alamitos gates open at 8:30 a.m. on Friday and 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. First post times are 1:00 p.m. on Friday, 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, and noon on Sunday.

At Los Alamitos, quarter-horse filly Lightning Vaquera won her second race since arriving at the track. She defeated Revenantly by a neck in the $1,164,150 Grade I Golden State Million Futurity. Jockey Gerardo Vera noted that his mount remained strong despite the close finish. The New Mexico-bred filly is trained by Manuel Rodriguez.

Kentucky Derby future betting opened Wednesday and closes at 1:00 p.m. PDT on Friday. U.S.S. Valor is the 8-1 morning-line favorite, having won the Champagne Stakes. Hughes is 10-1, Coach Pope is 15-1, and Salahudin is 25-1. Thirty-nine horses are listed, with the none-of-the-above option at 6-5.