ARCADIA, Calif. – Although he is the least experienced in the Grade 3 San Carlos Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita, likely favorite Cornucopian will enter the seven-furlong race with speed and recency advantages over a pair of more accomplished rivals.
Grade 1 winners Subsanador and Stronghold return from long layoffs in the San Carlos, a race that favorites won seven of the last 10 years. Cornucopian, 2 for 4, is likely to follow suit based on a fast allowance win two months ago and sharp works since.
Bob Baffert trains Cornucopian and San Carlos entrant Getaway Car, who shortens up after finishing third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap at 1 1/4 miles. Others in the San Carlos are Grade 2-placed Bartholdy, who shortens to a sprint, and comebacker Judge Miller.
Winter did not go entirely to plan for Cornucopian, whose comeback was postponed when he flipped in the paddock and scratched from the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on Dec. 28. Cornucopian returned Jan. 31 in an entry-level allowance and won by three lengths with a 97 Beyer Speed Figure.
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Baffert considered Cornucopian for a second-level allowance, but none was available. The first three months of the Santa Anita winter meet, only one N2X dirt sprint was run, on Jan. 16. A lack of allowance races in California is one reason Baffert will send a string to Kentucky this spring.
The 2026 campaign for Cornucopian will be determined after the San Carlos, but chances are he will leave town. The top sprints in spring and summer are in the East and Midwest, including the $1 million, Grade 1 Churchill Downs at seven furlongs on May 2, Kentucky Derby Day.
Cornucopian, whose rider is Juan Hernandez, is the fastest and sharpest in the San Carlos field. From post 6, Hernandez has the option of taking the lead or pressing the pace in the clear.
Getaway Car adds blinkers and returns to a sprint after pressing the pace and finishing third in the Big Cap. Florent Geroux rides Getaway Car, who wore blinkers the first three starts of his career, including two wins as 2-year-old in 2024.
Stronghold and Subsanador are the class of the field, but both could be rusty. Stronghold, the 2024 Santa Anita Derby winner, last raced Aug. 23, 2025, at Del Mar. The most recent start by Subsanador was Sept. 28, 2024, when he won the Grade 1 California Crown at Santa Anita.
Minor interruptions prevented Stronghold from racing since his runner-up finish at seven furlongs in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien.
Phil D’Amato trains Stronghold, whose jockey is Antonio Fresu.
“Antonio Fresu breezed him his last three workouts, and loves him,” D’Amato said. “He says [Stronghold] does as much as you ask him to do. He’s not one of those horses that does too much.
“He’s shown he’s effective around one turn, and two, so it gives us options going forward, and just take it race by race,” D’Amato said. “We’re shooting for bigger races down the line. I’m not sure he wants to go farther than a mile and an eighth, but anywhere from six and a half to a mile and an eighth seems to be his sweet spot.”
Stronghold has won three races and $1.23 million from 12 starts for owner-breeders Rick and Sharon Waller. The 5-year-old finished second all three starts at seven furlongs – the Pat O’Brien, Grade 3 Bob Hope in 2023 at Del Mar, and Grade 1 Malibu in 2024 at Santa Anita.
Subsanador, a Group 1 winner in Argentina, won the California Crown in 2024 for trainer Richard Mandella. The win established Subsanador as an early contender for the Breeders’ Cup Classic that fall, but diagnostics revealed an ankle issue that precluded him from running.
“He would have a little filling in that ankle on and off, really didn’t think there was anything,” Mandella said. As it turns out, something was brewing.
“We found a little something going on, and it [did not improve] for six months.”
Subsanador finally began to recover in spring 2025 after a screw was inserted.
“We put a screw in it and it healed up nice,” Mandella said. “But it took a while.”
Subsanador resumed workouts this January, and has not missed a beat.
“I expect him to run good,” Mandella said. “I don’t know that he can get up going seven-eighths. But he trains really good. I see him sitting back, and making a good run.”
Mandella plans to stretch Subsanador to two turns in subsequent races that will be determined after his San Carlos comeback. Mike Smith rides Subsanador, a 7-year-old who has won nine races and just over $1 million from 17 starts.
Bartholdy, third both recent starts in Grade 2 routes, is expected to produce speed from the rail. Listenupshance is eligible to an entry-level allowance. Graded stakes-placed Judge Miller makes first start since November.
The San Carlos is race 6 on the nine-race Sunday card.
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