Pepe Tono enters deep waters

ARCADIA, Calif. – Pepe Tono, who has been 10-1 or higher in his four starts and was sixth in his only stakes appearance, was supplemented to Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on Wednesday.

The supplemental fee was $20,000. There is an additional $15,000 in entry and starting fees.

“That hurts,” said trainer Victor Garcia.

Pepe Tono will be part of a small field, albeit one loaded with Triple Crown hopefuls. The $1 million Santa Anita Derby is led by Bolt d’Oro, a winner of two Grade 1 races; Justify, who is unbeaten in two outstanding starts; and Instilled Regard, the winner of the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds this year.

Run at 1 1/8 miles, the Santa Anita Derby has a projected field of seven, including Core Beliefs, Jimmy Chila, and Orbit Rain.

Pepe Tono races for former trainer Juan Garcia and is trained by his son. Victor Espinoza will ride Pepe Tono for the first time. The colt was third to Justify in an allowance race at a mile on March 11 and sixth in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 3.

“We’ll take a chance,” Victor Garcia said. “I think he has more room to improve. I think the mile and an eighth will help him a lot. This will be his second time with blinkers.”

Valenzuela has surgery

Exercise rider Adrian Valenzuela underwent surgery to stabilize his spinal cord on Tuesday after suffering a devastating injury in a spill at Santa Anita on Saturday morning that left him partially paralyzed, according to his father, Martin Valenzuela.

Martin Valenzuela said his son was scheduled to be taken out of intensive care at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Calif., on Wednesday but does not have a favorable longterm prognosis.

“The operation went as good as it could go,” Martin Valenzuela said. “Right now, he has paralysis from mid-torso down. They said his chances of walking are pretty slim.

“We’ll do what we can to get him the best treatment we can.”

Adrian Valenzuela, 21, was injured when one of the bandages on the front legs of a horse he was working became unraveled, causing the horse to stumble and fall.

Adrian Valenzuela has worked primarily as an exercise rider in recent years. He rode briefly at the Los Alamitos nighttime meeting in 2016, winning one race from eight mounts.

Martin Valenzuela said his son will be transferred to a rehabilitation center in coming days.

“He’ll start rehab fairly soon,” he said. “He’ll be in the rehab center for a month or two.”

Del Mar boosts incentives

Del Mar will increase appearance bonuses for out-of-state shippers who meet certain criteria for the track’s two race meetings this year.

The owner of a horse who made his previous start at other circuits or outside the United States and has not started in California in the preceding 12 months will be paid a $2,000 bonus for the horse’s first start at Del Mar. First-time starters are not eligible.

Last year, a bonus of $1,500 was paid to the owner of a horse who met that criteria. The track has left in place a 30 percent bonus on purse money earned by out-of-state shippers in a horse’s first start at Del Mar in all races other than stakes.

The program, known as “Ship and Win,” was launched in 2011 with $1,000 appearance fees and 20 percent bonuses for prize money earned in initial starts. The incentives are designed to lure stables from other circuits and encourage Californiabased owners to acquire raceready horses.

In a statement released Wednesday, track officials said “just under 1,000 horses” have been sent to Del Mar since the program began.

“When these horses come our way, we find they almost all stay in the state,” racing secretary David Jerkens said. “We’re hoping to see another increase in new stock at our summer meeting.”

Del Mar’s 36-day summer meeting runs July 18 to Sept. 3. The 16-day fall meeting is Nov. 9 to Dec. 2.