Justify settling back in

ARCADIA, Calif. – Justify had a quiet morning of being walked at trainer Bob Baffert’s stable at Santa Anita on Wednesday. There may be several days like that in the next few weeks for the Triple Crown winner.

With Justify not expected to start until late July at the earliest, Baffert said on Wednesday that the colt will have a slow training schedule for the rest of this month.

“We’ll go easy for the next two weeks off and on,” Baffert said.

Baffert has not announced specific race plans for Justify, but two Grade 1 stakes for 3-year-olds this summer, the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 29 and the $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 25, will be considered for him.

Justify arrived at Baffert’s stable from Churchill Downs on Sunday afternoon, greeted by about 150 well-wishers after a police escort from the airport. Tuesday, Justify was galloped on the main track, an exercise he needed, Baffert said.

“He was getting pretty high,” Baffert said. “We’re all good.”

Justify is unbeaten in six starts. Prior to the Triple Crown, Justify won three races at Santa Anita, culminating with a win in the Santa Anita Derby in early April.

Parsimony shows promise

The 2-year-old colt Parsimony, who starts in Friday’s fourth race, has six stablemates of his age that won a maiden race at the spring-summer meeting at Santa Anita.

The success of those 2-yearolds is a big reason why Doug O’Neill led all trainers through Sunday with 29 wins at the meeting.

Parsimony, owned by Paul and Zillah Reddam, was second in his debut on June 9, closing from fifth in a field of eight to finish a half-length behind Sparky Ville. Six of the eight runners in Friday’s field are first-time starters, and Parsimony’s start was the better of the two horses with race experience.

O’Neill does not expect jockey Mario Gutierrez to have Parsimony near the front in Friday’s maiden special weight race at five furlongs.

“Everything suggests he’s a distance horse,” O’Neill said. “To watch him train, you don’t think he will Quarter Horse out of there.”

Asked if Parsimony can win, O’Neill was optimistic. “I think he can,” he said.

Parsimony, by Dominus, was purchased for $400,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sale of 2-yearolds in training in March.

King of Speed is the other runner in the field with race experience, having finished fourth behind the O’Neill-trained Toothless Wonder in a maiden race at 4 1/2 furlongs on May 27. Trained by Jeff Bonde, King of Speed, by Jimmy Creed, will be fitted with blinkers at the suggestion of jockey Gary Stevens.

“Gary thought he needed blinkers,” Bonde said. “He’s trained well since the race. No excuse. We have to see better this time.”

Of the first-time starters, Hartel, a City Zip colt, and Pirate’s Punch, a Shanghai Bobby colt, have good workouts. Hartel is trained by Peter Miller and is one of two mounts on the eight-race program for Mike Smith. Pirate’s Punch has worked steadily since he was transferred from Golden Gate Fields to Santa Anita by trainer William Morey.

Keith Desormeaux starts Jefe, a Curlin colt purchased for $220,000 as a yearling last September. Desormeaux was cautious about Jefe’s chances for his career debut.

“He’s a big, rangy Curlin,” Desormeaux said. “At five-eighths, he’ll be getting wound up.”

The Desormeaux-trained filly Reflect was an impressive winner of her debut at five furlongs by 5 3/4 lengths on June 7. She will be pointed for the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 5.

“She’s a natural,” Desormeaux said.

Stone Hands in sharp form

Stone Hands was beaten 15 lengths in his stakes debut in the Shared Belief Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile at Del Mar last summer.

Stone Hands has not raced at a mile since then. He has been in brilliant form in sprint races leading to his graded stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita. The $250,000 San Carlos Stakes is run at seven furlongs.

Trained by Doug O’Neill for Paul and Zillah Reddam, Stone Hands has won optional claimers in his last two starts, at 5 1/2 furlongs on May 4 and 6 1/2 furlongs on May 28.

“He’s on a roll right now,” O’Neill said.

The San Carlos is a good opportunity for Stone Hands, who has won 4 of 17 starts in his career. The race lacks a heavy favorite among the probable starters – American Anthem, Dabster, El Huerfano, Horse Greedy, St. Joe Bay, Stone Hands, Top of the Game, and Touching Rainbows.

The San Carlos is the richest race on the final weekend of the spring-summer meeting, which concludes on Sunday with a program highlighted by the Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes at a mile on turf for fillies and mares.

Los Alamitos opens its three-week summer meeting on June 28.

BARBARA D. LIVINGSTON Justify was paraded at Churchill Downs Saturday evening before returning Sunday to his home base at Santa Anita.