Here’s a Christmas wish list as Santa Anita is set to open

There’s a lot to look forward to as Santa Anita prepares to raise the curtain Sunday on its 85th winter-spring meet.

There’s a new face in the jocks’ room, one of the leading contenders for the 2022 Kentucky Derby calls Southern California home, and a colt that figures to be one of the leaders of the older-horse division next year also resides right in our backyard.

Here’s my Christmas wish list for Santa Anita as the historic Arcadia track readies for its 78-day meet:

A special colt

Corniche, unbeaten in three starts after an impressive victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar, remains healthy and is able to show his talents on Derby day at Churchill Downs on May 7. No telling how the Medina Spirit controversy will play out and whether Bob Baffert will still be the colt’s trainer when the Derby preps begin next year, but this is one special colt who only needs to carry his 2-year-old form into his 3-yearold year to win the Derby.

A warm welcome

John Velazquez’s stay in Southern California through March proves successful and the 50-yearold native of Puerto Rico enjoys his stint here so much he’ll return next year to join what is already a topnotch jockey colony. Velazquez’s arrival gives Santa Anita four Hall of Fame jockeys, joining Mike Smith, Kent Desormeaux and Victor Espinoza, and he carries a ton of impressive credentials – four Derby victories, 18 Breeders’ Cup victories (second behind Smith’s 27) and 6,361 career wins. He won six races one afternoon at Saratoga.

Safety first

A safe meet for horses, jockeys and exercise riders. Santa Anita trackman Dennis Moore and his crew are the best in the business, and I have all the confidence in the world he’ll have the track in terrific shape. But sometimes fatally injuries can’t be helped. When an 1,100-pound animal takes a bad step, it doesn’t matter what kind of condition the track is in. It’s the ugly part of horse racing that sickens us all.

Climate control

Good weather throughout the meet. There’s no bigger downer in the sport than showing up for an eight-race card dominated by five- and six-horse fields because of scratches due to the track condition. Bettors love wagering on turf races, and those opportunities are cut drastically when it rains. There’s already a major problem with the horse population that leads to short fields, but a ton of wet weather would only exasperate the problem. I know we need the rain, but let’s hope for a lot of it on Mondays and Tuesdays so the weekends are nice and dry.

Two big rides

Another big horse for Desormeaux and Espinoza, both of whom have shown during 2021 that they can still ride with the best of them. Desormeaux, 51, enjoyed two banner Del Mar meets, displaying the skills during both the summer and fall Bing Crosby meets that earned him a trip to the Hall of Fame in 2004. If I owned a horse, the 49-year-old Espinoza could ride for me anytime.

Respect the riders

Jockeys, some of the best conditioned athletes in the world, receive credit for performing at such a high level in a sport that can lead to life-changing injuries, or even death, in a heartbeat. There’s a reason why an ambulance follows these riders around the track during a race. They are putting their lives on the line each time they climb aboard a horse in the paddock. Think about that next time you have the urge to blast one on social media.

Prize for Pyfer

Jessica Pyfer, who became the first local female apprentice jockey to win four races in one day on May 16 at Santa Anita, realizes her dream of winning an Eclipse Award as the nation’s top apprentice. She rode against some of the best in the nation this year, winning 59 races from 557 mounts (11%). Eclipse winners will be announced Feb. 10 at Santa Anita, and Pyfer would be a deserving choice.

Overdue Derby dreams

One of the many accomplished horsemen on the grounds, such as Richard Mandella or John Sadler, wins their first Kentucky Derby. Mandella had Omaha Beach in 2019, who was the Derby favorite but was scratched only three days before the race. It was the textbook example of how cruel the sport can be. Sadler has had a few colts talented enough to win the Run for the Roses, but come up short each time.