Owner Anthony Fanticola and trainer Phil D’Amato have a long history of success together, with such horses as 2016 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) winner Obviously . They nearly won the Turf Sprint again this year with Motorious , who will be the likely favorite in the Dec. 28 Joe Hernandez Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita.

Fanticola owned Obviously with Joe Scardino, who died in 2018, and Fanticola is the sole owner of Motorious. The 6-year-old gelding has competed in two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, both at five furlongs on the turf. This will be Motorious’ first try in the Hernandez, conducted down the Santa Anita hillside turf course of about 6 1/2 furlongs. In four previous starts down the hill, Motorious has two wins, a second, and a third, one of the victories coming in the 2023 San Simeon Stakes (G3T).

Motorious typically comes from well off the pace, and in the Breeders’ Cup he drew post 2, which became the rail position after Believing flipped in the gate and was scratched. Stuck on the inside and 10th early, Motorious nevertheless just missed by a neck to Starlust . Antonio Fresu rode Motorious on that occasion.

If Motorious loses, it could be to horses in his own barn. D’Amato has also entered Unconquerable Keen  and Sorrento Sky , the one-two finishers in the five-furlong Stormy Liberal Stakes at Del Mar Dec. 1. Only a half-length separated them in the Stormy Liberal, a race Unconquerable Keen also won in 2023. 

Unconquerable Keen ran ninth behind winner Motorious in the Aug. 31 Green Flash Handicap (G3T) at Del Mar. A 5-year-old gelding, Unconquerable Keen gets the services of Umberto Rispoli from post 5.

Three-year-old Sorrento Sky began racing in the U.S. last April, breaking his maiden in his first start after two seconds in his native Ireland. He won back-to-back allowance/optional claimers this fall prior to the Stormy Liberal, one of them down the hillside turf course. Sorrento Sky drew the outside post and will be ridden by Kazushi Kimura.

Leonard Powell trains 6-year-old Air Force Red  (Juan Hernandez, post 1). Air Force Red is coming off a second in the Sept. 28 Eddie D. Stakes (G2T) over the same course and distance. He has done some of his best running by leading early, having won a 1 1/16-mile allowance/optional claimer on the front end at Del Mar Aug. 29 and running second in the April 27 San Francisco Mile (G3T) at Golden Gate Fields. Air Force Red also won the 2022 Joe Hernandez by leading throughout.

Central Dispatch  (Flavien Prat, post 7) and Code Duello  (Armando Ayuso, post 2) are each coming off two consecutive victories. John Sadler trains 4-year-old Central Dispatch, who won down the hill in allowance company Oct. 6 and then took a five-furlong allowance/optional claimer Nov. 16 at Del Mar. Craig Dollase trains Code Duello, whose two wins came at 1,000 yards on the dirt at Los Alamitos in races open to Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. Code Duello is five-for-five at that distance at Los Alamitos.