Malibu Stakes (Grade 1)

La Brea (Grade 1)

American Oaks (Grade 1)

SANTA Anita began its winter classic meet with largest opening day crowd since 2016, and the largest Sunday opener this century, an on-track crowd of 41,962.

It was a Bob Baffert day as he won two of the Grade 1s headlined by the favourite Goal Oriented under Joel Rosario coming through to take the seven-furlong Malibu Stakes for three-year-olds. He was originally the third choice Baffert runner as Barnes was scratched (now retired to stud) and Cornucopian was withdrawn having flipped over in the pre-parade ring.

Goal Oriented, a son of Not This Time, was winning his first Grade 1 having been third at that level in the Haskell and the Penn Derby. He beat fellow Baffert runner Midland Money by a length.

The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Nysos and Flavien Prat beat his Baffert-trained stablemate Nevada Beach by a head in the Grade 2 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes as the pair raced together from the top of the stretch.

Baffert also won the seven-furlong Grade 1 La Brea Stakes with the flashy filly Usha, the daughter of Tiz The Law coming home over five lengths clear under Juan Hernandez.

Jockey Mike Smith, who will be 60 this year, won the Group 2 San Gabriel Stakes aboard Cabo Spirit while jockey Antonio Fresu won the afternoon’s other stakes race, the Mathis Mile with Hiding In Honduras.

Fresu ended the day in Huntington Hospital in Pasadena after injuring his left foot two races later.

Kazushi Kimura picked up Fresu’s mount in the day’s final race, the Grade 1 American Oaks, and guided the Ghostzapper filly Ambaya to victory for trainer Jonathan Thomas beating the favourite Cliffs.

Atsila, who raced here for Donnacha O’Brien, was a disappointing last of the 11.