Motorious wins Daytona Stakes for Santa Anita’s leading men

Leading Santa Anita jockey Antonio Fresu and trainer Phil D’Amato teamed up with Motorious to win the $100,000, Grade III Daytona Stakes on the second-to-last afternoon of the track’s winter-spring season Saturday.

Motorious, a 7-year-old gelding who ran a close second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar last November, paid $3.80 in his first start since winning the Joe Hernandez Stakes at Santa Anita in December.

Motorious used a late burst of speed to beat Bran by 1¼ lengths and Air Force Red by 2 1/4 in a field cut to six with Stay Hot and Daniel’s Magic scratched.

Earlier, Mrs. Astor ($2.80) and jockey Umberto Rispoli got up to beat 18-1 Mahina and Hector Berrios by a nose in the $100,000 Possibly Perfect Stakes after trainer Jonathan Thomas opted to run the 5-year-old mare in that 1¼-mile turf race for fillies and mares instead of Sunday’s about 1¾-mile San Juan Capistrano Stakes against males.

With Mrs. Astor scratching from the $100,000, Grade III San Juan Capistrano, the role of favorite in Santa Anita’s traditional closing-day feature is likely to fall to Divin Propos, with Ricardo Gonzalez riding for D’Amato.

Fresu leads Juan Hernandez 32-29 at the top of the jockey standings going into the 29th and final day of Santa Anita’s Hollywood Meet. Fresu is entered with eight horses Sunday, Hernandez seven.

D’Amato has clinched the trainer title, taking a 25-19 lead over John Sadler into the finale, with Sadler entering horses in only two races Sunday.