Thoroughbred trainer Andrew Lerner retiring after ‘amazing run’

SANTA ANITA LEADERS

Through Thursday

JOCKEYS / WINS

Flavien Prat / 15

Juan Hernandez / 7

Kent Desormeaux / 5

Three tied / 4

TRAINERS / WINS

Doug O’Neill / 7

Peter Miller / 6

Bob Baffert / 5

John Sadler / 4

Five tied / 3

WEEKEND STAKES (SANTA ANITA)

Saturday

• $100,000 California Distaff Handicap, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, 6½ furlongs (downhill turf)

Sunday

• $100,000 California Flag Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, 6½ furlongs (downhill turf)

DOWN THE STRETCH

• In a surprise move, 32-year-old trainer Andrew Lerner announced on his Twitter page Thursday that he is retiring. “As some of you already know I’ve decided to retire from training,” Lerner wrote. “We had an amazing run and I couldn’t be more thankful for my entire team, owners and horses. Huge thank you to @santaanitapark and @DelMarRacing for giving a fresh face an opportunity to compete at their tracks!” Lerner, who began training in 2017 and reportedly plans to remain involved in the sport as an owner, has 88 wins from 502 runners with earnings of more than $2.5 million.

• The classy mare Warren’s Showtime will try Santa Anita’s downhill turf course for the first time when she heads a field of six fillies and mares in Saturday’s $100,000 California Distaff Handicap. Warren’s Showtime, out of the Grade I winning-mare Warren’s Veneda, is a two-time graded-stakes winning daughter of top sire Clubhouse Ride. She’s the top money earner in the race with $715,431 from an overall record of 21-7-2-10 for trainer Craig Lewis. She’ll be ridden by Juan Hernandez.

• North County Guy headlines a field of nine for Sunday’s $100,000 California Flag Handicap over Santa Anita’s famed downhill turf course. A 6-year-old gelded son of The Pamplemousse trained by Richard Baltas, North County Guy has been running in turf routes the past two years, but Baltas has been anxious to get him back to sprinting on the grass. He comes in off a 2¼-length victory in an allowance race at 1-1/16 miles at Del Mar on Aug. 20.

— Art Wilson