From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (Feb. 22, 2026) — Vodka Vodka and his younger half-sister Om N Joy are both on target for Grade I assignments on March 7 at Santa Anita after each worked five furlongs Sunday at Santa Anita.
Vodka Vodka and Om N Joy were both bred in California and are co-owned by Jerry Baker and Connie Baker, who were on hand Sunday morning to watch the works.
Trained by Aggie Ordonez, Vodka Vodka and Om N Joy each worked with Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard. As for Vodka Vodka, he was timed in 1:00.20. Ordonez was pleased with the drill and said he’s set to go in the Santa Anita Handicap in two weeks.
“He’s doing so great right now. I could run him tomorrow,” Ordonez said. “He’s just floating on air, doing everything right. He’s fit. It’s just a matter of keeping him happy while I hold my breath for the next two weeks.”
A 5-year-old California-bred gelding by Stay Thirsty, Vodka Vodka most recently won the Unusual Heat Turf Classic on Jan. 17 at Santa Anita. Prior to that effort, he was fourth in the GII Laffit Pincay Jr. on Dec. 28 in his only stakes try against open company.
Om N Joy worked five furlongs in 59.60 seconds. The 4-year-old California-bred daughter of Om hasn’t started since finishing fourth in the GII Raven Run in October at Keeneland. “It was exactly what I was looking for,” Ordonez said of the drill.
Om N Joy is now confirmed to run in the GI B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile on the Big ‘Cap card. That hoped-for assignment had been in doubt following what was a lackluster work last Sunday by Om N Joy.
“She needed a serious work and it was a serious work,” Ordonez said. “Kent set a target behind two Baffert horses. That’s usually a good idea when you need a good work. It played out perfectly. She had a target and picked it up down the lane immensely. Last week, Om N Joy worked five furlongs in 1:02.6.
“I was a little concerned with her work last week, but Kent made a smart move that day and gave her a strong gallop-out. It turned into a stamina work really,” Ordonez said. “We discussed that she would need to wake up this week and she did.”