Kaleem Shah’s streaking Bellafina seeks her third consecutive graded stakes victory as she heads a field of six juvenile fillies going a mile and one sixteenth in Saturday’s Grade I, $300,000 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita.
A 4 ¼ length winner of the Grade I Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs on Sept. 1, Bellafina will be trying two turns for the first time in what will be her fourth career start.
A disappointing fourth as the 3-5 favorite in the Del Mar Debutante, Brill, who was purchased for $1 million as a yearling, will be ridden for the first time by eastern-based Florent Geroux as she tries two turns in her third career start.
Mother Mother, who finished second in the Debutante at Del Mar, draws the rail, adds blinkers, stretches out and will be ridden by Mike Smith for the first time in what will be her third career start.
| Entry | Horse | ML Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mother Mother | 4-1 | Mike Smith 122 Lbs |
Bob Baffert |
| 2 | Del Mar May | 5-1 | Gary Stevens 122 Lbs |
Richard Baltas |
| 3 | Vibrance | 8-1 | Joel Rosario 122 Lbs |
Michael McCarthy |
| 4 | Brill | 3-1 | Florent Geroux 122 Lbs |
Jerry Hollendorfer |
| 5 | Der Lu | 4-1 | Drayden Van Dyke 122 Lbs |
Bob Baffert |
| 6 | Bellafina | 9-5 | Flavien Prat 122 Lbs |
Simon Callaghan |
BELLAFINA 9-5
A 4 ¼ length winner of the Grade II Sorrento Stakes going six furlongs two starts back on Aug. 5, this daughter of Quality Road has dominated her graded competition by a combined 8 ½ lengths in her last two starts and will retain the services of Flavien Prat.
Second in her five furlong debut in a maiden special at Los Alamitos July 4, trainer Callaghan added blinkers for her two wins, but will remove them for the Chandelier as he hopes to have her settle early in her first two turn assignment.
Out of the Malibu Moon mare Akron Moon, Bellafina sold for $800,000 at a 2-year-old in training sale this past March.
Owner: Kaleem Shah, Inc. | Trainer: Simon Callaghan
MOTHER MOTHER 4-1
An emphatic 6 ½ length first-out maiden winner going six furlongs July 22, she was head and head for the early lead in the Del Mar Debutante Sept. 1 and finished second, 4 ¼ lengths behind Bellafina. A $450,000 Keeneland September yearling, she’ll add blinkers for the first time and has Smith at the controls for her first two turn try.
Owner: George Bolton, Barry Hall, Barry Lipman, Mark Mathiesen & Andrew Molasky | Trainer: Bob Baffert
DER LU 4-1
Yet another filly who hails from the high rent district, this Kentucky-bred daughter of Orb fetched $900,000 at a March 2-year-old in training sale and is the least experienced member of the Chandelier cast, as she comes off a 3 ¼ length maiden tally going 6 ½ furlongs on Aug. 5. Dispatched at 3-5 in a field of eight, she was completely dominant rates a big chance as Baffert’s “Avis choice” on Saturday.
Out of a Forestry mare named Taboo, she’ll be ridden back by Drayden Van Dyke.
Owner: Baoma Corporation | Trainer: Bob Baffert
About the Chandelier Stakes
Formerly run as the Oak Leaf Stakes, the Chandelier Stakes is a 1 1/16-mile race on the main track at Santa Anita for 2-year-old fillies that offers the winner an automatic starting spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. The race has been won by Hall of Fame mare Serena’s Song and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winners Halfbridled, Sweet Catomine, Stardom Bound and Songbird and Kentucky Oaks winner Blind Luck.
