Las Vegas, NV – The Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes comes our way from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California this Monday, January 19. A purse of $200,000 will be on the line for fillies and mares four years old and upward willing to go seven furlongs on Santa Anita’s dirt track.
A field of seven older females will line up in the Santa Monica Stakes – race 5 on Santa Anita’s Monday card. Post time is 2:23 PM. Here is a brief look into the past performances of all seven entries for this Martin Luther King Jr. Day Grade 2 stakes.
Sam’s Sister – Jerry Hollendorfer trained filly has been very impressive in her five race career with four wins. Last time out was a huge step up into stakes company – a nice win in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes at this distance at 12-1 odds on this track December 26. Before that was a disappointing eighth in an Allowance Optional Claiming on Del Mar turf and three straight wins to start her career – one at this distance on this track. She will be a confident horse after a terrific score last time out and she has won both career starts on this course and at seven furlongs. She is cross-entered in the La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita Saturday – if she does run she’ll have Elvis Trujillo in the reins from gate 4 .
My Sweet Addiction – Martin Jones trained mare has placed in all six career starts – two wins, two seconds and two third place finishes. She makes her graded stakes debut Monday off a second behind Sam’s Sister in an Allowance Optional Claiming here October 13, a third in a similar race in September at Los Alamitos, a third in the minor Desert Stormer Stakes on this track in June and an Allowance Optional Claiming score here in April. She has been competitive every time out but will take a huge step up in competition Monday with Legend Gary Stevens aboard from gate 6.
Dancinthenightaway – will make just her fourth career start for trainer Mark Glatt but has been impressive thus far – three starts and three wins by a combined 8 1/4 lengths. She makes her stakes debut Monday off a wire-to-wire Allowance Optional Claiming score here December 27, an Allowance win at Del Mar November 23 by 3 1/4 lengths and a maiden score at first asking by 2 3/4 lengths – on this track November 2. Tyler Baze has been tabbed to keep the roll going from post 2 Monday.
Sweet Marini – Bob Baffert trained mare has placed in nine of 12 career starts – five wins, three seconds and a third place finish. She enters on a nice two race win streak – both Allowance Optional Claiming races at Los Alamitos as heavy favorite after a respectable second in the minor Betty Grable Stakes at this distance at Del Mar November 9. Her only graded stakes action came in August, 2013 – a third in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap at Del Mar. Sweet Marini has won her last two starts and has placed in her last three overall – in good form ahead of this race. Martin Garcia gets the call from the outside post.
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Harlington’s Rose – Steve Knapp trained filly has 18 career starts with three wins and five second place finishes. She enters off a nice upset win in the minor Kalookan Stakes here December 28 – a career best effort. Before that was a fourth, a second, a seventh and a fifth respectively in Allowance Optional Claiming races. She has just one graded stakes start in the past – a fourth in the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes in September, 2013 and has been OK since. Joe Talamo rides hoping to follow up Harlington’s Rose’s first stakes score with her first ever graded stakes win from post 5.
Master the Blues – Robert Hess trained mare won four of five starts between April and August of last year – the best of which came in the minor Daisycutter Handicap at Del Mar August 8. She went on to an eighth in her graded stakes debut – the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters in September and has since recorded consecutive fourth place finishes – the minor Kalookan Stakes here last time out and an Allowance Optional Claiming at Del Mar in November. Master the Blues has six wins in 12 starts in 2014 but failed to place in his last three. Kent Desormeaux will be in the saddle trying to snap the mini-slump from the rail.
Lexington Pearl – Peter Miller trained mare finished six thin this race last year and has just one start since – an eighth in the minor Kalookan Queen Stakes here December 28. She has 29 career starts with nine wins, three seconds and five third place finishes but has yet to place in stakes company in three career tries. Victor Espinoza will be aboard trying to change all that from post 3.
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