By Margaret Ransom
Bast – Photo by Ernie Belmonte
Southern California racing fans and handicappers will get their first good look at a bunch of talented fillies in Sunday’s $200,000 Santa Ynez (G2) at Santa Anita, with their connections hoping the seven- furlong test will be a step toward the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 1.
A field of seven heads to the gate led by Baoma Corp.’s Bast, a three-time Grade 1 winner and an Eclipse Award-finalist as top 2-year-old filly. Bast is one of three entries trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.
Since first run in 1952, some impressive fillies have won the Santa Ynez, including Turkish Trousers, Susan’s Girl, Terlingua, Very Subtle, Serena’s Song and Indian Blessing.
Three years ago, champion and fan favorite emerged victorious, while multiple G1-winner and 2019 Distaff finalist Midnight Bisou won two years back. Last year, Bellafina won the race.
This may be one of the few Southern California stakes for 3-year-olds that doesn’t rank Baffert as the top conditioner. He’s sent out four winners to D. Wayne Lukas’s five and this year looks to tie his friend.
Unique Bella (photo by Jim Safford).
Fresh off her a win the Starlet Stakes (G1) a month ago, Bast, a daughter of Uncle Mo, has been training well for this first step toward the Kentucky Oaks and is already a winner around two turns, so this cut back in distance to seven furlongs should be no problem. Drayden Van Dyke will be back in the irons and the two will break from the far outside post position of seven.
Baffert’s second runner is Auberge, who drew the inside in her first start since breaking her maiden by 7 ¾ lengths over this track at six furlongs more than two months back. Flavien Prat will take over on this expensive daughter of Palace for owners Speedway Stables, and while she seems to have a sprinters pedigree, she should be able to handle the distance and hopefully the pressure if Prat sends from the break, which will probably be Baffert’s instructions.
Baffert also sends out Golden Principal for her first start since a debut win five weeks ago at Del Mar. The filly has shown talent in the mornings, including a nice bullet from the gate in 1:12 4/5 last Saturday, and she is certain to be fine with the distance and even farther as she’s by Constitution and out of a Medaglia d’Oro mare. Mike Smith has the call and breaks from the No. 2 post. Golden Principal has some stalking ability and is in good hands with Smith.
Simon Callaghan sent out Bellafina to win this race last year and this year will have Paige Anne, who cuts back a furlong off her maiden win last out at Los Alamitos in her fifth start. She’s always competitive and gives her all, so her best under Joe Talamo should earn her a piece.
Lovely Lilia broke her maiden for a $30,000 price tag back in September and came back to win an optional claiming race last out. She is a daughter of Derby and Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom, and should appreciate more distance. Trainer Phil D’Amato and jockey Abel Cedillo both seek a first win in this event.
Trainer Jeff Mullins sends out both K P Dreamin and Orquidias Biz, both fillies looking for an initial stakes win. The former was a well-beaten third behind Bast in the Starlet after a poor Breeders’ Cup performance and the latter was second in the Desi Arnaz stakes last out after breaking her maiden on the Santa Anita turf.
The Santa Ynez is Sunday’s seventh race and post time is 3:38 p.m. PT.
California native and lifelong horsewoman Margaret Ransom is a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program. She got her start in racing working in the publicity departments at Calder Race Course and Hialeah Park, as well as in the racing office at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. She then spent six years in Lexington, KY, at BRISnet.com, where she helped create and develop the company’s popular newsletters: Handicapper’s Edge and Bloodstock Journal.After returning to California, she served six years as the Southern California news correspondent for BloodHorse, assisted in the publicity department at Santa Anita Park and was a contributor to many other racing publications, including HorsePlayer Magazine and Trainer Magazine. She then spent seven years at HRTV and HRTV.com in various roles as researcher, programming assistant, producer and social media and marketing manager.
She has also walked hots and groomed runners, worked the elite sales in Kentucky for top-class consignors and volunteers for several racehorse retirement organizations, including CARMA.In 2016, Margaret was the recipient of the prestigious Stanley Bergstein Writing Award, sponsored by Team Valor, and was an Eclipse Award honorable mention for her story, “The Shocking Untold Story of Maria Borell,” which appeared on USRacing.com. The article and subsequent stories helped save 43 abandoned and neglected Thoroughbreds in Kentucky and also helped create a new animal welfare law in Kentucky known as the “Borell Law.”Margaret’s very first Breeders’ Cup was at Hollywood Park in 1984 and she has attended more than half of the Breeders’ Cups since. She counts Holy Bull and Arrogate as her favorite horses of all time.She lives in Robinson, Texas, with her longtime beau, Tony. She is the executive director of the 501(c)(3) non-profit horse rescue, The Bridge Sanctuary.
