California’s march to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 1 at Churchill Downs gets underway on Saturday as a field of five newly turned 3-year-old fillies will race the 7 furlongs in the $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes, the eighth race on a nine-race program at Santa Anita.
The post time for the main event is set for 3:37 p.m. PT.
Rainy weather from earlier in the week is expected to continue through the weekend, so an off track is likely under cloudy skies, with highs in the lower 60s.
The Santa Ynez offers Oaks qualifying points of 10-5-3-2-1 to the top five finishers. But with just five runners, the points allotment drops to 75% of the original awards.
Since its first run in 1952, some of the legends of the division have won the Santa Ynez, including Turkish Trousers, Susan’s Girl, Terlingua, Very Subtle, Serena’s Song, Indian Blessing, Unique Bella, Midnight Bisou, and Bellafina.
Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and the late D. Wayne Lukas share top billing as the race’s leading trainers with five apiece. Bill Shoemaker rode the most winners throughout his career with seven.
Explora is the top contender of the three trained by Baffert. The Blame filly debuted impressively in August at Del Mar, winning a maiden special weight by nearly five lengths, defeating Revera in doing so. She was then second in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) in September before capturing the Oak Leaf Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita.
Her second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) as the 1-2 favorite was disappointing for her connections, but it was an impressive effort, and anything close here gets the job done. Cutting back to 7 furlongs should prove her fitness -- she's certainly the one to beat despite the route-to-sprint angle.
Himka, who will break from gate 3 with jockey Kazushi Kimura for Baffert, brings a mix of highs and lows into the race. The Curlin filly exploded on debut in June at Santa Anita, breaking her maiden by six lengths with a big speed figure, then dominated the Sorrento Stakes (G3) at Del Mar in August.
The $900,000 2-year-old in training purchase struggled in subsequent graded efforts, finishing fourth in the Del Mar Debutante and fifth in the Oak Leaf, but rebounded to win the Anoakia Stakes before a second in the Desi Arnaz Stakes last out. With career earnings of $222,822 from three wins in six starts, her recent workouts at Santa Anita have been sharp, including a 5-furlong bullet in 1:00.20 on Dec. 18. She could bounce back if she recaptures early form, but inconsistency is a concern.
Revera will break from the inside with jockey Hector Berrios. The John Sadler-trained daughter of Lexitonian, enters the Santa Ynez with solid sprint form and consistent improvement, capping it off with an impressive win in the Desi Arnaz.
She also owns a strong second in the Anoakia Stakes over this track back in October. Revera has shown early speed, though she rated last time, and will most likely head to the front as her post can be somewhat problematic coming out of the seven-eighths chute. Her recent workouts are fair, and she’s surely fit, plus her form suggests she's peaking at the right time.
Toaster, who will be ridden by Mike Smith for Baffert, is the least experienced of the bunch but potentially the most intriguing as a lightly raced filly. The McKinzie filly made her only start in a 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight at Los Alamitos in December, a winning one, showing a ton of heart to turn away all rivals and earning a big speed figure.
That debut suggests raw talent and early pace, which could allow her to dictate terms in this small field. Her freshness could be an asset, and her last work is inspiring, but stepping straight into the stakes company against proven rivals will be a stiff test to decide if her maiden win was the sign of a future star or an easy win against softer company.
La Wally has shown flashes of quality but needs to rebound from a disappointing effort last out in the BC Juvenile Fillies. The Mark Glatt-trained Constitution filly debuted with a narrow win at Del Mar in July, then placed third in the Del Mar Debutante. She was second in the Oak Leaf before the Breeders' Cup, where she never fired and beat just one as a 13-1 outsider. Overall, her figures indicate she's competitive at the graded level, especially around two turns, but the sprint distance here is a logical cut back as she prepares for the Oaks trail.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
