It’s hard to believe it’s been a 15 years since the great Hall of Famer Zenyatta last won the race that would eventually bear her name. The fan-favored mare had won the race twice before and all three victories served as prep races for the Breeders’ Cup, one for her victory in the 2008 Breeders’Cup Distaff (G1), one for her greatest career triumph in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) and the last for her nose defeat – her only defeat – to Blame in the dark at Churchill Downs in the 2010 Classic.
This year again, Santa Anita’s older filly and mare feature serves as a Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win & You’re In” event for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff down south at Del Mar in five weeks.
Inaugurated in 1993 as the Lady’s Secret Stakes and originally named for the great Hall of Famer and 1986 Horse of the Year, Santa Anita in 2012 changed the race’s name to the Zenyatta Stakes (G2) to honor the mare who left her mark not only on California racing, but became a household name worldwide for her dance moves, stunning come-from-behind style and impressive record of 19 victories from 20 career starts.
Only the great mare Beholder – who also won this race three consecutive times from 2013 to 2015 – has come close to filling the enormous hoofprints the great Zenyatta left behind in this race, though several standout names have tried.
Champion and Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Hollywood Wildcat won the first two runnings of the Lady’s Secret in 1993 and 1994, and since then some of the standout names to have added their name to the winners’ roster includes grade 1 winners/champions/ Horses of the Year Sharp Cat, Manistique, Azeri, Got Koko, Stellar Wind Paradise Woods (twice) and Vale Dori.
Bob Baffert is the leading conditioner in the race, having been represented in the winner’s circle six times, including three in a row from 2021 to 2023 – Adare Manor, Midnight Memories, Private Mission. He also conditioned Vale Dori (Arg), Tough TIz’s Sis and Magical Allure.
Mike Smith leads all riders with five wins himself, he was Zenyatta’s regular rider, was aboard Beholder for one of her victories and was in the irons aboard another Hall of Famer in 2002 winner Azeri, who was crowned that year’s Horse of the Year.
Only five are set to break from the gate this year, the early favorite being the very expensive and undefeated Baffert-trained Nyquist filly Cavalieri in her first start since taking the Beholder Mile (G1) over this track seven months ago. She wasn’t injured after her last race, her trainer said, this race was put on her schedule with the Breeders’ Cup as the ultimate goal. She’s got a ton of early speed and can be found either on the lead or right behind it if someone else wants to lead the field, but she’s earned big speed and class figures to suggest this is a perfect springboard into the Breeders’ Cup.
Stablemate Richi finished behind her stablemate in the Beholder Mile, then won the Santa Maria Stakes (G2) and was third last out in the Clement L. Hirsch (G1) at Del Mar. She has only finished worse than third in one of her 15 career starts both here and in her homeand of Chile and has won eight times. She’ll be up on the engine as well, but jockey Antonio Fresu may have no choice but to take a bit back and avoid any kind of an early speed duel. While a win would give this mare an opportunity to run in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, she’s being pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) regardless, according to Baffert.
Doug O’Neill sends out Peruvian Group 1 winner in her North American debut and while she’s been training well, it’s hard to say how she’ll fare against the top distaffers on the West Coast. She is accomplished in her home country, however. It’s best to take a conservative approach on your tickets here and perhaps use her in exactas and trifectas.
Sugar Fish hasn’t won a race in three starts since taking this race last year, but she was a respectable fifth behind Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna in the 2024 Distaff and after spending most of 2025 on the sidelines probably needed her last, though a 15-length trouncing never really looks good. Hopefully she’ll revert to old form for a share here.
Howin is Baffert’s third runner here and though Baoma Corp’s multiple graded stakes-placed daughter of Gun Runner has her work cut out for her, she doesn’t need to improve much for at least another graded stakes placing.
1 Sugar Fish (Tyler Baze, Jeff Mullins), 6-1
2 La Kika (Hector Barrios, Doug O’Neill), 9-2
3 Cavalieri (Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert), 7-5
4 Howin (Kazushi Kimura, Bob Baffert), 8-1
5 Richi (Antonio Fresu, Bob Baffert), 3-2
This year marks the 41st running of the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G1), the state of California’s final Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win & You’re In” event for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1). This six-furlong dash was until 2012 known as the Ancient Title and named for the great California-bred champion and Hall of Famer who spent most of his illustrious career winning at almost all distances in the Golden State.
The race was originally contested at Hollywood Park, but was moved across town to Santa Anita in the mid-80s and since then has proved to be a popular stop for some exceptional sprinters. two-time champion sprinter Roy H used this race as a springboard to winning the Breeders’ Cup in 2017 and 2018, as did Amazombie in 2011, Kona Gold in 2000, Elmhurst in 1997 and Cardmania in 1993. Other top runners to have won this race include Lord Nelson, Smiling Tiger, Gayego, Idiot Proof, Swept Overboard, Cardmania and Groovy.
John Sadler is the race’s top trainer, having sent out four winners, and Hall of Fame jockeys Eddie Delahoussaye and Kent Desormeaux have each ridden four to victory
Last year’s champion sprinter, Breeders’ Cup Sprint hero and defending champion here Straight No Chaser is back in action for the first time since an eighth-place finish in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) six months ago. The Dan Blacker trainee, who also won the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G1) in Saudia Arabia in February, has been training well for several weeks over the surface and Del Mar for most of the summer. He’s run off the layoff successfully before, so there’s no reason to think he can’t get the job done here. He will face seven others, but none have ever quite earned the numbers this champion has. Expect this 6-year-old to go right to the front and never look back.
Dr. Venkman, who won the Pat O’Brien Stakes (G2) in his last at Del Mar this summer, again drew the rail for this six-furlong test. Distance-wise, his career has kind of been all over the map yet his only appearance at six furlongs produced a dull fourth-place finish. It's probably safe to say he’s certainly talented enough to pick up a check here and he will get the pace he loves in front of him, but he’s already qualified for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), so this race is probably just a vehicle to keep him fit.
The well-bred Imagination breaks from the far outside looking to make it to the Breeders’ Cup. He hasn’t won since taking the 2024 San Felipe Stakes. His career has been mostly routing, but Baffert knows how to get them ready for this race. He doesn’t need to improve much to be a factor cutting back.
1 Dr. Venkman (Umberto Rispoli, Mark Glatt), 3-1
2 Straight No Chaser (John Velazquez, Dan Blacker), 7-5
3 Awesome Rhythm (Victor Garcia, Armando Ayuso), 12-1
4 Smooth Cruisin (Kyle Frey, Karen Headley), 30-1
5 Speed Boat Beach (Mike Smith, Bob Baffert), 10-1
6 Wound Up (David Cohen, Liberado Barocio), 15-1
7 Mbagnik (Hector Barrios, John Sadler), 12-1
8 Imagination (Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert), 5-2
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.
