Four largely untested sophomore fillies take on dual graded stakes winner Tenma on Sunday in the $100,000 Las Virgenes (G3), the first of Santa Anita Park’s preps for the 2025 Kentucky Oaks (G1) in May.
The one-mile race serves as a springboard to the April 5 Santa Anita Oaks (G2), the winner of which receives 100 Kentucky Oaks points.
Tenma, with a 3-0-1 record from four starts, has already bankrolled 13 Oaks points via her most recent win on Dec. 7 in the Starlet (G2) at Los Alamitos and a third in the Oak Leaf Stakes (G2).Â
Purchased for $850,000, the Nyquist filly also owns a maiden win at Del Mar, followed by a gritty nose victory in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) on Sept. 7.
The Bob Baffert trainee will tote 124 pounds in the Las Virgenes, giving four pounds to her rivals, which include her stablemate, the Bernardini filly Cipriani, an 8 ½-length maiden winner on Oct. 27.Â
Expected to attract support as well is the Michael McCarthy-trained Just as Fancy, who broke her maiden at third asking on Jan. 3 under Flavien Prat, who will be aboard on Sunday.
Our Moonlight, a Tapit filly trained by Dean Petersen for owners Baoma Corp., enters off an impressive 2 Âľ-length maiden victory on Dec. 27.
Completing the field is Lolo Le Plume, most recently third, beaten four lengths by Just as Fancy on Jan. 3.
Since the Las Virgenes has a five-horse field, 75% of the Oaks points (usually 20-10-6-4-2 to the first five finishers) will be proportionally awarded.
Baffert is seeking a fourth straight win in the Las Virgenes, his ninth overall.
Post time for the Las Virgenes is 4 p.m. ET.
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.
