Post-Race Review
Four scratches left the field of the Santa Maria Handicap (gr. I) with only eight starters, but a solidly matched group remained.
After a delay at the gate which resulted in the scratch of Country Star, Briecat bounded out to lead the field early. Santa Teresita, a 16 – 1 shot, was eager to run on under jockey Joe Talamo, and once released around the turn the race was over. Santa Teresita drew away from the rest of the field and was never threatened in the lane. The daughter of Lemon Drop Kid paid $28.80 to win for trainer Eric Guillot.
Model and Marzelline (IRE) dead heated for second while Leah’s Secret, the race favorite, finished fourth. The final time for 1 1/8 miles was 1:41.88.
Santa Teresita had run some deceivingly strong CASE numbers in the past. Two starts back, despite being seventh, Santa Teresita earned a 95 for Aerobic Efficiency and an 87 for Stride Quality.
Pre-Race Analysis
A holiday weekend begins with the $300,000 Santa Maria Handicap (gr. I), a 1 1/16 mile contest on Santa Anita’s synthetic surface for older fillies and mares. A bulky field of eleven is entered, but three horses are cross-entered for other stakes races through the weekend, and a deluge of rain will likely result in scratches as well.
Leah’s Secret is an imposing presence on the outside of this field. After winning the Sunshine Millions on January 24th, where Leah’s Secret earned an 89 for Aerobic Efficiency, it was expected that the six-year-old Tiger Ridge mare would be retired. Instead, Leah’s Secret will bounce back here and look to add to her $1.1 million in earnings and record of nine wins in 26 starts.
Visit (GB) is closely matched in the morning line odds, and did earn a 96 for Endurance last out when third in the Matriarch (gr. I) for trainer Bobby Frankel. Visit has won just over $356,000 and will be piloted by Garrett Gomez.
The royally-bred Empire Maker filly Country Star finished second last out in a comeback attempt after being off since August, and should improve here against older mares. Country Star earned a 96 Aerobic Efficiency rating in that race, and scored a 100 for the same category at Saratoga last year. Joel Rosario will ride.
Briecat is making her 2009 debut after winning the Bayakoa (gr. II) last out at Hollywood Park back in December. Jockey Jose Valdivia takes over for trainer Vladimir Cerin. The Adcat filly has won half of her ten lifetime starts, and that Bayakoa win, worth an 80 for Coordination, came at the expense of Model, who is slated to start from the outside fence today. Model scored a 90 for Stride Quality in the Bayakoa, and is four for fourteen lifetime with two wins each on turf and synthetic.
Tizfiz and Bsharpsonata are both likely to be scratched to run on Sunday or Monday, but if they start they are worth a look. Tizfiz will go at long odds despite winning the San Gorgonio (gr. II) on January 4th, earning a 96 for Stride Quality and a whopping 101 for Endurance. The Tiznow filly has won three of her last four starts. Bsharpsonata finished third in the La Brea Stakes (gr. I) on December 27th, and has also won seven of fourteen starts.
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Emily Shields s a regular contributor to Case the Race. She has written for California Thoroughbred, Churchill Downs media, and international racing magazines.
