ARCADIA, Calif. -- We’ve all seen the weather maps: everywhere from Texas to Virginia to NYC will be getting blasted with winter weather this weekend.
Not the Great Race Place.
Thank goodness for our winter racing spots, be it in Arcadia, or Hallandale Beach, or New Orleans. Our spot here in Kentucky - Turfway Park - canceled days ago in anticipation of a foot of snow and temps that won’t crack 20°.
The La Cañada Stakes is a Grade 3 event, contested over 8 ½ furlongs at Santa Anita - where there will be no snow today. This is the rare 2-turn dirt stakes in California not recently dominated by Bob Baffert, who did win last year’s rendition with the impressive Cavalieri.
Let’s meet the field, and put together our weekly wager. If you are wagering on California racing, check out AmWager! They have a 100% deposit match up to $150 for new customers.
Grade 3 La Cañada. 1 1/16 miles, dirt. Fillies & Mares 4+up. $100,000.
1. Ooty. 8/1. Jockey: Tiago Pereira. Trainer: Bob Baffert.
Ooty has been a bit of a puzzle for the Baffert operation since her move to the US from Argentina in 2024. She’s run 3 times, and been nowhere near the number. She showed more promise last out in the Grade 3 Las Flores - but that was at 6 furlongs. I’m not sure what she’s good at, and I’m not sure trainer Bob Baffert knows, either.
Comment: toss.
2. Fugitive Star. 12/1. Jockey: Hector Berrios. Trainer: Ian Kruljac.
Fugitive Star has been a road warrior since beginning her career in 2024: she’s run in Kentucky, Louisiana, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Arizona. She has 3 wins in 8 career starts, none of them anywhere near this level. I think she can settle into being a nice optional claimer type horse, but this feels like a stretch.
Comment: toss.
3. So There She Was. 9/5. Jockey: Emisael Jaramillo. Trainer: Doug O’Neill.
So There She Was holds the distinction as the only stakes winner entering the day, winning the Remington Park Oaks in September. The connections sent her east to try the Grade 2 Mother Goose, a prestigious year-end race for 3-year-old fillies, to no avail. She can win here, and given her breeding - Munnings out of a Take Charge Indy mare - I think there could be some buzz around her leading into her 4-year-old campaign.
Comment: include.
4. Brilliantly. 7/5. Jockey: Juan Hernandez. Trainer: Bob Baffert.
Brilliantly is your morning line favorite, but make no mistake: this is favoritism based on connections, and not results. Brilliantly’s one win came on turf, against maiden company. While there’s no doubting Baffert and Hernandez at Santa Anita on a late January Saturday, her resume simply doesn’t pass the muster test. We’ll toss her today in an attempt to maximize our tickets; don’t be stunned if she wins.
Comment: toss for value.
5. Nafisa. 5/1. Jockey: Kazushi Kimura. Trainer: Bob Baffert.
Nafisa’s running line is unusual for a Baffert trainee, as it took 13 races for her to get her first win. She followed that up immediately with another nice run - and win - in her first race against winners. Baffert is turning her around quickly, on about 3 weeks of rest. I love her recent progression, and I think she more than fits here.
Comment: most likely winner.
6. Jane Austen. 6/1. Jockey: Abel Lezcano. Trainer: Mark Glatt.
Jane Austen showed serious flash at the outset of her career, winning on debut and then backing it up against winners last out, beginning 2-for-2. She’s yet to show that form again, and despite her breeding, has not taken to longer distance races. I understand the rationale from trainer Mark Glatt - she is a daughter a of Tapit after all - but I don’t envy the obvious puzzle that this filly is.
Comment: toss.
The Sporting Tribune Wager:
$3 Late Pick 3, starts race 7 ($24): 5 / 3,5 / 4,6,7,8. Good luck!
