Santa Ynez Stakes (Grade 3) (KYO)- $100.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies Three Years Old
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
January 7, 2024

The starting gate will be full on Sunday for the 20th running of the Grade 3 Santa Ynez Stakes, and while there are races out there with bigger purses than the $100.000 that is offered here, the bigger prize may very well be the KYO points that are on the line. We’re getting closer to that big race after all, as it may hard to believe that it is only four months away. This is an interesting field that actually only has one horse that ran in the BC and that will potentially allow us to see some newer faces become stars. That was true for the 2023 winner, Blind Appeal, saddled by Nakamura Stables, as the race was her graded debut. She wouldn’t run in the KYO but did win the Black Eyed Susan over PRK weekend. Though inconsistent, she is still active today. Here’s a look at those running in this year’s event!

#1- Apache Jenn (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- This filly had success running against TX-Breds early in her career, and that included a win in the $150.000 TTA Sales Futurity- Fillies. Her prior trainer would increase her competition level after that, and Apache Jenn stepped up with a solid fourth in the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes at DMR. That’s when Mb Stables came in and added the filly to his barn for $65.000, which may prove to be quite a bargain. Won the $100.000 My Trusty Cat in her first race for her new trainer.

#2- Dime Moment (Asgar, ridden by D E Centeno)- Won two of her first three races, having a lot of success while running at WO. It was there where she captured the $125.000 My Dear Stakes in July, and she ran well as the runner up in the $200.000 Muskoka, for Canadians, a month later. Those were all sprints, and she would run long for the first time in the Grade 1 Frizette and did not seem to fire that day. After three months to rest and potentially improve, she looks to capitalize on this next chance to prove herself.

#3- Flawed Beauty (Williams9, ridden by D L Parker)- Three for three, but about to have the test of her life right here. The last time she was at the track, it was for Barcelona Farms, who ran her in a $20.000 claimer and Williams9 picked her up after winning a three-way shake. He’s not messing around with her, as three weeks later she goes from that claimer at FG to the Santa Ynez Stakes. The bigger question on her may be whether she wants the distance, and we’ll all find out together.

#4- Line Of Flight (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- She also knows what it’s like to be claimed, as that already happened to her twice in her career, passing through La Canada Racehorses and Fractious before D J C picked her up for $40.000 in September. With her new trainer, Line Of Flight has shown that she is capable of running in top races, placing second in $200.000 Myrtlewood before winning the $100.000 Key Cents for NY-Breds. Like Flawed Beauty, she’s never gone long, but unlike that one, her works show that she’ll be fine with it.

#5- Beach Towel (Winning Link Stables, ridden by L Saez)- Off to a very productive start in her career, hitting the board five times over her six races. Half of them come against CA-Breds, and there is a stake win in that mix, the $125.000 Generous Portion Stakes in September. It was after that race where Beach Towel was given a chance to run against graded foes, but unfortunately for the trainer, that’s the one race where she did not cash a check. Missing by a length while running fifth in the Frizette could be looked a couple of ways as she certainly ran against better competition there than had ever seen and fared well just not well enough. Her works don’t jump out at you, and that could be a cause for concern but in the long run she’s just a horse who knows how to step up on race day.

#6- End Of The Devil (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by J Lezcano)- As a horse named this, she’s already off to a good start after drawing post six. She’s also run a total of six times, and each of her wins come at six (or six and a half) furlongs. Broke her maiden at SAR, and after that ran against graded company twice, missing a paycheck in each of them. However, that was not the end for her, as she bounced back from finishing, you guessed it, sixth, in the Grade 3 Surfer Girl Stakes by winning an allowance where she started next to a filly named Big Bang Lucifer. She’s got the potential and things may be pointing her direction leading into the race.

#7- Mo Mentum Filly (Mb Stables, ridden by D Davis)- You have to think that for Mo Mentum Farm to name a horse that he knew she had plenty of potential, but she would never end up running a race for him. She’d be sold twice before hitting the track, ultimately with Mb Stables in April. Since then, she’s run seven times, winning thrice and being second three more times. One was a stake, that being the $150.000 Shady Well Stakes for ON-Breds where she defeated the rivals to oppose her in the mud. At press time, Mb Stables is 1-for-14 in 2024. Might want to screen shot that, because you’ll never see that low of a number on him again.

#8- Moochi (Fractious, ridden by M Franco)- Fractious will be running a couple, and both of them seem to have a good shot even though I might prefer Moochi’s stablemate a little bit. As for Moochi, she’s won three of six, alternating wins and non-wins. Fractious hopes that pattern will end here as she comes off a very narrow victory in the $50.000 GG Debutante in a tight three-way photo. This is her first time going long, and unfortunately, she does not have any public works over six furlongs.

#9- At Tea (Asgar, ridden by F Geroux)- This filly has won three of her last four races, a streak that began once she broke her maiden at MTH in July. After that, she was sent to the CTBA Stakes, where she picked up a win in a field that also featured Moochi and Beach Towel, with the latter running second there. Unfortunately, the one race where she did not win was quite a stinker, running dead last in the Grade 1 DMR Debutante, being defeated by six lengths. That may be easy to write off, and her works are promising, but that absolutely cannot happen again.

#10- Sitting Bulls Champ (Mb Stables, ridden by J C Ferrer)- The only horse in this race to run in the BC, but it was not a memorable race for her as she only managed a midpack finish. To get there, she had run second at SAR in the Grade 1 Spinaway and then third at KEE in the Alcibiades. Running seventh in the BC isn’t awful, but I would have liked to have seen her bounce back with something better than her fifth-place performance in the My Dear for FL Breds last month.

#11- Strom Up (Sheffler Stables, ridden by T Conner)- Strom Up will step up in the Santa Ynez has she makes her stake debut. Her prior three races have all been in Pennsylvania, and she’s won twice at PRX before coming here. She will bring with her the king of PEN, that being T Conner, who is known and loved by all free track stables. Strom Up is working very well in preparation for the race and should be a threat here. We don’t know if she is ultimately going to find a niche for herself on the grass yet, but dirt must always be tried this time of year.

#12- Cinnabon (Fractious, ridden by R L Moore)- Finally, we come to our second horse trained by Fractious, and it’s one that has been a little inconsistent in her career thus far. When she is on, she looks like a great one, and that was the case in her last start when she won the $100.000 Arnaz Stakes. That doesn’t happen enough, as she has failed to cash a check in four starts and wasn’t really close in three of them. I do like her works, and with that it’s hard for me to look the other way on her. I would definitely play her if the odds climbed, which is possible.

Prediction: 9-4-5-1

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES