Santa Monica Stakes (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
February 1, 2025

Fresh off of winning HRP awards as the 2024 Older Female of the Year and Sprinter Female, Lady Sammyantha begins her 2025 campaign here in the Santa Monica Stakes. The two-time BC F & M Sprint winner will have to do so from the outside, but that is nothing she hasn’t done before. Eleven others look to crash the party and pick up a big win for themselves. This is the 21st time that the race has been run, beginning as a Grade 1 before being dropped to a Grade 2 in 2013. Purses have generally been consistent, but did peak at $300.000 a couple of times. In 2024, the race was by Smokey Stover’s Shadow State, a still active filly that also ran in the BC F & M Sprint. Let’s take a look at those taking part this year:

1- Cool Compress (Rock Creek, ridden by F Pennington)- Over her career, Cool Compress has been hot and cold, at times looking really good such as when she won the $150.000 Pumpkin Pie at AQU in November. That simply has not happened enough, with struggles in races like the Grade 3 Pine Stakes, and her most recent outing, the Grade 3 Rampart, keeping her from bigger and better things. On her day she can be a contender, but I will have to pass here.

2- Devils Bride (Alydar Stables, ridden by B Curtis)- Picked up by the trainer for $650.000 in private sales in July, and has run well in her four starts since. None are wins, but she did place second on two occasions, including the Grade 3 Princess Rooney last time out. She was able to get into the BC F & M Sprint as well and finished in the middle of the field. More of the same should make her a strong contender in this race.

3- Military Made (Spb Racing, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- This six-year-old mare has been hot over her last five races, with two wins, including last month in the Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes right here. Over that five-race period, she has never failed to pick up at least some portion of the purse for her trainer. Not too shabby for a horse that was claimed for $10.000 in late 2023 as she seems to be getting better every time she is out there.

4- Lady Lara (Night Mare Racing, ridden by M E Smith)- After finishing eighth in the KYO, Lady Lara cut back on her distance and went on a three-race winning streak, a stretch that included the Grade 1 Test at SAR as well as the Grade 2 CT Oaks. With those results, she would find her way to the BC Fillies and Mares Sprint and was only a length behind Lady Sammyantha in her third-place effort. There’s no reason to think she cannot flip the script, so if you’re looking away from the BC Champ, Lara may be your Lady.

5- Vanessa (Royalty Stables, ridden by J L Ortiz)- While Vanessa has won three times over her eleven starts, she’s still looking for her first stake win. She’s had several opportunities, and usually runs well, but just needs her breakthrough. Ran third two starts ago in the Grade 3 Seaway Stakes but has only made one start since then: at AQU in an optional claimer where she was second. The trainer will have her ready to go here off the layoff.

6- Bla Bla Bla (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by D Van Dyke)- Picked up in private sales around this time last year for $32.000 and may just be coming into her own right now. It took her a while to get going for her new trainer, but her last two starts have been much better, winning the $75.000 Cornucopia Stakes and placing third in the Las Flores. I’m not entirely sold on her being a contender here, but she’s definitely trending in the right direction, and you never know with a horse like that.

7- Lucky Star (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by E Maldonado)- She was a big purchase by the trainer back in 2023 for $800.000, and while she has only one once in Maxmillion Farm silks, a bunch of second place efforts have kept her making money and she is now over $1,500.000 in earnings. When we last saw her, she had one of those seconds, coming at DMR on BC weekend, but in the $200.000 Maddy Stakes. Should be in the mix here, and it’s safe to say she is due for a little more luck at the wire.

8- Awesome Angel (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by D Davis)- She’s had her chances in stakes, but with one exception, they have not been her strong point. There is the win in the 2024 SUN Oaks, which is no small achievement, but she has been unable to build on that as her career has gone on. Last time out, she was dropped into an optional claimer and won, and it was the first time she even cashed a check since the SUN Oaks. Can that be a turning point?

9- Killeacle Girl (The Sidley Stud, ridden by Jam Rodriguez)- While the trainer brings up Lady Sammyantha for this race, he’ll bring this four-year-old filly as well. Killeacle Girl won the Grade 3, $100.000 Chillingworth Stakes two starts ago right here at SA, but was a non-factor in the Grade 2 Raven Run in the race that followed. That pretty much sums her up, as she is one of those hit and miss types. Guess it’s a good spot to see if she’ll fire off a big one while the big gun is also in the race.

10- My Pretty (Threshold, ridden by L Dettori)- After finishing seventh in the Grade 1 Phipps, My Pretty was placed into a $35.000 claimer where she annihilated the field by six lengths. Threshold won a four-way shake, then won the Grade 2 Bloom Handicap with her right after that. Following that, she would win again, this time in the $300.000 Dream Supreme, making her a perfect 2-for-2 for Threshold. Regardless of how this race goes, it is highly likely that we will see her on, or at least near, the front as she likes to have the field running right from the gate.

11- Midnight Star (John Henry, ridden by D E Centeno)- Makes her debut for the trainer after last being raced by Smokey Stover. She had a steady career in that barn and seemed to be hitting her best stride in her final races there, winning the Union Avenue Handicap, for NY-Breds, then missing the head bob at the wire in the $300.000 Open Mind. She has not raced since that mid-September day, so you have to wonder how she will fare off the layoff.

12- Lady Sammyantha (The Sidley Stud, ridden by F T Alvardo)- Earlier this week, Lady Sammyantha was the winner of two HRP Awards: The Older Female and Sprinter Female, and we will extend our congratulations to The Sidley Stud for that. Lady Sammyantha’s year saw five wins in eight races, culminating with the BC F & M Sprint, which she won for the second year in a row. Presently, she is riding a four-race winning streak. What will 2025 hold for her? That remains to be seen, but it all gets started right here. Don’t worry about the outside post here, at all. She’s actually quite experienced with it, and it has not stopped her. A couple in here will make sure that she shows up and runs to her ability, but she is still the one to beat.

Prediction: 12-4-2-10

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES