La Canada Stakes (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
January 12, 2019

A small field of five (originally six) will be looking for a win in the 15th running of the La Canada Stakes, a Grade 3 race for older females on the main track. This will be the first year that it runs as a Grade 3, as it has been downgraded from being a Grade 2 previously. Mb Stables is a two time winner of the race, and no, La Canada Racehorses has never won this stake. He won’t even have an entry. Maxmillion Farm will have two, however, so he will make up for it. The headliner in this field will be Enoughs Enough, but there is plenty in here that can knock her off. Let’s meet the field.

#1- Honey Dew (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by E A Roman)- This filly won just once in 2018, but when she did, she made it look pretty, turning in a seven length rout at the Grade 3 Ballerina BC against two others. Recent races have shown her having a tendency of wanting to get out on the race lead, but she’s not just here to be a good teammate for Destination Ny, as she worked very well to close out the year. This will be the fourth race in six starts where she starts on the rail.

#2- Enoughs Enough (Mb Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- Comes into this race off of the BC Distaff, something that no one else in this field can claim. That alone should make her the favorite, and she didn’t limp into that race either, winning the Grade 1 Cotillion at PRX in her start before that. At this exact distance, she has won her last three starts, and five of her six career starts at it. Nothing is a given, but its tough to see her going down here.

#3- Destination Ny (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by J Talamo)- In August, Destination Ny took to the slop at SAR and placed third in the Grade 1 Alabama. That was a result that came after a victory at the Grade 3 IA Oaks. But after reaching New York in August, Destination Ny has two races where she has finished near the rear of the field. Can she flash that greatness in this race? I still think there is plenty of potential for this one to get more graded victories, but it might be tough for it to be here.

#4- Indy Zero (Estero Farms, ridden by D Van Dyke)- While the others in the field seem to be dropping just a bit (at least), Indy Zero is really the only one in this field that you can say is moving up. She makes her debut for Estero Farms, who at press time, is winning at an impressive 37% clip in 2019. Indy Zero has one graded attempt in her career, but in the Estero silks, she would seem to be a bigger threat here. She’s won three of four at this distance and now faces her toughest challenge.

#5- Eponine- Scratched

#6- Ineffable (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- While this filly has won just three out of starts, she has been a lot more consistent in getting in the money, doing so in fifteen of those races. This should be one of those efforts again. Continues to turn out SRF’s in the mid 90’s, but looks still for that first stake win. If she could run her best, then maybe she can get it done with a win, but most likely, its another top three.

Prediction: 2-4-5-3

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES