Hawkeye Nation delivered a determined victory for owner and trainer The Sidley Stud in the California Distaff Handicap at Santa Anita on Sunday, October 11, 2026. Sent off at just under 8-1, the four-year-old bay filly tracked the early leader under Espinoza V, took command at the third call and held off stablemate Cheryl Fury to win by three-quarters of a length. Her winning time of 1:12.08 marked her seventh career victory and a welcome return to the winner’s circle.

Race Recap

The $100.000 California Distaff Handicap brought together eight California-bred fillies and mares aged three and older for a 6 1/2-furlong contest over firm turf at Santa Anita.

The Sidley Stud entered two runners, Hawkeye Nation and Cheryl Fury, and emerged with the first two finishing positions. Hawkeye Nation had been winless in four starts since capturing the Wasted Tears Stakes at Lone Star Park in June, while Cheryl Fury arrived following a fourth-place finish in an allowance at Belterra Park.

The early running belonged to Neon Queen, who established the lead through the first two calls. Hawkeye Nation remained close throughout those opening stages before moving ahead at the third call, when Cheryl Fury also advanced into contention.

Big Bad Godmother, representing Nakamura Stables, produced a notable late improvement after racing seventh through the first two calls. She ultimately secured third by a nose over Neon Queen, who weakened after setting the pace.

The winning performance was particularly significant for Hawkeye Nation, who had previously finished second in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint at Santa Anita in January and third in the Irish O’Brien Stakes over the same distance in March. This time, she completed the assignment successfully.

The victory also produced a stable exacta for The Sidley Stud, with Cheryl Fury finishing second.

Flow & Calls

First Call — Neon Queen Establishes Command

Neon Queen broke into the early lead and held a one-length advantage over Hawkeye Nation, who occupied second.

Mutty was third, followed by Gracelyn in fourth and Cheryl Fury in fifth. Sophos raced sixth, Big Bad Godmother was seventh, and Anita Magroin trailed the eight-runner field.

Hawkeye Nation’s early position placed her directly behind the leader, while Cheryl Fury and Big Bad Godmother had ground to make up in the running order.

Second Call — Cheryl Fury Begins Her Advance

Neon Queen continued to lead by one length, with Hawkeye Nation maintaining second.

The most notable change came from Cheryl Fury, who improved from fifth to third. Gracelyn remained fourth, while Mutty dropped from third to fifth.

Sophos continued in sixth, Big Bad Godmother remained seventh, and Anita Magroin was still eighth.

Although the leading pair had not changed positions, Cheryl Fury’s improvement brought another Sidley Stud runner into the leading group.

Third Call — Hawkeye Nation Takes Over

Hawkeye Nation made the decisive move, passing Neon Queen to take the lead.

Cheryl Fury continued her progression, moving into second and reducing Hawkeye Nation’s advantage to a neck.

Neon Queen dropped to third after leading through the opening two calls.

Big Bad Godmother made the largest positional improvement of this stage, advancing from seventh to fourth. Gracelyn was fifth, followed by Mutty, Sophos and Anita Magroin.

The change in leadership established Hawkeye Nation and Cheryl Fury as the first two runners, while Big Bad Godmother had moved into contention for a placing.

Final Call — The Sidley Stud Finishes One-Two

Hawkeye Nation maintained her advantage and crossed the finish in 1:12.08, securing the victory over Cheryl Fury.

Big Bad Godmother continued her improvement to finish third, narrowly defeating Neon Queen for that position.

Gracelyn completed the first five, followed by Mutty in sixth, Anita Magroin in seventh and Sophos in eighth.

Hawkeye Nation’s move into the lead at the third call proved decisive. Cheryl Fury’s advance made the finish a contest between stablemates, while Big Bad Godmother’s recovery from seventh provided the strongest late positional improvement among the remaining runners.

Each Runner Mentioned

Hawkeye Nation — 1st

The four-year-old daughter of Great State returned to winning form after four consecutive defeats. She had previously captured the Wasted Tears Stakes at Lone Star Park on June 27 and demonstrated competitive form at Santa Anita earlier in the year. Her ability to track Neon Queen before assuming command was the defining feature of this victory. She now has seven wins from 19 lifetime starts.

Cheryl Fury — 2nd

Cheryl Fury completed an excellent result for The Sidley Stud, improving from fifth at the first call to third at the second and second at the third. She maintained that position through the finish. Her previous accomplishments included a victory in the Valentine Stakes at Santa Anita on May 23, and this runner-up performance marked her fourth appearance among the first two finishers during 2026.

Big Bad Godmother — 3rd

The post-time favorite entered with consecutive victories at Louisiana Downs and Del Mar. She was seventh through the first two calls before advancing to fourth at the third and securing third at the finish. Although her winning streak ended, she has now finished among the first three in nine of ten career starts. Her improvement through the latter stages was one of the race’s notable performances.

Neon Queen — 4th

Neon Queen arrived following victories in her two preceding starts, both turf sprints. She established the early lead and maintained it through the second call before yielding command to Hawkeye Nation. She remained third at the next call but ultimately finished fourth, missing third by a nose.

Gracelyn — 5th

Gracelyn occupied fourth through the opening two calls before slipping to fifth, where she finished. Her earlier 2026 performances included an allowance victory at Woodbine on June 28 and a runner-up effort in another Woodbine allowance on May 30. She was unable to improve her position during the closing stages.

Mutty — 6th

Mutty entered the California Distaff unbeaten in two starts, having captured a maiden event at Penn National and an allowance at Louisiana Downs, both over five furlongs on turf. Making her first stakes appearance and stretching to 6 1/2 furlongs, she raced third initially but dropped to fifth at the second call and sixth at the third, remaining there at the finish. The defeat ended her unbeaten record.

Anita Magroin — 7th

Anita Magroin entered following a second-place allowance finish at Monmouth Park on September 6. She remained eighth through the first three calls before moving ahead of Sophos to finish seventh. Her lone career victory came in an April maiden event over one mile on turf at Turf Paradise.

Sophos — 8th

Sophos had finished second in consecutive turf allowance races at Woodbine and Louisiana Downs during the summer. She raced sixth through the first two calls before dropping to seventh at the third and eighth at the finish. The result left her without a turf victory in ten attempts, although she has recorded four seconds and three thirds on that surface.

Winning Connections, Pedigree & Earnings

Hawkeye Nation is a four-year-old bay filly by Great State out of Hawkes Bay, bred in California by Smokey Stover.

She is owned and trained by The Sidley Stud, with Espinoza V aboard for the California Distaff victory.

Her lifetime record now stands at 19 starts, seven wins, five seconds and two thirds, with career earnings of $264.640.

The result was especially rewarding for The Sidley Stud, which also owns and trains runner-up Cheryl Fury. Both fillies contributed to a one-two finish in the California-bred stakes event.

Final Assessment

Hawkeye Nation’s California Distaff success combined an advantageous early tracking position with a decisive move at the third call. She had not won since June, but her previous Santa Anita performances suggested that a return to this distance could produce a competitive effort.

Cheryl Fury’s advance secured a stable exacta for The Sidley Stud, while Big Bad Godmother recovered from seventh to finish third despite suffering defeat as the favorite.

For Hawkeye Nation, the result added another stakes victory to an already productive career. For The Sidley Stud, it was an afternoon distinguished by two runners occupying the first two finishing positions.

Track: Firm
Time: :21³  :43³  1:06²  1:12

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 3 Paid 42.90
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 3 – 4 Paid 80.90

Scratched: None

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded