The Santa Maria Stakes (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
May 22, 2021
There won’t be many running in the Santa Maria Stakes on Saturday, as only five head to the starting gate for the 16th running of this Grade 2 event, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t have a great race. When the race first appeared on the calendar in 2005, it was a Grade 1, and it would stay that way for five years before being downgraded just a bit. Its purse peaked in 2009 at $300.000, but has been steady at its current level since 2012. Shake It Off is a two time winner of the race, the only horse to do so, and she did that in 2017 and 2018. Last year, one of Shake It Off’s winning trainers, Smokey Stover, was able to win again as Tenrikyo took home the trophy. She’s still active and running well, but took her running this month to CD. Now, let’s meet those looking to add their name to the winner list.
#1- Night Bird Flying (South Shore Stables, ridden by M E Smith)- This is an ambitious entry, as the filly has just one win in eight starts, and only one other race in the money. She’s been beaten exactly four lengths five times in her career already. Works are not bad, but bettered by her rivals. Top SRF is 87, and only one horse in this field has an SRF anywhere in their last six races that is below that. I’d love to be proven wrong, but I’m not feeling it on this one. Nothing is ever wrong with taking a shot, and sometimes, we can all get surprised.
#2- Fair On Friday (Gdp Inc, ridden by Ru Gonzalez)- This five year old mare has been running well of late, with three wins in her last four starts. Most recently, she was the winner in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare Stakes, and if you want to find her signature win, you have to go back to 2019 when she won the Grade 1 Spinster. Is her recent form showing enough an upward trend to where she can get there again? Well, it doesn’t quite have to be to win this one, but don’t rule that out quite yet.
#3- Pocono Fashion (Nakamura Stables, ridden by T J Pereira)- Had a great three year old campaign, which was highlighted by winning the Grade 1 Cotillion at PRX, and she followed that up by placing third in the BC Distaff. Since then, she has two good and two not as good races in her four starts, but she looks to be becoming one of those fillies who seems to have a big race when I am the one covering her, because I can’t ever recall her running badly. Her work on May 3 concerns me a tad, not that it is still not a good work, but it’s not as good as other mile work times she had recently. Is she ready to fire one of her good ones here? I still think she is.
#4- Techno Cheryl (The Sidley Stud, ridden by V Espinoza)- Starting right between the two likely favorites in the race is this five year old Techno mare that has won eight times over 29 starts. This year, she has either been first or sixth, finishing in each position twice. That last sixth place came in the Santa Margarita, where she also ran against Pocono Fashion, and was beaten by her rival by two lengths. Can she find one of those 96 SRF’s again? If so, she can get it done.
#5- Drink Me Pretty (Mb Stables, ridden by A Cedillo)- Mb Stables never misses a beat, as over the month of April, while he had many KYD and KYO hopefuls, he still found the time to put down $500.000 to buy this four year old filly by Fractious. Certainly a good purchase, since she has just under $1,900.000 in career earnings, including placing third in the 2020 KYO, and was still running well. A week after the purchase, she was entered into the Grade 1 Apple Blossom, and placed third. Let’s get set to watch the Drink Me Pretty vs Pocono Fashion heavyweight fight.
Prediction: 5-3-2-4
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
