Santa Margarita (Grade 1)- $400.000 Purse
SA- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
March 18, 2017

Last week, the SA Handicap saw the return of several runners from the BC Classic, with Atomic Twister making it a successful revisit.  This weekend, we will be welcoming the best females to SA for the 14th running of the Santa Margarita, which is a prestigious Grade 1 event for this division.  We shall see if Wicked Heat, who completed the impressive feat of winning the KYO and the BC Distaff (and throw the Alabama in there for good measure but somehow did not win Horse of The Year), can duplicate what Atomic Twister did and have a successful return.  She’ll see some familiar faces, including Notarized Kate, who always seems to be in the same race, and always gives her a run for her money.   The Hanging Tree and Way Up are expected to major challengers here, but certainly any of these are capable of winning.   There are no weak entries in this field, no one who looks like they are just taking a shot and seeing what happens.   This is a quality race, do not miss it!  Let’s meet the runners, you’ve seen them before!

#1- The Hanging Tree (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Her fourth place finish in the BC Distaff was part of a successful 2016 that saw her win just over $1,000.000 for the year.  Since the Distaff, she has stayed here at SA, running in the Grade 1 La Brea just after Christmas, and pulling out the victory.  She remained hot after that as well, winning the Grade 2 Fritchie over Notarized Kate, Lea, and Google Maps.  Both seven-furlong races earned her triple digit SRF’s.  She’s been successful over longer distances as well, so I was actually surprised to see that she has not won a race over a mile yet, but does have three seconds in five attempts, so it is just a matter of time.  Starting on the rail helps here, so maybe the time is now!

#2- El Gran Tigercat (Spark Racing, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Fans of El Gran Broomstick should be thrilled to see that he is the sire of these two on the inside. El Gran Tigercat has had a good career, but only recently has been running at the highest level.  A six month racing hiatus between March and September prevented her from taking on the crowd she is seeing in bigger three year old races, though she finished out the season nicely, with a three race winning streak.  The highlight of that is the Grade 3 Go For Wand at AQU, against a small but quality field.  Ran a strong second here in January at the Grade 2 La Canada Stakes, which is why I am comfortable with her being able to have a shot in this one.

#3- Art Of Glory (John Henry, ridden by J S Rocco Jr)- Participated in the KYO as well as the Acorn, but that’s about all there is to say about those races, and previous trainer Blushing Meadows was apparently very down on her in selling her for just $33.000 nine days after the Acorn.  With John Henry, she was resurgent, but it may have taken a couple allowance runs to get her back on the right track.  In November, she won the Grade 2 Falls City Handicap, and while there were only three others in that field, one of them was the legendary Broomsticks Copy.  Her most recent race was a little disappointing, placing seventh in the HOU Ladies Classic, beaten by Way Up, Notarized Kate, and Wicked Heat in the process.

#4- Way Up (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Who can forget her fantastic duel last November right here with Wicked Heat.  She did all that she could to hold her off in the stretch of the BC Distaff, but would come up second in a close photo.  It was part of a great season for her, that also say her win the mini-BC Distaff, aka the Cotillion at PRX last September.  Most recently, and with regular rider Mario Gutierrez in the saddle, she scored a win in the HOU Ladies Classic.   As I look at her, she seems like she is simply getting better, so don’t be surprised to see a BC Distaff rematch with Wicked Heat, but for now we’ll enjoy their showdown here and I like the form she is on.

#5- Asclepios Trail (Kopites, ridden by Ju A Garcia)- This filly was raced hard last year, with 12 starts including a busy summer at Saratoga.   She got a nice win during that stretch, pulling out a victory in the Grade 1 Ballerina, but that race also represents the last time she has won one, and Saratoga is snow-covered now.  Her only on the board finish since then was a third place performance in a starter allowance.   Most of those races are long sprints, and her previous tries at going a mile are promising enough for the trainer to take a shot at this and hope that his filly will get on the right trail again.

#6- Notarized Kate (Pristine Stables, J R Leparoux)- This filly is a warrior.  I have seen her so many times, many of which were up against Wicked Heat and she always gives her a battle though doesn’t get wins over her.  In my opinion, Wicked Heat and Notarized Kate is the best one-on-one battle we have going here due to the length of time they have been going at it, and that it will continue now into their four year old seasons.  In 2016, she would only win two of her eleven races, but hit the board in eight of them, and we’re talking a steady diet of Grade 1’s here.  In the BC Distaff, she made a gallant closing bid but came up a length short in the third place finish.   That’s the story of her career, frustrating probably on one hand, but still making money on the other hand.  This race will probably be more of the same.

#7- Heart Nebulae (SamIam, ridden by R Bejarano)- We last saw her here, running in the La Canada Stakes (Grade 2) in January, and she managed a fourth place finish that day.  She was beaten that race by a length by El Gran Tigercat, who she sees again here, and El Gran Tigercat is probably a longshot.   Heart Nebulae looked good in the latter half of last year, winning the Fleet Indian at SAR, and then taking the Grade 1 Spinster, over Way Up, at KEE in October.  That got her to the Distaff, where she ran 7th.  A rider switch to R Bejarano could prove to be beneficial, but Heart Nebulae has to rediscover her October self.

#8- Wicked Heat (EasyMoney Stables, ridden by G L Stevens)- She had simply an amazing season last year, being the only female in our game to ever win both the KYO and the BC Distaff in the same season.  It is a remarkable feat, but one that somehow got lost in the algorithms when determining the 2016 Horse of the Year.  She also won the Grade 1 Alabama, the female equivalent of the Travers at SAR.   What did her in the voting was probably a couple no-shows where she ran ninth twice. Perhaps, it could be fair to say that she is a little too inconsistent.  The last race she ran, the HOU Ladies Classic, may be a good example of that.  Not only did she fail to win that race, she was fifth and well behind winner Way Up, the one she narrowly beat in the BC Distaff.  Maybe, she is at her best when she sees familiar rival Notarized Kate in the starting gate.  I hope to see her run a big one here.

#9- Shake It Off (Our Athletes, ridden by C S Nakatani)- Winner of four out of nine last season, and was particularly hot in the summertime earning back to back wins in the Mother Goose (Grade 1) at BEL, and then a very nice score against older horses in the Personal Ensign at SAR. Continued to be on good form in the mini-BC Distaff (the Cotillion at PRX), where she was third, losing by less then a length.  After a disappointment in the BC Distaff, Australia Wide had enough and sold her to Our Athletes for $350.000.   She recovered nicely with a solid third place effort in the La Brea (Grade 1), and would stay here to score a win in her last start, the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes.  She’ll be excited to be back in the starting gate with her rivals from the Distaff, and is working well coming in.

Prediction: 2-8-6-1

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES