Race of the Week: Saturday's Santa Ana at Santa Anita

‍The Lead:
The filly and mare turf division takes center stage this Saturday at Santa Anita. The Grade 3 $100,000 Santa Ana starts on the downhill course and spans 1-1/4 miles and features horses from the east, midwest, west and overseas.

​Field Depth:
MRS. ASTOR is a Grade 3 winner while the others are seeking their first graded-stakes tallies. KATHYNMARISSA is Grade 1-placed, while MAHINA, SAKURA BLOSSOM and BIG HUG have placed at the Grade 3 level.
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Pace:
OMAHA GIRL is a committed front-runner and can pretty much call her shot here in terms of how much she wants to lead by in the early stages. BIG HUG figures to track a clear second if she remains in the race.

Our Eyes:
Here are my horse-by-horse notes.

#1-LADY CLAYPOOLE: Back-to-back allowance winner has found her groove after going 1-for-16 to start her career. Makes her first stakes class rise while at her sharpest. Richard Baltas trainee has yet to win at the distance, but finished with flair at 9F in her last 2.

#2-MAHINA: Runner-up in the Grade 3 Frankel and Grade 3 Megahertz in her last 2 starts, the Paddy Gallagher charge doesn't misfire on the Santa Anita lawn. She's 10: 4-3-2 locally and notable how her Del Mar missteps soil her past performance lines. Took Santa Ana return rival Mrs. Astor to a nose decision in the Frankel over 9F and tries 10F for the first time on Saturday.

#3-MRS. ASTOR: Since coming west for the winter, this Jonathan Thomas trainee was won Del Mar's Grade 3 Red Carpet at 9-2 and Santa Anita's Grade 3 Frankel at 5-1. Should be a shorter price in the Santa Ana, but loses jockey Frankie Dettori to Kathynmarissa. Longer distance has been somewhat of a hurdle for her at other venues, but the downhill start at Santa Anita can often extend the endurance farther than other locales.

#4-OMAHA GIRL: Ran off early in the 1-mile Buena Vista, opening up a huge lead before folding to finish last. Geovanni Franco takes over in the saddle and has to throttle her down a bit or it could get crazy down the hill and through the first half of this 10F journey. She was a measured pacemaker in the G3 Frankel when a close fourth to a few of these, but rationing her speed even farther is a tall task.

#5-STARRY HEAVENS: Irish export appears for trainer Phil D'Amato for the first time. She's been away from the races since last July when uncompetitive at the Group 3 level in the UK. She's lost 6 in a row since back-to-back scores in the summer of 2023. Distance suits on the positive front and she's had 6 workouts perfectly on cue over the synthetic training track at Santa Anita for the return. Barn wins 24% with such imports and can't discount if the price is fair.

#6-SAKURA BLOSSOM: All 3 victories have come on dirt, including the 2024 Arizona Oaks. She's 8: 0-2-1 on grass for trainer Leonard Powell but was runner-up in the Grade 3 Honeymoon over this course last summer and second in a good allowance effort 5 weeks ago.

#7-BIG HUG: Cross-entered in the same-day Queen of the Green Stakes at Turf Paradise where she's 4-1 on the morning line. Would be a longshot here after finishing off the board in the Megahertz and Buena Vista at big odds. Alberta-bred was a win machine at home in Canada and boasts a 13-for-25 career mark against lesser.

#8-KATHYNMARISSA (pictured): 4-year-old takes on elder stakes fillies and mares for the first time while in sharp form. RIck Dutrow has sent her on the road the past 2 winters and she's responded. Runner-up last out to the superstar filly She Feels Pretty in the Grade 1 American Oaks over this 10F trip was a winning effort against perhaps any other female turf runner in the country. Regular rider Frankie Dettori jumps off his Grade 3-winning mount Mrs. Astor to partner with Kathynmarissa again, a great sign.

Most Certain Exotics Contender:
KATHYNMARISSA is proven over the course and distance and has 8 straight superfecta finishes in her 9 starts.

Best Longshot Exotics Contender:
SAKURA BULLET has run well over the course and is working bullets. She might sit a decent trip here behind the speed but in front of the deep closers.

Sending it in ($100 bankroll):
$50 exacta part-wheel KATHYNMARISSA over MAHINNA and LADY CLAYPOOLE ($100).

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