La Brea

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

Eleven three-year-old fillies will line up for Saturday’s La Brea S. (G1) at
Santa Anita. BALANCE (Thunder Gulch) is undefeated in two starts over this
surface, winning the Las Virgenes S. (G1) and Santa Anita Oaks (G1) earlier this
year, and is easily the class of the field. The bay filly struggled against the
speed bias on the old dirt track at Keeneland, finishing third as the odds-on
favorite to the loose-on-the-lead Bushfire (Louis Quatorze) in the Ashland S.
(G1), and has not started since an off-the-board effort as the 8-5 favorite in
the Kentucky Oaks (G1), where she fractured an ankle. Balance has worked 13
times for her return to action and won both the Las Virgenes and Santa Anita Oaks
from well off the early pace. With plenty of speed present, she should be hard
to deny under regular rider Victor Espinoza.

East Coast invader WIN MCCOOL (Giant’s Causeway) attracts Garrett Gomez, who
guided her to a front-running victory in the Floral Park H. (G3) on September 16
at Belmont Park. The chestnut dueled through fast fractions before diminishing
to fourth in the Gallant Bloom H. (G2), then forced the early issue before
finishing second in the First Flight H. (G2) in her last two. Win McCool has
terrific early speed and is seasoned at the graded level. She could be the one
to catch in the drive to the wire.

The lightly raced SQUALLACIOUS (Summer Squall) has not started since rallying
for runner-up honors in the Hollywood Breeders’ Cup Oaks (G2) in early June.
Prior to that, she won her first two starts with authority from off the pace.
The Mike Puype trainee has posted a strong series of workouts for her
reappearance and will carry just 115 pounds. Squallacious is a talented filly
and must be respected beneath Northern California phenomenon Russell Baze.

FOXYSOX (GB) (Foxhound), a multiple Grade 3 winner on the turf, exits a
last-to-first victory in the Bayakoa H. (G2) on Hollywood Park’s Cushion Track.
If she can transfer her form to the main track, the chestnut figures to lay off
the early pace and then come running in the lane. Foxysox, who lures Corey
Nakatani from the one above, classes up well and looms a threat. In her first
start for trainer Bob Baffert, DOWNTHEDUSTYROAD (Storm and a Half) attended the
early pace before finishing third in the Hollywood Breeders’ Cup Oaks. Since then, she has
finished second three times, including a front-running, runner-up effort in the 1
1/16-mile Lady’s Secret Breeders’ Cup H. (G2). Downthedustyroad will likely be
in the mix early and may stick around for a minor award.

Beaumont S. (G2) heroine DIPLOMAT LADY (Forestry) defeated Balance in the
Hollywood Starlet S. (G1) at two, then finished well behind that rival in both
the Las Virgenes and Santa Anita Oaks. The dark bay has good early speed, but
will be making her first start for trainer Eric Guillot in this spot. She
projects mixed
signals. Multiple Grade 3 winner BETTARUN FAST (Kelly Kip) will try to work out
an inside pressing trip but would have to improve significantly for all the
marbles. VAGUE (Elusive Quality) has won two of three starts on the main track,
including the U.A.E. One Thousand Guineas. The Doug O’Neill trainee will be
outfitted with blinkers and could crash the vertical exotics at large odds.

California-bred GETBACK TIME (Gilded Time) has some early foot but the
outside draw and the class rise may be too much. The speedy RIVER’S PRAYER
(Devon Lane) figures to be an early pace factor but is hard to recommend at this
level. LES RY LEIGH (Broken Vow) has been facing lesser and
would be a surprise.