Turbulent Descent, Twirling Candy headline Santa Anita stakes

Turbulent Descent and Zazu (gray) face off for the third time in the Las Virgenes (Benoit Photos)

Three stakes are on tap at Santa Anita for Saturday’s program, but
TURBULENT DESCENT (Congrats) and TWIRLING CANDY (Candy Ride [Arg]) are
the stars of the card. The pair will make their 2011 debuts in the

Las Virgenes S. (G1) and

Strub S. (G2), respectively, while the

Thunder Road H. (G3) will offer a chance of redemption for Breeders’
Cup Dirt Mile (G1) scorer DAKOTA PHONE (Zavata).

Turbulent Descent puts her undefeated mark on the line Saturday while
taking on six rivals in the one-mile Las Virgenes. The Mike Puype
trainee broke her maiden at the Oak Tree meet run at Hollywood Park,
then remained at that venue to add the Moccasin S. and Hollywood Starlet
S. (G1) to her resume. The bay lass is trying a conventional dirt track
for the first time in the Las Virgenes, and retains the services of
regular David Flores for her sophomore bow.

CALIFORNIA NECTAR (Stormy Atlantic) and MAY DAY ROSE (Rockport
Harbor) will attempt to utilize their winning experience at Santa Anita
to disrupt Turbulent Descent’s perfect record. Trainer Doug O’Neill
saddles California Nectar in this one off a front-running victory in the
Santa Ynez S. (G2) going seven furlongs on January 15. The bay filly is
no stranger to longer distances, though, as she just missed by a nose
when second in last year’s 1 1/16-mile California Cup Juvenile Filly S.
That came one start prior to her fourth in the grassy, eight-furlong
Miesque S. (G3) in late November. Patrick Valenzuela, aboard for two of
California Nectar’s three lifetime wins, has the call.

Twirling Candy will try to stay on the winning track in the Strub (Benoit Photos)

While the Las Virgenes begins the stakes action on Saturday, the Strub will
conclude the excitement. Twirling Candy is part of the eight-horse field in the
1 1/8-mile test, and is exiting a track-record setting performance in the Malibu
S. (G1) on December 26.

The four-year-old suffered the first loss of his career prior to that
seven-furlong event, running fourth in the Goodwood S. (G1), and trainer John
Sadler opted to skip the Breeders’ Cup with his charge. The move paid off big
time in the Malibu, where Twirling Candy got up late to score by a nose in a
blistering 1:19.70, and he was flattered when Malibu third Caracortado (Cat
Dreams) came back to win the Sunshine Millions Turf this past weekend. Twirling
Candy keeps Rosario in the saddle for his Strub engagement.

INDIAN FIREWATER (Indian Charlie) ran on the Malibu undercard, finishing
second in the Sir Beaufort S. (G3) to Twirling Candy’s stablemate Sidney’s Candy
(Candy Ride [Arg]). Baffert brought the dark bay back just 20 days later in the
San Fernando S. (G2), and Indian Firewater responded with a nose score over
TWEEBSTER (Tapit) in the San Fernando S. (G2). DO IT ALL (Distorted Humor)
finished third while making his stakes bow in the San Fernando, and all three
line back up in the Strub.

Dakota Phone (outside) is seeking to vindicate his BC Dirt Mile win (©Breeders’ Cup Ltd.)

The Thunder Road is one race prior to the Strub and features Dakota Phone
looking for his first win since taking the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. The
six-year-old gelding shocked at 37-1 in the Dirt Mile, just getting his head
down on the wire, but has failed to hit the board in his two subsequent starts
in the Native Diver H. (G3) and San Pasqual S. (G2). The Jerry Hollendorfer
runner is a consistent sort who has every chance of turning it around in this
mile turf test.

FLUKE (Brz) (Wild Event) is another who could rebound in the Thunder Road.
Hero of the 2009 Citation (G1), the six-year-old just missed when second by a
nose in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile H. (G1) and filled that same spot in the
Arcadia H. (G2) last spring. He wasn’t seen again until showing up against
allowance rivals last out on November 27, where he once again ran second.

The Thunder Road will actually feature two Citation winners, as last year’s
scorer of the downgraded Grade 2 event has also been entered. VICTOR’S CRY
(Street Cry [Ire]), who captured the Shoemaker Mile S. (G1) in addition to the
Citation last season, will take on the runner-up and third-placer from that
latter event, PROUDINSKY (Ger) (Silvano [Ger]) and METEORE (Pulpit),
respectively. Those two will be facing off for the third-straight time following
another runner-up finish for Proudinsky and a fifth-placing for Meteore in the
San Gabriel S. (G2) last out.