Finest City was honored as the 2016 champion female sprinter after closing out her four-year-old campaign in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita Park on November 5. Nearly 2 1/2 months later, the Ian Kruljac trainee returned to action at the Arcadia, California, venue with an easy 3 3/4-length wire job in the Santa Monica Stakes (G2).
Both of those races came at seven furlongs, but Finest City is stretching out to 1 1/8 miles as she makes her second start of the year on Saturday in the $400,000 Santa Margarita Stakes (G1). The race attracted a field of eight, including multiple Grade 2 heroine Vale Dori who is riding a four-race win streak.
Finest City does have experience with a route of ground. The chestnut daughter of City Zip stretched out past seven furlongs for the first time last June in the Vanity Mile Stakes (G1), finishing third behind Beholder and Stellar Wind while only missing second to the latter by three parts of a length.
She then tried turf and a route of ground in her next two races. Finest City was only beaten 1 3/4 lengths when fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2) and just missed by a head when second in the nine-furlong John C. Mabee Stakes (G2), both over Del Mar’s green. The Pennsylvania-bred mare actually entered the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint off that latter event and gets Tyler Baze, last aboard for the Vanity Mile, along for the ride on Saturday.
Vale Dori has captured five of her last six starts, including the Bayakoa Handicap (G2), La Canada Stakes (G2) and Santa Maria Stakes (G2) in her past three. The Bob Baffert-trained five-year-old is, strangely enough, a Group 1 winner going seven furlongs in her native Argentina, but stateside has shown her prowess at a distance of ground. The Asiatic Boy mare will be looking to keep her win streak alive with Rafael Bejarano taking the mount from the out-of-town Mike Smith.
Vale Dori will be seeing quite a few familiar faces in the Santa Margarita. Show Stealer and Autumn Flower ran second and third, respectively, in both the La Canada and Santa Maria. Show Stealer was fourth in the Bayakoa while Autumn Flower filled the sixth spot in that contest.
Wild at Heart has also come up short against Vale Dori recently. The Indian Charlie mare ran second in the Bayakoa before fading to fourth in the La Canada. Trained by Richard Mandella, Wild at Heart returned February 18 to take the one-mile, off-the-turf Buena Vista Stakes (G3) to earn her first stakes victory.
The remainder of the Santa Margarita field is comprised of Lady Tapit, fourth in the Santa Maria last out; Grade 3-placed Perfect Pic, who has wired her past two races against allowance/optional claiming foes; and recent Astra II Stakes runner-up Estrechada.
Earlier on Santa Anita’s Saturday card, a field of 10 distaffers will go 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course in the $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes. Included in the group is Grade 1-placed multiple stakes winner Enola Gray.
