Chandelier (G2) winner Chatalas and debut maiden scorer Grazia are top draws in Saturday’s $200,000 Starlet (G2) at Los Alamitos. The 1 1/16-mile race offers points on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale as a Road to the Kentucky Oaks qualifier, and a pair of winners, Abel Tasman (2016) and Blind Luck (2009), have gone on to win the Kentucky Oaks the following spring.
Chatalas, a daughter of Gun Runner trained by Mark Glatt, will look to rebound following a troubled ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), getting roughed up after a poor start. The bay filly led all the way when stretching to two turns in the Chandelier (G2) at Santa Anita in early October, and Antonio Fresu retains the mount.
Bob Baffert has won a record nine editions of the Starlet, including the last six runnings, and the Hall of Fame conditioner will send Grazia postward off a 3 1/4-length win at first asking on Nov. 12. A $350,000 Uncle Mo yearling purchase, Grazia showed good speed winning in her unveiling, and the promising miss will stretch to two turns with Flavien Prat.
Desi Arnaz S. winner Nothing Like You also represents Baffert. By Malibu Moon, the bay miss needed four starts to break her maiden, graduating in her first two-turn attempt, and she will seek a third consecutive victory following a nose score in the seven-furlong Desi Arnaz on Nov. 18. Nothing Like You registered a 91 Brisnet Speed rating last time, the top last-out number in the field, and Juan Hernandez has the call.
Great Forty Eight jumps to stakes competition off rallying maiden tally in mid-November, and maidens Fynn’s Chance and Pacific Rose complete the line up.
