Marley's Freedom faces Anonymity in Great Lady M. title defense

They were separated by a head in last year's Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), but in losing efforts to longshot winner Shamrock Rose. On Saturday, Marley's Freedom and Anonymity renew acquaintance in the $200,000 Great Lady M. at Los Alamitos, a 6 1/2-furlong prep for the Breeders' Cup to be held at Santa Anita in November.

Marley's Freedom won the Great Lady M. last season and later added the Ballerina (G1) in convincing fashion. However, an outside draw and moderately dull effort resulted in a fourth in the Filly & Mare Sprint. After opening her 2019 account with a victory in the Santa Monica (G2), the Bob Baffert trainee has finished second in both the Beholder Mile (G1) and Humana Distaff (G1).

Anonymity, a rallying third in Breeders' Cup at odds of 31-1, has not run since then. The Richard Mandella-trained daughter of Tapit is still in search of her first stakes win after placing in the Rancho Bernardo (G3) and L. A. Woman (G3) prior to the near-miss at Churchill Downs.

The field of seven also includes Danuska's My Girl, back-to-back winner of the Las Flores (G3) and Desert Stormer (G3) earlier this term; Show It N Moe It, who placed behind Danuska's My Girl in the aforementioned stakes; and Yuvetsi, unplaced twice since beating Anonymity in the Rancho Bernardo last August.