Zazu, Turbulent Descent face-off in Santa Anita Oaks

ZAZU (Tapit) had fallen to TURBULENT DESCENT (Congrats) in their two meetings

prior to the February 5 Las Virgenes S. (G1) at Santa Anita, and finally managed

to turn the tables in that one-mile affair when scoring by 1 1/4 lengths over

her rival. On Saturday, the pair will face-off for a fourth time in the $250,000

Santa

Anita Oaks (G1) while stretching back out to 1 1/16 miles.

Zazu suffered her first loss to Turbulent Descent when the duo made their

stakes debuts in the November 21 Moccasin S., with the John Sadler trainee

running second by 1 1/2 lengths. She was never really into the race in their

next meeting, the Hollywood Starlet S. (G1) on December, and finished fifth. The

gray lass parted ways with her rival when going in the Santa Ynez S. (G2) at

Santa Anita in her three-year-old bow, and just missed by a neck when rallying

from last in that seven-furlong test.

That was Zazu's first start on a conventional dirt surface and she proved it

to be no fluke when holding off Turbulent Descent last out in the Las Virgenes.

"She has a short run and she wants to close," Sadler explained. "In some of

those other races, it hadn't played that way."

The Santa Anita Oaks drew only five runners, but three of those are already

Grade 1 winners. A Z WARRIOR (Bernardini) completes the trio of top class

runners as she makes her return to competition following a last-place finish in

the November 5 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). The Bob Baffert charge

entered that event off an easy front-running score in the Frizette S. (G1) at

Belmont Park. She's also been working bullets in preparation for her

three-year-old debut, and will get a rider switch to Rafael Bejarano here.

Another familiar name in the Santa Anita Oaks is the Baffert-trained MAY DAY

ROSE (Rockport Harbor). The bay lass went wire-to-wire in winning the Santa

Ysabel S. (G2) on January 9 and dueled in the early going of the Las Virgenes

before fading to fourth. Martin Garcia guided May Day Rose in her maiden victory

and when she scored the Sharp Cat S., and will take back the mount from the

Bejarano.

Completing the field is KILOGRAEME (Graeme Hall), who will be making her

stakes bow in the Santa Anita Oaks for trainer Mike Mitchell. The chestnut lass

posted a half-length win to take her maiden debut, then returned on February 13

to defeat the highly regarded Rumor (Indian Charlie) in an allowance test.

Garrett Gomez has the return call.