2013 Santa Anita Oaks
Las Vegas, NV - Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California will be the scene of two lucrative Grade 1 races this Saturday, April 6. The Santa Anita Oaks will feature some of the best three year old fillies in the land as they race 1 1/16 miles on Santa Anita's main track for a $300,000 purse.
A small but quality field of six females will line up for the Santa Anita Oaks - race 5 on Santa Anita's Saturday card. Post time is 2:00 PM. Here is a brief glance into the credentials of all six entries for this important Grade 1 stakes - five of which will likely be seeing the back end of Beholder.
2013 Santa Anita Oaks Race Favorites
Beholder - 2012 Eclipse Award winner as 2-year-old filly has just seven career starts with four wins and two second place finishes. She won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in November for her second straight win and followed that with a second as overwhelming favorite in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez behind Renee's Titan here January 21. Last time out she avenged her defeat to Renee's Titan with an impressive win in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes and beat Fiftyshadesofhay here March 2. She has been first or second in her last six starts and is the best of the bunch on paper.
Fiftyshadesofhay - Bob Baffert trained filly has seven career starts - four MSW races to start her career yielded a win, a second, a third and a fourth in her debut before stepping up in the minor Blue Norther Stakes here on January 1 and finishing a pedestrian eighth. Last time out was a very nice second behind Beholder in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes here March 2 after an incredible win in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel by 5 3/4 lengths here January 26 in her graded stakes debut with an impressive Beyer speed figure of 90. She has looked good in her last two starts and has to be on the radar for the Santa Anita Oaks.
Santa Anita Oaks 2013 | Remaining Field Entries
Spellbound - Richard Mandella trained filly has five career starts with a fifth and a pair of sixths in her first three starts. Since then she has won two straight - an Allowance last time out here February 24 followed a MSW score at Santa Anita January 4. She makes her stakes debut for trainer Richard Mandella in decent form.
Santa Anita Oaks betting at Santa Anita Park with OffTrackBetting.com
Iotapa - will make just her third career start for trainer John Sadler. She won an Allowance Optional Claiming at Santa Anita last time out February 15 after an eight month layoff and a Maiden Claiming score way back in June. She will race in stakes company for the first time Saturday.
Black Witch - Bob Baffert trained filly has four career starts - all MSW races. She broke maiden last time out at Santa Anita March 14 after a fifth January 27 and a pair of seconds to start her career. Saturday marks a huge step up in competition for Black Witch.
Could Be Trouble - will be making her graded stakes debut for trainer Peter Miller and is coming off a seventh in her stakes debut - the minor Echo Eddie Stakes at Santa Anita last week. Before that was two straight wins - a Starter Allowance and a Maiden Claiming at Santa Anita as well. She has five career starts with those two wins and a second place finish.
