Santa Barbara Handicap at Santa Anita Park
Las Vegas, NV - The Grade 2 Santa Barbara Handicap comes our way this Saturday, April 20 from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Fillies and mares four years old and upward will be featured in this 1 1/4 mile turf race as they chase the winner's share of the $150,000 purse.
The Santa Barbara has attracted a field of seven females to go in race 4 on Santa Anita's Saturday card - six of which will be looking for their first stakes win on North American soil. Post time is 2:02 PM. Here is a brief look into the past performances of all seven entries for this competitive Grade 2 stakes.
2013 Santa Barbara Handicap Race Favorites
Lady of Shamrock - is a four time stakes winner (two Grade 1 scores) who finished a good second last time out as even money favorite in the Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes March 24 behind Tiz Flirtatious after a fifth in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November. She finished a close second in the Honeymoon Handicap on June 9 to My Gi Gi and then bounced back with a terrific wins in the Grade 1 American Oaks July 14 at this distance and the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks August 18. Her other wins last year include the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes at Santa Anita on April 7 and the China Doll Stakes. She has won four of her last seven - all stakes and she rebounded nicely after the Breeders' Cup - her worst effort since her racing debut in September 2011. She is the most accomplished entry in the field and is certainly the one to beat Saturday.
The Only Key - had a long and decent career in Europe before shipping to North America in June. She has six starts here since but will be making her stakes debut Saturday. She has won two of her last three starts overall - an Allowance Optional Claiming last time out April 5 here by 3 1/4 lengths at this distance and a Claiming at Golden Gate January 13. She also had a second two back in an Allowance Optional Claiming on this track. She has five wins, two seconds and four third place finishes in 22 career starts but appears to be in the best form of her life ahead of the Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara Handicap 2013 | Remaining Field Entries
Caelis - raced seven times in 2012 and placed in five. She had a very good third in her graded stakes debut - the Grade 2 Marjorie L. Everett May 19 at Hollywood Park and followed that with an OK fourth in the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap in June. After nine months away, Caelis returned with an Allowance score March 29 on this track. In 20 career starts, Caelis has five wins five seconds and four third place finishes.
Double Ante - Art Sherman trained filly is coming off a one mile Allowance score by 2 1/4 lengths at Santa Anita March 16 after a second in a similar race January 16. Her only stakes action came five back - a tenth in the Grade 3 Autumn miss Stakes here in October - but she has placed in three of four since. Double Ante has two wins, two seconds and a third place finish in seven career starts.
Santa Barbara Handicap betting at Santa Anita Park with OffTrackBetting.com
Long Face - won an Allowance Optional Claiming race in July and then suffered a sixth in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks and a seventh in the Torrey Pines Stakes in September. She was fifth in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes here February 18 and she followed that with an OK fourth last time out in the Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes March 24. Long Face has three wins and a second place finish in 11 career starts - the second coming in the minor Le Cle Stakes at Hollywood Park in July.
Moone's My Name - John Sadler trained British bred mare had six wins, three seconds and three third place finishes in 17 career starts at home before debuting in North America last time out and finishing second by a neck in the minor American Beauty Stakes on this track April 7.
Viva Carina - finished twelfth in the Unzip Me Stakes in September after a decent second in the Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar four weeks earlier. Since that time she has raced to a fifth and a win in a pair of Allowance Optional Claiming races at Santa Anita and a third last time out in an Allowance here March 29.
