Santa Barbara Handicap 2014 Contenders & Odds

Las Vegas, NV - The Grade 3 Santa Barbara Handicap comes our way this Sunday, April 13 from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Fillies and mares four years old and upward will take to Santa Anita's turf track and go 1 1/4 miles for a purse of $150,000.

A solid field of eight older females will line up in the Santa Barbara - race 4 on Santa Anita's Sunday schedule. Post time is 2:00 PM. Let's take a brief glance into the past performances of all eight combatants for this Grade 3 stakes.

2014 Santa Barbara Handicap Race Favorite Entries

Stormy Lucy - had an ugly eleventh in the 2012 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf and was forced into a seven month layoff. She returned to action June 9, 2013 to a fourth in the minor Redondo Beach Stakes here and has been all over the place since - a fifth in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine also in July, a win by four lengths in the minor Miss America Stakes October 19 at Golden Gate and an eighth in the Grade 1 Matriarch at Hollywood Park December 1. She then had a fifth in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes February 17 after a very good second behind Customer Base in the Grade 3 Robert J. Frankel December 29. Last time out was a career best effort after her inconsistencies - a win in the competitive Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes here March 16 - snapping a nine race graded stakes drought. Rafael Bejarano has the mount on the 120 pound highweight from gate 3 Sunday.

Customer Base - finished 2012 with a nice second in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita in October for trainer Tom Proctor and placed in six of eight starts in 2013 including a terrific win in the Grade 3 Robert J. Frankel on this track December 29. Last time out was her worst effort since November 2011 - she was an ugly ninth in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes here February 17. She has the Frankel score and a third in the Grade 2 Goldikova in November in her last three starts but a terrible effort last time out is reason for some red flags. Customer Base has 19 career starts with five wins, three seconds and two third place finishes and has placed in three of her last four starts on this track. Mike Smith gets the call from post 7.

Santa Barbara Handicap 2014 | Remaining Contenders

Miss Serendipity - will make just her fourth North American start for trainer Ronald McAnally after 19 starts in Argentina yielded five wins, five seconds and two third place finishes. Her debut here was a troubled fourth as favorite in the minor Paseana Stakes here January 12 which she followed with another fourth in her North American graded stakes debut - the Grade 2 Buena Vista here February 17 and an OK third last time out in the Grade 3 Santa Ana Stakes here March 16. Her last start at home was a win in the Grade 1 Estrellas Distaff in June, after a second in the Grade 3 Circulo de Propietarios de Caballerizas in May and a fourth in the Grade 2 Paseana in April. She has slightly improved every time out - hopes are that trend continues Sunday. Brice Blanc rides from post 2 Sunday.

Topic - Neil Drysdale trained filly hit the track for the first time since September March 16 and finished sixth in the Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes. She had nine career starts prior to that with two wins, a second and two third place finishes. She stepped into stakes company for the first time July 13 and finished a very respectable third in the Grade 1 American Oaks behind Emollient and Emotional Kitten and followed that with a win in the CTT and Thoroughbred Owners of California Handicap August 23 but was last of seven before her layoff in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive on this track in September. Corey Nakatani will be in the saddle from the outside post.

Santa Barbara Handicap betting at Santa Anita Park with OffTrackBetting.com

Floral Romance - Bill Mott trained mare raced in stakes company for the first time and finished seventh January 4 in the Grade 3 Marshua's River Stakes at Gulfstream after an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Belmont Park October 24. Last time out was another disappointing seventh in the Grade 2 Santa Ana Derby March 16 after a very respectable third in the Grade 3 Endeavour Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs January 25. She has three wins and a second and a third place finish in 10 career starts and will have Agapito Delgadilo in the reins from post 5.

Changethechannel - Sean McCarthy trained mare has 13 career starts with three wins. She enters having place in just one of her last four starts - an Allowance Optional Claiming score on this track January 10. Her only graded stakes action came in December, 2012 - a fifth in the Grade 2 Bayakoa Handicap at Hollywood Park. She starts from gate 6 with Tyler Baze in the saddle looking for her second win in her second career start at this distance.

Champagneandcaviar - Gary Mandella trained mare has 18 career starts with just four wins, two seconds and two third place finishes but had a good Allowance Optional Claiming score at Santa Anita October 11 after failing to place in her previous four starts - all minor stakes action. Last time out was sixth in the Grade 3 Robert J. Frankel here December 29 after a fourth in the Grade 2 Bayakoa Handicap at Hollywood Park December 7. Champagneandcaviar did win two straight minor stakes races in summer 2012 but hasn't been the same since that time. Joe Talamo rides from post 4.

Phonybooksnrecords - has just two wins and a second place finish in 11 career starts and is coming off an ugly seventh in the Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston January 25. This after two good performances - a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Turfway Park December 26 and an Allowance score at Churchill Downs in November. She has just one graded stakes start in her career - an eighth in the Grade 3 Pucker Up Stakes at Arlington in September. She starts from the rail Sunday.