Santa Barbara Handicap 2015 at Santa Anita

Las Vegas, NV - The Grade 3 Santa Barbara Handicap goes down this Saturday, April 18 from Santa Anita in Arcadia, California. Fillies and mares four years old and upward will be featured when they saddle up and go 1 1/4 miles in Santa Anita's turf track.

Nine older females will take part in the Santa Barbara Handicap - race 7 on Santa Anita's Saturday card. Post time is 3:30 PM. Here is a brief glimpse into the past performances of all nine entries for this Grade 3 stakes.

2015 Santa Barbara Handicap Race Favorite Entries

Three Hearts - has 16 career starts for trainer Neil Drysdale with three wins, four seconds and four third place finishes. She enter in good form having posted a career best effort in November - a win in the Grade 3 Red Carpet Handicap at Del Mar and following that with a respectable third in the Grade 3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes on this track December 27 and a game second at 8-1 odds after pressing the pace last time out in the Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes here March 15. She also had a close third in the Grade 3 Virginia Oaks in July. Three Hearts has been OK in her career, has a win, two seconds and two thirds in six starts at Santa Anita and will try to keep a current roll going with Tyler Baze guiding her from the rail.

Diversy Harbor - Tom Proctor trained filly has 11 career starts with three wins, four seconds and a third place finish bit is coming off her worst performance in some time - a sixth as favorite in the Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes March 15. That result followed a terrific win at 9-2 odds in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes February 16 and consecutive runner-up finishes on this track as well - ahead of Three Hearts in the Grade 3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes in December and the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes in October. Other notable results include a good second in the Grade 1 American Oaks May 31 at Santa Anita, a third in the Grade 2 Honeymoon Stakes last May 4 and a second in the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes April 5. Diversy Harbor has been competitive almost every time out and will be looking to bounce back from an uncharacteristic effort last time out. Gary Stevens will be in the reins of the 120 pound highweight from gate 6.

Santa Barbara Handicap 2015 | Remaining Contenders

Fanticola - Phil D'Amato trained mare races in graded stakes company for the first time Saturday after 14 career starts produced four wins, three seconds and six third place finishes. Last time out was a decent third in the minor Wishing Well Stakes February 8 which followed a career-best performance - a win in gate-to-wire fashion in the minor Megahertz Stakes here in January and two more third place finishes on this very track. Fanticola has placed in 13 of 14 starts - competitive every time out. Hopes are that she can continue that trend Saturday in her step up from post 4 with Joe Talamo in the reins.

Queen of The Sand - Patrick Gallagher trained Irish bred mare had four wins, a second and three third place finishes at home before shipping to North America. She has seven starts on American soil and has three wins and a second in her last six. She was a stakes winner at home; she won the listed Kathryn Crosby Stakes at Del Mar in November and recently was a very good second in the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes also at Del Mar November 30. Last time out was a hiccup however - an eighth in the Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes here March 15. Queen of The Sand will be looking for a strong bounceback effort Saturday. Drayden Van Dyke gets the call from gate 4.

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Arethusa - is coming off an Allowance Optional Claiming score here March 7 which followed a sixth in a similar race February 7, an eighth in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks last June and a somewhat disappointing sixth in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico May 16. Her best results in some time were a third behind Fashion Plate in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes last February 1 and a win in her stakes debut - the Sharp Cat Stakes on that same track November 16. She has two wins, a second and two third place finishes in 11 career starts but has failed to hit the board in four if her last five starts overall. Kent Desormeaux gets the call from the outside post 9.

Walk Close - Christophe Clement pupil has just seven career start but does have three wins and a third place finish - all her wins came at Belmont early in her career. Last time out was a sixth in the Grade 1 Mrs. Revere Stakes November 15 which followed a third in the minor Pebbles Stakes in October and consecutive fourths - the Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes in September and in the minor Tenski Stakes at Saratoga August 11. Before that she won the minor Wild Applause Stakes last June. Walk Close has failed to place in three of her last four starts overall and hopes for her first win in 10 months when she departs from post 5 with Victor Espinoza aboard in her California debut.

Habibi - Dan Blacker New Zealand trained mare made her North American debut last June and finished eighth in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine Stakes and has just one start since - a third in an Allowance Optional Claiming March 22. Before shipping she won six of her nine career starts and recording two seconds as well. She looks to snap a four race win streak spanning over a year with Flavien Prat guiding her from gate 8.

Industrial Policy - Mark Casse trained mare made her graded stakes debut July 6 and finished fifth in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes and followed that with a second in an Allowance on this track. She went on to three straight sixth place finishes - the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes in September, the Grade 3 Maple Leaf Stakes in November and the minor Megahertz Stakes in January. Last time out she posted a respectable second in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Santa Anita March 22. Industrial Policy has three wins, five seconds and four third place finishes in 18 career starts and will be looking for her first win in a year from post 7 with Brice Blanc in the saddle.

Tangelo - Ben Cecil trained filly has eight career starts with just one win, two seconds and three third place finishes. She enters on the heels of consecutive runner-up finishes in Allowance races on this track after a fifth and two straight thirds in similar races the last six months. She makes her stakes debut in so-so form with Mario Gutierrez guiding her from gate 2.