In what appears to be an outstanding betting race, Gary Barber's well-accomplished Laura's Light heads a solid field of nine sophomore fillies going a mile and one eighth on turf in the Grade III, $100,000 Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, May 30.
Hronis Racing's Stela Star, a big second in her U.S. debut here on March 7 and LNJ Foxwoods' speed Parkour both figure to provide stiff competition in the race named for movie mogul Louis B. Mayer's brilliant California-bred filly Honeymoon, who won seven stakes in California in 1946.
Race 7 at Santa Anita on Saturday, May 30 - Post 6:37 PM
Entry | Horse | ML Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Guitty (FR) | 8-1 | Brice Blanc 120 Lbs |
Leonard Powell |
2 | K P Dreamin | 12-1 | Victor Espinoza 120 Lbs |
Jeff Mullins |
3 | Fashion Royalty (GB) | 30-1 | Jose Valdivia, Jr. 120 Lbs |
Patrick Gallagher |
4 | Croughavouke (IRE) | 8-1 | Umberto Rispoli 120 Lbs |
Jeff Mullins |
5 | Laura's Light | 5-2 | Abel Cedillo 122 Lbs |
Peter Miller |
6 | Little Bird (IRE) | 15-1 | Mario Gutierrez 120 Lbs |
Richard Baltas |
7 | Red Lark (IRE) | 12-1 | Drayden Van Dyke 120 Lbs |
Patrick Gallagher |
8 | Parkour | 7-2 | Mike Smith 120 Lbs |
Richard Mandella |
9 | Stela Star (IRE) | 2-1 | Flavien Prat 120 Lbs |
John Sadler |
Favored in four out of her five starts and a two-time Santa Anita turf stakes winner, this filly by Constitution was attentive to the pace en route to a three quarter length win in the Grade III Sweet Life Stakes going 5 ½ furlongs on turf her two starts back on Feb. 16 as the heavy 2-5 favorite.
Subsequently well beaten at 4-5 in a one mile ungraded stakes over a synthetic surface at Turfway Park on March 14, she'll ship in to run on Saturday from her San Luis Rey Downs Training Center base.
A 3 ¼ length winner of the one mile turf Blue Norther Stakes three starts back on Dec. 29, Laura's Light has three wins from five starts and looms the horse to beat in the Honeymoon.
Owner: Gary Barber | Trainer: Peter Miller
A Group III winner of a seven furlong turf stakes two starts back in her native Ireland, Stela Star ran a tremendous race in defeat in her U.S. debut, rallying from far back to finish second, beaten a half length by multiple stakes winner Warren's Showtime in the one mile turf China Doll Stakes here on March 7.
She has continued to train well on Santa Anita's inner dirt training track and with leading man Flavien Prat taking over on Saturday, look for Stela Star to run huge in her second start for Sadler.
Owner: Hronis Racing, LLC | Trainer: John Sadler
A Kentucky-bred filly by Carpe Diem, she exits a runaway 3 ¼ length allowance win going a mile on turf here March 20 when ridden for the first time by Mike Smith, who will rider her back on Saturday.
Fourth, beaten 3 ¾ lengths by Laura's Light two starts back in the one mile turf Blue Norther on Dec. 29, she was an impressive gate to wire maiden winner going one mile on the Del Mar turf three starts back on Dec. 1.
Winless in her first two races sprinting on dirt this past fall, Parkour has now won two out of her three tries on grass and will hope to slow the pace down on Saturday as she stretches out an eighth of a mile.
Owner: LNJ Foxwoods | Trainer: Richard Mandella