Highly accomplished Storm the Hill, a recently turned 6-year-old mare, will cut back in distance out of five consecutive routes as she heads a field of five older fillies and mares going 5 ½ furlongs on turf in the Grade 3, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, January 11.
Trained by Phil D'Amato, Storm the Hill, whose most recent win came six races back in a Santa Anita turf sprint, has won five of her eight lifetime starts over the Santa Anita lawn and is the proven class of the Las Cienegas lineup.
Lightly raced, Richard Mandella will unveil Brazilian-bred Group I stakes winner Jolie Olimpica, who has been idle since June 9 and will make her U.S. debut in partnership with Mike Smith.
Race 3 at Santa Anita on Saturday, January 11 - Post 4:32 PM
Entry | Horse | ML Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Storm the Hill | 9-5 | Flavien Prat 120 Lbs |
Philip D'Amato |
2 | Kentan Road | 4-1 | Jorge Velez 120 Lbs |
John Sadler |
3 | Jolie Olimpica (BRZ) | 6-5 | Mike Smith 122 Lbs |
Richard Mandella |
4 | An Eddie Surprise | 8-1 | Mario Gutierrez 120 Lbs |
Doug O'Neill |
5 | Free Cover | 6-1 | Ruben Fuentes 120 Lbs |
Andrew Lerner |
Most recently fifth, beaten 6 ¼ lengths in the Grade I Matriarch going one mile on turf at Del Mar Dec. 1, Storm the Hill, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Get Stormy, has faced graded stakes competition in her last nine races, all of them routes except her win in the Grade III Senator Ken Maddy at 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course on Nov. 3, 2018.
A well beaten sixth at Keeneland 11 starts back in her only try at 5 ½ furlongs on grass, the Las Cienegas will mark her first try at the distance locally.
Owner: Alastar Thoroughbred Company, LLC & Michael Valdes | Trainer: Phil D'Amato
Unbeaten in three Brazilian starts by a combined 13 ½ lengths, this 4-year-old daughter of 2011 Breeders' Cup Classic Champion Drosselmeyer defeated 13 rivals in open company when winning a one mile turf Group I Stakes on June 9, 2019 and was subsequently purchased by Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms.
Favored in all three of her starts, the first two of which were turf sprints, the Las Cienegas tote board could prove instructive on as she makes her U.S. debut here Saturday.
Owner: Fox Hill Farms, Inc. | Trainer: Richard Mandella