Hollywood Park: Melair has long been spring target for Warren's Flyer

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – For the last two months, Warren’s Flyer has been prepared specifically for the $125,000 Melair Stakes at Hollywood Park on Saturday – and the race may set up ideally for her first stakes win.

Warren’s Flyer, a winner of 2 of 9 starts, runs from off the pace, and will have a genuine target to pursue in the speedy Miles Ruler, the likely favorite who is making her first start over 1 1/16 miles in the race for statebred 3-year-old fillies.

Warren’s Flyer, a filly by Doc Gus owned by breeder Ben Warren, won a one-mile allowance race for statebred 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita on Feb. 18, which trainer Jorge Gutierrez considered to be the Melair prep even though the race was two months ago.

“She’s come back well,” Gutierrez said. “Fitness-wise, that will be a concern. We’ll have something to run at. We’ll probably be four or five lengths off them and make a run.”

Warren’s Flyer has made two starts around two turns. Last fall, she was third, beaten a head, in the California Cup Juvenile Fillies at Hollywood Park over 1 1-16 miles.

“She made a little premature move,” Gutierrez said. “I think she can get two turns, obviously.”

The distance is an issue for Miles Rules, who is trained by Clifford Sise for breeder Ted Aroney’s Halo Farms. Miles Rules has won 2 of 3 starts in sprints, the most recent of which was a six-furlong allowance race for statebreds at Santa Anita on March 17. In that race against older fillies and mares, she led throughout, through early fractions of 21.25 and 43.74 seconds, and won by 1 3/4 lengths.

Sise admits that he when saw the half-mile fraction that he “got a little worried.”

“She was doing it so easy,” he said. “She will relax.”

Miles Rules is out of the Bien Bien mare Fair Blanca, and the pedigree on the dam’s side suggests to Sise that two-turn races are within his filly’s ability.

The Melair drew a field of 10. For all but Warren’s Flyer, the Melair is the richest start of their career. Warren’s Flyer was sixth in the $150,000 Santa Ynez Stakes against open company at Santa Anita in January.

The lone stakes winner in the field is Irenes Jackpot, who won the $25,000 Scottsdale Handicap over a mile on turf for 3-year-old fillies at Turf Paradise on March 19.

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