Santa Anita: Byrama targets Sen. Ken Maddy

ARCADIA, Calif. – Byrama will attempt to win her second stakes within a month on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course in next Saturday’s $100,000 Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes.

Saturday at Santa Anita, Byrama worked a half-mile in 48.60 seconds under jockey Rafael Bejarano.

“She worked her usual good self,” said Aron Wellman, the managing director of Byrama’s owner, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. “Rafael was on her and loved what he felt. She bounced right off the track. If she bounces out in good shape, we should be ready for the Maddy.”

Trained by Simon Callaghan, Byrama, 3, won the Unzip Me Stakes over about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course for 3-year-old fillies on Sept. 29, her second stakes win. The Maddy is a Grade 3 race for fillies and mares.

“She’s sort of a throwback filly in that she’s tough as nails,” Wellman said. “She’s got a couple of stakes wins and to add a graded stakes win would add another level to her residual value.”

The Eclipse partnership has three prospects for the Breeders’ Cup – In Lingerie, who is being considered for the BC Filly and Mare Turf; Capo Bastone, a candidate for the BC Juvenile; and Tara from the Cape, who is being pointed for the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Todd Pletcher trains In Lingerie and Tara from the Cape. Those fillies arrived at Santa Anita from Keeneland in recent days. John Sadler trains Cape Bastone, who has been based in Southern California throughout the year.

Florida stakes winner upsets

For the record, trainer Kristin Mulhall did not have even a token wager on Oligarch when the Florida stakes winner pulled an upset at 24-1 in an optional claimer on Friday.

Oligarch, who won the Tropical Park Derby in 2011, led throughout the race over 1 1/8 miles on turf, winning by three-quarters of a length over Causeihertz. Oligarch paid $51.60 as the longest shot in the field.

“I can’t believe they let him go off at such a big price,” Mulhall said. “I was kind of shocked. Oh, well.”

Oligarch, a 4-year-old by Congrats, has won 4 of 16 starts and $145,096. Third in the Our Dear Peggy Stakes at Calder on Sept. 8, Oligarch was acquired last month and raced for a $62,500 claiming price on Friday.

Mulhall said there are no major goals for Oligarch.

“We’ll regroup and look at a little stakes,” she said.

Mulhall does have Breeders’ Cup aspirations for another recent Florida import, Tale of a Champion. Fifth in the Eddie D Stakes on the hillside turf course on Sept. 28 under jockey Garrett Gomez, Tale of a Champion is a candidate for the BC Turf Sprint over the same course.

Mulhall wants to give Tale of a Champion another try on the course, which sometimes requires experience.

“He ran well down the hill,” she said. “Garrett said he was a little lost crossing over the dirt. He thought he needed the race.”

One of the leading contenders for the race is Unbridled’s Note, who won the Eddie D Stakes for trainer Steve Asmussen.