Grade 2 winner St Trinians, whose shining moment was when she gave Zenyatta a scare in the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap in 2010, has been retired from racing, trainer Mike Mitchell said Tuesday.

St Trinians won eight races and $440,758 from 19 starts, including Grade 2 victories in the Santa Maria Handicap at Santa Anita in 2010 and Milady Handicap at Hollywood Park in 2011. She won the restricted Adoration Stakes in her most recent start Sept. 4 at Del Mar and was aiming toward the Grade 1 Spinster on Oct. 9 at Keeneland.

DEL MAR, Calif. - St. Trinians got the waiting ride trainer Mike Mitchell believes she needs, and overcame a slow start with a fast finish to capture the $95,385 Adoration Stakes for older fillies and mares on Sunday at Del Mar.

DEL MAR, Calif. − The $85,000 Adoration Stakes for fillies and mares over a mile Sunday at Del Mar will be the sixth start of the year for St Trinians and will determine whether she stays in training.

“If she gets beat, I’ll probably just retire her,” trainer Mike Mitchell said. “But she looks great and is working great.”

DEL MAR, Calif. – Mike Mitchell’s first winner at Del Mar, appropriately enough, was with a claimer.

Macadamian won a $12,500 claimer over six furlongs by 2 1/4 lengths on July 26, 1975, paid $3.20, and earned a purse of $3,575.

Mitchell was 27, and had three stalls, loaned by trainer Willard Proctor. At the time, Farrell Jones, for whom Mitchell once worked, was established as the track’s all-time winningest trainer.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Mike Mitchell’s lead in the trainer standings at Hollywood Park was halved to two wins on Thursday when trainer Bob Baffert won twice.

Mitchell was not too concerned about that statistic early Thursday afternoon, focusing more on his success that day. Mitchell had one starter, The Whammer, who overcame trouble to win a $25,000 claimer for sprinters, the stable’s 16th win of the meeting from 35 starters. There were no claims.

“I didn’t lose him,” Mitchell said. “It was a good day.”

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – St Trinians will have a different rider for the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap on June 18, trainer Mike Mitchell confirmed Tuesday. The 6-year-old mare won the Grade 2 Milady Handicap on Saturday, but was disqualified from first and placed fourth after drifting in under the right-handed whip of jockey Joe Talamo.

“They all make mistakes,” Mitchell said. “I love Joe, but I’m going to have to make a change. She had the whole outside of the track, and she will respond to a left-handed whip.”

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Before walking the plank against Blind Luck and Switch in the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap on June 18 at Hollywood Park, a jumbled cast of second-tier fillies and mares runs Saturday in the Vanity prep, the Grade 2 Milady Handicap.

The heartless description of St Trinians as second-tier comes on the heels of a futile winter at Santa Anita. Though she gave Zenyatta a scare last June when second in the Vanity, two poor dirt races by St. Trinians begs the question – is she still that good?

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – This was supposed to be St Trinians’s year to rise to the top of the older female division in California.

When trainer Mike Mitchell turned her out last summer, citing the need for a break, St Trinians had finished second to Zenyatta in the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park in June. Mitchell cancelled the rest of the 2010 season and began focusing on 2011, knowing that Zenyatta would be retired.

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Grade 2 Santa Maria - Santa Anita - Race 8
Est. Post Time: 7:07 p.m. Eastern - Feb. 12, 2010

Saturday’s Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes for older fillies and mares marks the return of St Trinians, who has not raced since a gallant second-place finish behind Zenyatta in the Vanity Handicap last June at Hollywood Park.

“You can get her to run off of workouts,” trainer Mike Mitchell said. “She’s that kind of horse. She’s never raced on dirt, so you never know, but I think she’ll love it. This is an important race. We’re aiming for the Santa Margarita, and then we’d love to look at the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic, so these next two races are important.”