Anonymity to skip Zenyatta, point for LA Woman Stakes

Anonymity, third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Churchill Downs last November, will start in the Grade 3 LA Woman Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita on Oct. 5 and will not start in Sunday’s Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, trainer Richard Mandella said on Monday.

Anonymity, second as the 3-5 favorite in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 11, worked five furlongs in 59 seconds at Santa Anita on Monday. The workout was the fastest of 58 works at the distance.

Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, Anonymity has never run beyond seven furlongs and Mandella said he would prefer to keep the 5-year-old mare in sprints. Anonymity has been second or third in five consecutive sprint stakes for fillies and mares, but has yet win at that level.

The BC Filly and Mare Sprint will be run at Santa Anita on Nov. 2. The $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes is a leading prep for the BC Distaff at 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita on the same day.

Paradise Woods, third in the 2017 BC Distaff, worked five furlongs in 59.60 seconds on Monday for the Zenyatta. Trained by John Shirreffs, Paradise Woods was fourth in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar on July 28 behind Ollie’s Candy, Secret Spice, and La Force, all candidates for the Zenyatta Stakes.

Monday, Paradise Woods worked alone under jockey Mike Smith.

“She was not too rank,” Shirreffs said. “Mike had her off the rail and I thought it looked really nice.”