Bags loaded for Grand Slam Smile in California Distaff

Grand Slam Smile, a 10-time stakes winner, starts in an unfamiliar position as the 128-pound topweight in Sunday’s $100,000 California Distaff Handicap for statebred fillies and mares on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita.

For the first time in her remarkable 23-race career, Grand Slam Smile has finished worse than third in her last two starts. She was fifth of seven in a highly productive running of the Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes on dirt July 4 at Los Alamitos as the 3-1 second choice, and fourth by four lengths as the 3-5 favorite in a field of seven in the Solana Beach Stakes for statebred fillies and mares on turf Aug. 15 at Del Mar.

The only other time Grand Slam Smile, who has won 12 times, has lost two consecutive races occurred in summer 2024, when she finished second and third in stakes at Del Mar. She rebounded to win the California Distaff in her first start against older fillies and mares in her next start.

The recent losses have not caused a panic, trainer Sean McCarthy said.

“In the race at Los Al, it was a fast race with fast fillies in open company,” McCarthy said. “We stumbled and were a little late in getting out of there.”

In the Solana Beach Stakes at a mile, Grand Slam Smile raced on the inside within a half-length of pacesetter Can’t Sleep before fading to finish fourth. McCarthy was left to wonder whether Grand Slam Smile was comfortable in that position under jockey Juan Hernandez.

“I think we got in a bit of a pickle that day,” he said. “We were on the inside, and I think we were being ridden by the other rider. When Juan would take a hold, it aggravated her a little bit.”

Grand Slam Smile will spot her nine rivals from seven to 14 pounds on Sunday. There are not many handicaps on the California racing calender, and therefore not many situations similar to the spread of weights in the California Distaff, run at about 6 1/2 furlongs.

“You don’t see that anymore,” McCarthy said of the weight spread. “There is no reason to believe she won’t run well on Sunday. She’s training as well as she ever has. In the morning when she cools out, she pulls the hotwalker around the ring, which is a good thing.”

Grand Slam Smile, who will be ridden by Hernandez, is one of two stakes winners in the field along with Liberation, winner of the Soviet Problem Stakes for statebred 2-year-olds at Los Alamitos last December.

Liberation was seventh of eight in an allowance race in her only start on turf at Del Mar on Aug. 30.

Bigger threats to Grand Slam Smile are Rosa Parks, who has won three of her last four starts on turf and has her stakes debut Sunday, and the speedy Bit’s Tiger Magic, who was fourth in the 2025 California Distaff.

Rosa Parks, trained by Phil D’Amato, is likely to race as a stalker in pursuit of Bit’s Tiger Magic. Sunday’s race is the first for Rosa Parks since a nose win in an allowance race at six furlongs on the flat turf course at Santa Anita in March. She will carry 120 pounds.

“I think she’s good enough,” D’Amato said. “She’s just a gritty filly. Hopefully, the weight and her being fresh will help versus Grand Slam Smile, who has been campaigned for a while. That’s a good filly Sean has got.”

Bit’s Tiger Magic, who carries 121 pounds on Sunday, won an allowance race at five furlongs on Aug. 13 at Del Mar in her first start since January by leading throughout. She set the pace in an allowance race at five furlongs before fading to finish fourth by a length on Sept. 3.

Trained by Peter Miller, Bit’s Tiger Magic led throughout an allowance race on the hillside course in June 2025.

Grand Slam Smile, who races for owners and breeders Larry and Marianne Williams of Idaho, has won 12 of 23 starts and earned $997,120. With a top-four finish, she will surpass $1 million in earnings.

McCarthy wants to reach the milestone with Grand Slam Smile standing in the winner’s circle.

“We don’t want to nickel and dime it,” he said. “We’d like to do that on a win.”