Baltas fillies seem to have Providencia covered

ARCADIA, Calif. – The speedy Colonial Creed and the patient Lady Prancealot are stablemates at trainer Richard Baltas’s stable. The two fillies have running styles that complement each other, which has left Baltas optimistic one can win Saturday’s Grade 3 Providencia Stakes at Santa Anita.

“Colonial Creed puts herself in the race and Lady Prancealot wants to make a big run,” Baltas said. “I talked to the owners and said they shouldn’t get in each other’s way. It’s good to have two nice 3-year-old fillies.”

The $150,000 Providencia Stakes is run at 1 1/8 miles on turf for 3-year-old fillies. It is among seven stakes on a Saturday card topped by the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby.

The Baltas-trained fillies will appeal to bettors. Lady Prancealot, who will be ridden by leading jockey Joel Rosario for Michael and Jules Iavarone and Jerry McClanahan, closed from last in a field of eight to win an allowance race with an $80,000 claiming option at a mile on turf on Feb. 1.

Last year, Lady Prancealot was second in the Surfer Girl Stakes here, and last of 14 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs.

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Colonial Creed, who races for Doug Branham, McClanahan, and Baltas, was always near the front in the Blue Norther Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on Dec. 30 and was beaten a half-length by Giza Goddess, who is sidelined until the summer.

Baltas intended to run Colonial Creed and Lady Prancealot in the $75,000 China Doll Stakes on March 9, but the race was canceled when the track was closed for inspection and renovation that week following a series of equine fatalities.

The Providencia will be the graded stakes debut for Colonial Creed, a maiden race winner on turf at Del Mar in November. The layoff since the Blue Norther does not concern Baltas.

“Colonial Creed is a fit horse,” he said.

There are 10 runners in the Providencia, including two stakes winners. Lakerball won two stakes on turf last October and was third in the California Cup Oaks on Feb. 18. Apache Princess, fifth in the Cal Cup Oaks, won the Grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes on Feb. 10. Originally scheduled for the hillside turf course, the Sweet Life was transferred to the main track due to wet conditions.

Miss Flawless was a three-time winner in the French provinces last year and will have her American debut and first start of the year. She is trained by Peter Miller.

Trainer Simon Callaghan also has two runners – the British import Hostess and the maiden winner Maxim Rate.

Hostess won an allowance race for 2-year-olds on the all-weather track at Chelmsford City in England last October and joined Callaghan’s stable over the winter.

“I think she’s ready,” Callaghan said. “An ideal start would have been an allowance, but the race hasn’t been filling.

“It’s first time against such established fillies, but she does show talent in the mornings.”

Maxim Rate was the 28-1 winner of a maiden race at a mile on turf on Feb. 16, closing from ninth in a field of 11.

“I didn’t think we had her mentally ready to win,” Callaghan said. “We thought she’d be running late and make an eye-catching move without winning.

“She was still game and ran them down, and it shows she has some talent. I think she’ll want the distance.”

Listing back on dirt

Listing will race on dirt for the first time since November in Saturday’s $200,000 Echo Eddie Stakes for 3-year-old California-breds.

Listing was 22-1 when he won his debut in the six-furlong I’m Smokin Stakes for statebreds on the dirt at Del Mar last August. He later finished eighth in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes on the dirt at Belmont Park in October, and a well-beaten fifth in the Golden State Juvenile on dirt here in November.

“In New York he ripped his quarter off,” trainer Ben Cecil said. “In his next start, he was very dull. I probably shouldn’t have run him. We gave him a little bit of a break.”

Owned by breeders Paul and Zillah Reddam, Listing responded well to a brief rest in late 2018. He was second in an optional claimer on the hillside turf course on Jan. 1 and won the California Cup Turf Sprint for statebreds on the same surface on Jan. 26.

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“He likes the dirt,” Cecil said. “I don’t see a problem. It’s not an easy race. There are a couple of decent-looking horses.”

Listing is part of a field of 10 in the Echo Eddie, which is run at 6 1/2 furlongs. This will be the stakes debut for the two-time winner Lieutenant Dan and for Foster Boi, who won his debut in a maiden race on the hillside turf course on March 1.

The Echo Eddie is the first start since August for Tap the Wire, who won the Graduation Stakes at Del Mar last August.

Evening Jewel gets nine

The first stakes on the program as race 2 is the $200,000 Evening Jewel Stakes for 3-year-old California-bred fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Lippy, owned by the Reddams and trained by Doug O’Neill, is one of two stakes winners in a field of nine, having won the Juan Gonzalez Memorial Stakes at Pleasanton last June. In her only start this year, Lippy was second in the California Cup Oaks on turf on Feb. 18.

Naughty Tiger won the CTBA Stakes for 2-year-old statebred fillies at Del Mar last August. This will be her first start since she finished eighth in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies here in November.

The Evening Jewel Stakes will be the stakes debut for Sneaking Out and Dr Wysong, impressive winners in their last start.

Sneaking Out, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, won her 3-year-old debut by 2 1/2 lengths in an open-company optional claimer at Golden Gate Fields on March 22.

Dr Wysong, who breaks from the outside in the Evening Jewel, won a maiden race for California-bred 3-year-old fillies by an easy 4 3/4 lengths on Feb. 28 in her third start.