Bleeding incident won't stop Iotapa, trainer says

ARCADIA, Calif. – The field for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff will solidify after the final prep race, the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland on Sunday, in which Close Hatches is expected to be strongly favored.

Meanwhile at Santa Anita, challenges remain for Distaff candidates whose prep races are already behind them.

Iotapa bled and was placed on the vet’s list after finishing third Saturday in the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes. Trainer John Sadler downplayed the episode, and expects Iotapa will be removed from the vet’s list after her next workout.

Sadler declined to quantify the bleeding episode. “It was not significant,” Sadler said. “It was very small.”

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Asked if the incident compromised Iotapa’s performance, Sadler said, “No, it was the start.”

A front-runner, Iotapa entered the Zenyatta off back-to-back Grade 1 wins. But she broke slowly in the Zenyatta, and finished four lengths behind winner Beholder.

Iotapa will not be allowed to run until she is removed from the vet’s list. That will not be an issue, according to Sadler.

“She has to work once, five-eighths, and [the vets] walk up [after the work] and see if there’s any visible blood, which there never is,” he said.

◗ Valiant Emilia, who won a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race in June in Peru, worked six furlongs Wednesday morning at Santa Anita as she gears up for her U.S. debut. The mare, 11-for-23 lifetime, is being trained by Gary Mandella.

Rafael Bejarano worked Valiant Emilia, whose workmate was the durable Grade 1-placed Setsuko. Setsuko is trained by Gary’s father, Richard Mandella, who also trains the Distaff’s defending champion, Beholder.

Gary Mandella and Bejarano were both happy with work by Valiant Emilia, though the final time was a slow 1:16.80. Valiant Emilia went her opening furlong in 16 seconds.

“She went six, but it was more like a seven-eighths work,” Mandella said. “They went off a little slow, and then went the last three-eighths in 36 flat. Bejarano said she was a more focused than last week.”

Valiant Emilia, owned by Peru businessman Bernardo Calderon, is scheduled for two additional major works this month, followed by a slower work leading to the Oct. 31 Distaff. The Distaff will be the first start in more than three months for Valiant Emilia.

◗ Untapable, the Kentucky Oaks winner who shipped to Santa Anita soon after winning the Grade 1 Cotillion on Sept. 20 at Parx, is tentatively scheduled for an easy workout Sunday morning. It will be her first work since returning to California.

Untapable is trained by Steve Asmussen and assistant Scott Blasi. Eighth in the BC Juvenile Fillies a year ago at Santa Anita, Untapable has done well since returning to California.

“She’s in her feed really well and seems happy,” Blasi said.

◗ Close Hatches, the Distaff favorite according to Daily Racing Form , is expected to face a small group Sunday in the Spinster. Probable rivals include Grade 2 winners Don’t Tell Sophia and Molly Morning, and Grade 3-placed Frivolous.