Brill gets green light for Chandelier Stakes after fast works

Brill, fourth as the favorite in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Sept. 1, will start in Saturday’s Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita after a succession of fast workouts in recent days.

On Sunday, Brill worked five furlongs in 1:00.20, the third-fastest of 100 recorded works at the distance. On Sept. 15, Brill worked five furlongs in 58.60 seconds, the fastest of 78 recorded works. On Sunday, Brill worked in company with stablemates who served as targets for the filly, who races for Larry Best.

“It was a really nice work,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. “She did it pretty easy. She started off way behind and caught those horses.”

The $300,000 Chandelier Stakes at 1 1/16 miles is the first two-turn stakes on dirt for 2-year-old fillies in Southern California and is a key prep for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs on Nov. 2. The winner of the Chandelier receives a fees-paid berth in the Juvenile Fillies.

In the Chandelier, Brill is unlikely to be favored. Bellafina, winner of the Del Mar Debutante and the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 5, will have that role. Trained by Simon Callaghan, Bellafina worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 at Santa Anita on Sunday.

The Chandelier field will include Mother Mother, the runner-up in the Del Mar Debutante for trainer Bob Baffert. On Saturday, Mother Mother worked five furlongs in 1:00.40.

There are four Grade 1 stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday. The track’s autumn meeting begins on Friday.

The $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes for older horses at 1 1/8 miles is led by Accelerate, a winner of three Grade 1 races at 1 1/4 miles in Southern California this year. On Saturday, Accelerate worked six furlongs in 1:14.20.

The winner of the Awesome Again Stakes receives a fees-paid berth in the BC Classic on Nov. 3. Accelerate secured a berth with a win in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar last month.

Gunmetal Gray, the sharp winner of a maiden special weight race at a mile at Del Mar on Aug. 22 for Hollendorfer, will have his stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles. The $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes was known in past years as the FrontRunner Stakes. The winner receives a fees-paid berth in the BC Juvenile on Nov. 2.

On Saturday, Gunmetal Gray worked six furlongs in 1:13.60.

The Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles on turf will be run on Saturday. The winner receives a fees-paid berth in the BC Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 3.