Chancery Way fresh for Irish O'Brien Stakes

Layoffs are not an issue for Chancery Way, who starts with a leading chance in Sunday’s $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita.

In the last 16 months, Chancery Way has returned from rests of two to four months between starts to win or finish second in three stakes.

The Irish O’Brien will be Chancery Way’s first start in nine weeks, since a second by a nose in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint for statebred fillies and mares on the hillside on Jan. 13.

Time between starts has helped Chancery Way, a seven-time winner in 13 starts for the father-and-son team of Andy and Rob Smolich and trainer Jamey Thomas.

“We wanted to give her a little time,” Thomas said Friday. “They seem to last longer when you give them a little time.”

Chancery Way is part of a field of seven in the Irish O’Brien, the leading race on a nine-race program.

A 5-year-old, Chancery Way will have a vital role as the expected leader. She set the pace in the Jan. 13 race in her first start on the hillside course and was caught by Rose Maddox, who is part of the Irish O’Brien field.

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“I thought she ran great,” Thomas said. “Coming across from the turf to the dirt, she didn’t understand what was going on. She lost some momentum and it took a few strides to get her momentum going again.”

In the Irish O’Brien, Chancery Way may face an early challenge from Stay and Scam, who closed from fourth to be third by a head in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint in her stakes debut.

“She runs really good out there,” Thomas said of Chancery Way. “Other than Stay and Scam, there doesn’t appear to be a whole lot of speed. We don’t have any choice but to go. Hopefully, they’ll let us have the lead.”

Stay and Scam followed the narrow loss in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint with a win in an allowance race on the hillside turf course Feb. 10, leading throughout for her fourth win in nine starts.

After the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint, Rose Maddox was a well-beaten fourth in the Spring Fever Stakes for statebred fillies and mares on dirt Feb. 18.

Rose Maddox won the California Distaff Stakes for statebred fillies and mares on the hillside turf course last October from off the pace.

As a closer, Rose Maddox will be joined on Sunday by Chismosa, who won the Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes at six furlongs on dirt in January and was fourth by a half-length in the Sunshine Million Filly and Mare Turf Sprint 12 days later.

The Irish O’Brien Stakes will be Chismosa’s first start since a second in the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes on dirt Feb. 3. Chismosa is winless in three career starts on turf, including a third in the California Distaff last fall.

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