Class will have to carry Her Emmynency in Buena Vista

ARCADIA, Calif. – Her Emmynency is the only probable starter in Saturday’s $200,000 Buena Vista Stakes at Santa Anita with a Grade 1 win in her last start, the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland last October.

Since then, Her Emmynency has switched trainers – going from Mike Stidham to Kristin Mulhall – and battled a throat infection that kept her sidelined briefly last fall.

The Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes is run at a mile for fillies and mares on turf, ideal conditions for Her Emmynency. With her race record, she will attract plenty of attention from bettors – and rival jockeys.

That could pose a problem. Mulhall said on Wednesday that Her Emmynency is not in peak fitness for the Buena Vista and expressed concern that the filly might be too eager early in the race for her own good.

“She’s not dead fit yet,” Mulhall said. “It depends on the pace and if she relaxes.”

Owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash, Her Emmynency has won 4 of 7 starts and earned $540,250. She made four starts at 3 in 2015, a season delayed after a severe bout with colic in the autumn of 2014.

Mulhall has spent recent months getting to know Her Emmynency’s habits.

“She’s very high-strung and a good-feeling filly,” Mulhall said. “We school her a lot.”

The Buena Vista will have a large field, including Keri Belle, Stormy Lucy, and Theatre Star, who were the first three finishers of the Grade 3 Megahertz Stakes on Jan. 18, and Prize Exhibit, who won the Grade 3 Monrovia Stakes on the hillside turf course Jan. 3.