Comebacking School Dance tries the hill in restricted Wishing Well

For a filly who has not won a stakes, School Dance has had excellent form at times in two-turn turf races during the last 14 months.

Whether that success can translate to a win in her first career appearance in a turf sprint will be known after Sunday’s $100,000 Wishing Well Stakes for fillies and mares at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita.

“We’ll experiment and see what she does going down the hill,” trainer Phil D’Amato said. “She’s probably the class of the field, along with a few others.”

Unraced since August, School Dance is part of a field of 11, one loaded with speed and contenders. The Wishing Well Stakes is restricted to fillies and mares who have not won a graded stakes since Aug. 1.

The only graded stakes winner in the field is Ice Dancing, who won the Grade 3 Santa Ynez Stakes on dirt in January 2023. Ice Dancing will have her turf debut in the Wishing Well for trainer Richard Mandella.

School Dance, owned by Agave Racing Stable and Rockin Robin Racing Stable, drew post 10 and will be ridden for the first time by Frankie Dettori.

“We’ve got a good outside post and Frankie Dettori,” D’Amato said. “There are a lot of positives.”

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There were no positives to School Dance’s final two starts of 2023. After finishing a troubled second in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine Stakes at a mile on turf last April, School Dance finished last of seven in both the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes in May and the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap at Del Mar last August.

“She’s a fresh filly,” D’Amato said. “I think she soured on me last year.”

The field for the Wishing Well Stakes has five fillies and mares who won their last starts, including Warrens Candy Girl, unraced since a victory in the restricted Osunitas Stakes at a mile on turf at Del Mar last July. The Wishing Well is Warrens Candy Girl’s 25th start and first in a turf sprint.

Warrens Candy Girl can be a factor from off the pace, particularly if Lunar Impact or Phenom duplicate the style of their last wins in which they set the pace. Lunar Impact won an allowance race on the hillside course on Jan. 6, while Phenom was the easy winner of a $50,000 claimer at six furlongs on the main turf course.

A quick pace will help Gracelund Gray, who finished third in the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes on the hillside course on Jan. 14 after stalking a torrid pace, and Ag Bullet, a turf stakes winner in early 2023 who has not raced since finishing fifth in the Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park last March when trained by George Papaprodromou.

Ag Bullet, who was recently transferred to trainer Richard Baltas, has had a series of quick workouts at the San Luis Rey Downs training center.

“I think she’s fit enough,” Baltas said. “I know it’s a tough spot to bring her back.

“I think she’ll be up close. I don’t think she’s the type of filly you want to take too much hold of. I think she has some quality.”

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