Desert Dawn comes into Bayakoa off good try in BC Distaff

Desert Dawn, a graded stakes-winning filly in 2022, will be favored to end a 10-race losing streak in Friday’s Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos.

Her most recent loss, a fifth-place finish by 1 1/4 lengths in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita, stings trainer Phil D’Amato.

Dismissed at 43-1, Desert Dawn rallied wide to reach contention, only to race in tight quarters between rivals at a pivotal point in the stretch.

“I really thought she was a potential winner in midstretch,” D’Amato said Wednesday. “It tightened up enough for her to lose momentum and take a little bit of steam out of her.

“It was a good effort against the best fillies in the country.”

Desert Dawn, an Arizona homebred for H & E Ranch, has been close in leading stakes on dirt for fillies and mares in California several times this year, often chasing Adare Manor, who finished seventh in the BC Distaff.

Desert Dawn was second by a length to Adare Manor in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar in August, and second by 5 1/4 lengths to that rival in the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes on Oct. 1 at Santa Anita.

Adare Manor is not part of the field for the $100,000 Bayakoa, which is run at 1 1/16 miles and drew a field of seven.

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Desert Dawn, a winner of 2 of 17 starts, will start from the outside post and be ridden by Hector Berrios, who rode the 4-year-old filly for the first time in the BC Distaff. Desert Dawn is best known for winning the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks and finishing third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in the spring of 2022.

With earnings of $876,525, Desert Dawn has the highest bankroll of the fillies and mares in the Bayakoa. The field includes the stakes winners Ganadora, Midnight Memories, and Turnerloose.

Midnight Memories, who won the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes in 2022, will race for the first time since a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile for fillies and mares at Santa Anita in March.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Midnight Memories drew the inside post and is likely to race in a stalking position behind expected leader Violent Runner, who won an allowance race at 6 1/2 furlongs on Oct. 28 at Santa Anita after disputing the pace. This is the two-turn debut for Violent Runner, who was second in the Grade 3 Desert Stormer Stakes at six furlongs at Santa Anita in March.

Turnerloose, trained by D’Amato, is winless in 10 starts since a 17-1 upset in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Fair Grounds in February 2022. At the time, Turnerloose was trained by Brad Cox.

The now 4-year-old filly joined D’Amato’s stable earlier this year. Turnerloose was winless in four starts on turf from mid-August to mid-November, including a second by 1 3/4 lengths in the Grade 2 John Mabee Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar in September.

Turnerloose will start on dirt in the Bayakoa at the request of jockey Antonio Fresu.

“She’s a nice tactical filly,” D’Amato said. “Antonio Fresu recommended trying her on the dirt because she trains so well on it. We’re going back to what she did earlier in her career.”

The Bayakoa is the final race of an eight-race program that starts the final weekend of the Los Alamitos December meeting. Santa Anita begins its winter-spring meeting on Dec. 26.

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