Desert Dawn primed for career year off La Canada victory

ARCADIA, Calif. – She’s 19 races into her career and just getting started, her trainer said.

Desert Dawn, the winner of the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Saturday, could be on the verge of a career-best year as a 5-year-old mare in 2024, according to trainer Phil D’Amato.

“I think she’s like a fine wine,” D’Amato said on Sunday. “She gets better with age.”

Desert Dawn, who races for Hollie and Elena Crim’s H&E Ranch, ended an 11-race losing streak in the La Canada since the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks in April 2022. The La Canada was a prep for the Grade 1 Beholder Mile, a $300,000 dirt race for fillies and mares on March 9.

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“That’s definitely our next target,” D’Amato said.

Desert Dawn was fourth behind A Mo Reay in the 2023 Beholder Mile in her first start since the preceding September.

“This year, we’re coming into it in better form,” D’Amato said. “Last year, we were battling rain and trying to get to a race.”

Desert Dawn was winless in seven starts in 2023, including a fifth-place finish by 1 1/4 lengths to the brilliant Idiomatic in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita in November. Desert Dawn raced in tight quarters between rivals in the stretch in the BC Distaff.

In the La Canada, Desert Dawn was ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat. The 9-5 second choice, Desert Dawn closed from last of five with a wide rally to win by a length over 6-1 Coffee in Bed. Midnight Memories, the 4-5 favorite, finished third.

“I like the more patient ride that she got,” D’Amato said. “He pressed the button at the right time. All those things put together helped with the victory.”

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