Desert Law, Been Studying Her have obstacles to overcome in co-featured stakes

Given that Desert Law and Been Studying Her are faster and more accomplished than their rivals, expectations are both stakes winners will restore their reputations with minimal fuss on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Easier said than done.

It is true Desert Law towers over the field in the $100,000 Thor’s Echo Stakes, race 6. But the Cal-bred sprint is the first start in 10 months for Desert Law, a Grade 1-placed gelding who typically runs better second start back. Desert Law also is buried on the rail.

As for Been Studying Her, the two-time stakes winner stands out in the $75,000 Angels Flight, race 8. But to win the 3-year-old filly sprint, Been Studying Her must catch lone front-runner Biddy Duke and hold off promising debut winner Praise and Honor.

Both stakes races Saturday attracted five entrants. Desert Law’s rivals in the six-furlong Thor’s Echo include stablemate Tiger Dad, sharp front-runner Principe Carlo, off-form stakes winner Oliver, and Loud Mouth.

For just a short time last summer, Desert Law was among the top sprinters in California. He romped in the Thor’s Echo, and gave Cistron fits finishing second in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar. Owner-breeder John Harris and trainer Carla Gaines were dreaming.

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“It was a tough year as far as the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, but we were hoping to get in,” Gaines said.

Plans were shelved after Desert Law’s third work following the Bing Crosby.

“He came up with a funky hind-end lameness,” Gaines said. “It wasn’t anything surgical, it was just one of those things like – where did that come from? We gave him time off.”

Gaines said 6-year-old Desert Law is “training better than last year,” but acknowledged the veteran usually does better with a prep race. “I’m thinking he’s in shape to [win], but if you look at his layoff lines, his second race is always better than his first.”

Flavien Prat has worked Desert Law and will ride him in the Thor’s Echo. The rail is a minor concern, but Desert Law is faster and better than his rivals. He typically earns Beyers in the upper 90s, and is spotted for his second consecutive Thor’s Echo victory as the 6-5 favorite by track linemaker Jon White.

Gaines also runs Tiger Dad, runner-up last out in a second-level allowance. “He probably needed that outing,” she said. “He’s ready to go. It’s a logical spot, and comes up with good timing.”

The front-runner Principe Carlo is 2 for 2 this year but up in class after winning a first-level allowance. Stakes winner Oliver enters with muddled form. Both his recent starts were subpar. Loud Mouth appears to be in tough.

While the five-runner field reflects the current horse shortage, it is nothing new for the Thor’s Echo. Average field size in the first four editions of the stakes race, from 2016 to 2019, was 5.5 runners per race.

Been Studying Her is the 9-5 program favorite in the Angels Flight, based on her return-to-form third-place comeback. Art Sherman trains the closer, who won two stakes last year for Jerry Hollendorfer and assistant Dan Ward. Owned and bred by KLM Racing, Been Studying Her will be ridden by Prat.

Biddy Duke looks overmatched in the 6 1/2-furlong Angels Flight, but the four-time winner is the lone front-runner. The others in the field are route-to-sprint Gingham, late-runner High On Gin, and a filly with upside – debut winner Praise and Honor.

Jonathan Wong trains Praise and Honor, a $330,000 yearling owned by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds who outran expectations once already.

“I wasn’t expecting her to win first time out,” Wong said. “I was just hoping she’d show a good race. She’s not bred to go five and a half.”

Praise and Honor was running strongest at the finish of her debut at Golden Gate Fields, and benefits by the additional furlong of the Angels Flight. She shipped to Southern California last week and has been training regularly at Santa Anita.

“She’s a big, beautiful horse, one of the best-looking horses I’ve ever had,” Wong said. “She looks like she wants to go long.”

Praise and Honor will be ridden by Abel Cedillo.