Dogtag seeks repeat victory in Possibly Perfect Stakes
The $75,000 Possibly Perfect Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita seems to always arrive at a good time for Dogtag, a 5-year-old mare.
Last June, Dogtag won the Possibly Perfect in her stakes debut for trainer Richard Mandella. On Sunday, Dogtag starts in the Possibly Perfect in her second race of the year.
On April 3, Dogtag overcame trouble on the turn to finish a fast-closing second at 6-1 in the Grade 2 Royal Heroine Stakes at a mile on turf. Despite the loss, jockey Umberto Rispoli described Dogtag’s performance as “awesome.”
Rispoli has the mount on Dogtag in Sunday’s Possibly Perfect at a distance that seems to be a good fit for the four-time winner owned by Larry, Nancy, and Jaime Roth’s LNJ Foxwood Stable. In the 2020 Possibly Perfect, Dogtag closed from fifth of seven to take the lead in early stretch. In her four wins, Dogtag has been as close as second in the first half of a race.
“She can sit handy and whatever the pace is she can adjust,” Mandella said. “She can be closer or farther back. She’s easy to handle.”
Dogtag began her career with trainer Chad Brown, winning stakes at Saratoga in 2018 and Pimlico in 2019. Dogtag was transferred to Mandella in the winter of 2019-20 and has won 2 of 5 starts under his direction. A win Sunday would lead Mandella to plan more important races for Dogtag.
The Possibly Perfect Stakes drew a field of eight. Dogtag is one of four stakes winners in the field along with Kuora, Neige Blanche, and Rideforthecause.
Kuora, who will have her first start for trainer Richard Baltas on Sunday, won two turf stakes in Peru in 2019, but was winless in three stakes at Fair Grounds and Sam Houston last winter when trained by Ignacio Correas.
Neige Blanche finished a nose in front of Rideforthecause in the Grade 3 Santa Barbara Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf on May 8 at Santa Anita. Neige Blanche was fourth in the Grade 3 Santa Ana Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf on March 27 in her first start of the year, fading through the stretch.
“I hope she’s as effective going 1 1/4 miles as she was going 1 1/2 miles,” trainer Leonard Powell said.
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Powell said Neige Blanche gives her best performance when racing from off the pace. In the Santa Ana, a stalking trip was not ideal for Neige Blanche, Powell said.
“Last time, we had her a little farther back and she was less aggressive,” he said.
Rideforthecause, trained by Michael McCarthy, won the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes at about 1 1/8 miles on turf at Woodbine last September when trained by Gail Cox. The Santa Barbara was Rideforthecause’s best run in three starts for McCarthy.