Donna Veloce returns in Santa Ysabel

ARCADIA, Calif. – Donna Veloce had a furious three-race campaign last fall.

After a convincing win by 9 1/4 lengths in her debut on Sept. 28, Donna Veloce was beaten a neck in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in her stakes debut at Santa Anita on Nov. 1. Five weeks later, she was second as a heavy favorite in the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos.

“You couldn’t ask for much more,” trainer Simon Callaghan said.

The 2-year-old campaign was the foundation for a 2020 season that begins in Sunday’s Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes for fillies at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita.

“We gave her a little break to freshen her,” trainer Simon Callaghan said. “She did a lot in those two [stakes] races and she’s come back in a good pattern.”

Owned by Kaleem Shah and the Coolmore partnership, Donna Veloce drew the rail in the $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes and will be favored in a field of seven.

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There may not be that many starters. Trainer Bob Baffert said on Friday that Gingham, a well-beaten second to Venetian Harbor in the Grade 2 Las Virgenes Stakes at a mile on Feb. 8, may be withdrawn in favor of the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks on March 22 or the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on April 4.

The Santa Anita Oaks is an early spring goal for Donna Veloce, who has shown the ability to race from the pace or from a stalking position. In the BC Juvenile Fillies, Donna Veloce closed from fourth to lead in the stretch. She was narrowly beaten by British Idiom, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2019.

In the Starlet, Donna Veloce disputed the pace throughout and finished a half-length behind Bast, who has since been retired due to injury.

Donna Veloce could face early pressure from her inside post in the Santa Ysabel.

“I don’t think they have her speed, but there are other speed horses in there,” Callaghan said. “She can do whatever.”

Runners such as Tiz Fake News and Storie Blue, who are having their first starts in stakes in the Santa Ysabel, have shown speed.

Tiz Fake News is unbeaten in two starts on the synthetic track at Golden Gate Fields for trainer Jonathan Wong. Storie Blue, trained by Baffert, led throughout a maiden special weight race at a mile on Jan. 5 in her third start. Storie Blue drew the outside post for Sunday’s race.

Speech will have her first start around two turns and stakes debut in the Santa Ysabel. She is likely to race from off the pace, trainer Michael McCarthy said.

Speech was the nine-length winner of a maiden special weight race at six furlongs at Los Alamitos on Dec. 14 and second by 2 1/4 lengths to 3-5 Auberge in an allowance race with an $80,000 claiming option at six furlongs on Feb. 1.

“She has tactical speed,” McCarthy said. “The second was okay. My gut told me they weren’t beating the winner that day. We had a plan for a couple of sprint races before we stretched her out.”