Euro imports square off in U.S. debuts

Ellerslie Lace and Fantail arrived in California from Europe last winter, two 4-year-old fillies who did not live up to expectations in France and Great Britain.

There are high expectations both will thrive in their new surroundings, beginning with starts in an allowance race at 6 1/2 furlongs on turf on Sunday at Santa Anita.

Ellerslie Lace, trained by Leonard Powell, won a maiden race at seven furlongs in France last July. By then, she had already started in four stakes and would later race in three more stakes. In 2020, Ellerslie’s Lace’s best result in a stakes was a troubled fourth in the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham for 3-year-old fillies at a mile at Chantilly last June.

Owned by Powell’s wife, Mathilde, Ellerslie Lace has not started since November and has worked well enough in recent weeks to leave Leonard Powell hopeful the filly can be a factor from off the pace under jockey Umberto Rispoli.

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“She’s ready to run a good race,” Powell said. “The race should set up well. I wouldn’t have run any shorter than that. I think with 6 1/2, it seems to set up for a closer.”

Fantail raced on turf and all-weather surfaces in Britain last year, winning once in seven starts. She was second in a minor handicap at 1 1/4 miles against males on the all-weather surface at Newcastle last November in her final start in that country. Last July, Fantail was third in a minor handicap on turf for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs at Newmarket Racecourse.

“She seems like she’s training really forward,” trainer Richard Baltas said Friday. “She had a nice gallop today and stood in the gate. She seems like a filly that has some talent.”

Baltas has worked Fantail in company with some of his more accomplished runners in recent weeks, including Masteroffoxhounds, who won the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes at Santa Anita in February and was eighth in the Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic on May 1 at Churchill Downs.

“I think she wants to go farther,” Baltas said. “She’s been very aggressive in her training.”

Ellerslie Lace and Fantail are part of a field of eight fillies and mares.

The allowance race is the seventh race on a nine-race program that includes a mandatory payout in the 20-cent Rainbow pick six.

Baltas has runners in five races, including Gidgetta, who is well-suited to a second-condition allowance race at six furlongs for fillies and mares on turf in the second race. Gidgetta won an allowance race at six furlongs on turf on March 7 in her latest start, her second win in six starts.

The two allowance races are the primary races on a program that does not have a stakes. The Grade 3 Desert Stormer Stakes for fillies and mares at six furlongs on the main track did not draw sufficient entries.

The $100,000 Desert Stormer drew nine nominations, including the 3-year-old filly Five Pics Please. Trained by John Sadler, Five Pics Please was second in the Grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes at six furlongs on turf on Feb. 14 and is entered in Sunday’s second race.