Famous Alice targeting bigger things
ARCADIA, Calif. – There has always been a hint of excellence surrounding Famous Alice, the 4-year-old filly who starts in an optional claimer on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita on Friday.
Twice in 2014, Famous Alice was second in stakes at Santa Anita – the Sweet Life Stakes on the hillside turf course in February and the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes in June. The breakthrough stakes win has proven elusive, though.
Friday’s race will be the first for Famous Alice since she finished seventh of 10 3-year-old fillies in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes here last October. The optional claimer could lead to a stakes race.
KEY CONTENDERS
Famous Alice (Last 3 Beyers: 80-87-87)
◗ Trained by Tom Proctor for George Krikorian, Famous Alice has yet to win on the hillside. Aside from her second in the Sweet Life Stakes, she was second in an optional claimer on the course in January 2014.
◗ Krikorian said on Wednesday that Famous Alice deserved a rest last fall.
“We decided to give her some time off,” he said. “I don’t know if she’ll need a race, but we’ll hope for a good run. She’s shown some promise and I hope she moves forward.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Famous Alice. Trainer Tom Proctor is 21-2-1-2 with a $0.87 ROI over the past five years going route to sprint on turf following a layoff of 100 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
:: Learn more about Formulator | Buy Formulator PPs
:: Follow the @DRFFormulator Twitter feed and get free Formulator facts
Meeting Waters
◗ The lone import in the field is Meeting Waters, a 4-year-old British-bred filly who won 2 of 10 starts in Great Britain in 2013 and 2014.
◗ Now trained by Ben Cecil, Meeting Waters had five starts last year, winning a minor handicap at 7 1/4 furlongs at Musselburgh Racecourse in Scotland and finishing second in her other starts. In her most recent race, Meeting Waters was second to the Group 2 winner Al Thakhira in the October Stakes at seven furlongs at Ascot last fall.
◗ Meeting Waters, purchased for approximately $232,000 at auction in England last December, races for Triton Racing.
“She’s been fairly consistent,” Cecil said. “She’s worked well. She’ll probably need a race. That gives me a built-in excuse.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Meeting Waters. Trainer Ben Cecil is 17-1-2-1 with a $0.45 ROI over the past five years with foreign shippers making their first start following a barn switch. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Meinertzhageni (Last 3 Beyers: 82-87-77)
◗ Meinertzhageni was second in the Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes at six furlongs on dirt on March 8, her first start after being claimed for $40,000 from a win in an optional claimer at 6 1/2 furlongs on Feb. 21.
◗ Trained by Peter Miller, Meinertzhageni was seventh in the Unzip Me Stakes on the hillside turf course last September, her only start on the surface.