Finest City legs up for Great Lady M.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Finest City, the champion female sprinter of 2016, worked a half-mile in 49.40 seconds at Santa Anita on Friday for a scheduled start in the Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos next Saturday.

Finest City won the Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Al in April 2016 and the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita last November, a victory that clinched her championship.

“She went nice and easy,” trainer Ian Kruljac said. “We’re likely running there. I think it will play out well for the remainder of the year.”

Kruljac said races at the Del Mar summer meeting such as the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 13 or the Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf Sept. 2 will be considered in advance of the BC Filly and Mare Sprint there on Nov. 4.

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Finest City won the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes at seven furlongs in January but is winless in her three starts since, including a third in the three-runner, Grade 1 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita on June 4.

The $200,000 Great Lady M. Stakes is run at 6 1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares and is the first of two graded stakes at the two-week Los Alamitos meeting. The Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby, a $200,000 race at 1 1/8 miles, will be run July 15.