Gaines tries to retain hot hand in San Gabriel, Monrovia

ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Carla Gaines had a cold on Wednesday morning, and the temperature outside was chilly, too, so she was keeping herself warm on the Santa Anita apron with a cup of soup. Had she put that soup in a microwave, and cranked it to thermonuclear, it might have gotten as hot as Gaines’s horses have been running lately, a situation she hopes continues this weekend.

Gaines, fresh off stakes wins last weekend with Lady Pimpernel in the Robert Frankel and Bolo in the Eddie Logan, has excellent chances in stakes this weekend. She is scheduled to send out Big Bane Theory in the San Gabriel Stakes for older turf horses on Saturday, and has a pair of runners – Gender Agenda and Heat Trap – slotted for the Monrovia Stakes for older females on Sunday.

The San Gabriel, Monrovia and the Santa Ynez Stakes on Saturday for 3-year-old fillies all are Grade 2, $200,000 races.

Big Bane Theory is seeking a return to the form that carried him to victory in the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile here in October. Since then, he was fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile – a consolation spot after he failed to get into the Mile on turf – and was fifth last time out in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit at Del Mar.

:: DRF Live: Get real-time updates and insights from DRF reporters and handicappers on Saturday

“That race was a question mark,” Gaines said. “He seemed to come out of it fine. He had a really good race here before the Breeders’ Cup. I don’t know if the Breeders’ Cup shook him up. After the race, he was mad.”

Gender Agenda and Heat Trap both have performed well over the hillside turf course, which will be used for the Monrovia. Gender Agenda, second in the Unzip Me here in September, is shortening up after finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Matriarch last time out at Del Mar. Heat Trap has won twice down the hill, and was second to Velvet Mesquite – a likely top contender in the Monrovia – in the California Cup Distaff in October.

The Santa Ynez is expected to include Light the City, who won her first two races before being upset last time out in the Desi Arnaz at Del Mar.