Got Koko tries to collect all three

ARCADIA, Calif. - Got Koko was overlooked when she pulled an upset at 17-1 in the La Brea Stakes Dec. 28.

In the El Encino Stakes on Jan. 19, she was the second betting choice, and proved her La Brea win was no fluke by overcoming a wide trip for a stylish win.

When Got Koko returns on Saturday in the $200,000 La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita, she will be the center of attention. A victory will make her only the third 4-year-old filly to win all three races in the La Canada series, joining Taisez Vous (1978) and Mitterand (1985).

"I hope we can pull it off," trainer Bruce Headley said. "It will be tough to do."

Got Koko has four rivals in the La Canada, run over 1 1/8 miles. She faces Bella Bellucci and Bare Necessities, who were second and third in the El Encino Stakes; Sightseek, who was second in the Santa Monica Handicap on Jan. 25; and Revenante, who is making her first start on dirt.

Sightseek was intended for the Santa Maria Handicap next weekend, and may still come out of the La Canada Stakes, trainer Bobby Frankel warned. Last fall, Sightseek won the Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland and the Top Flight Handicap at Aqueduct.

"I wanted to run the next week, but this race is coming up short," Frankel said. "There's no pace in the race. There's a good chance I'll run."

Trainer Darrell Vienna admits that he is taking a chance with Revenante, who won a maiden race last September in England and has been first and second in two starts in this country.

"It's certainly an experimental thing," Vienna said. "We'll have our lab coats on that day."

Got Koko is clearly a better filly on dirt. A closer, she has won her last five starts on the main track in a span of eight races, dating back to a maiden win last March. On turf, her best finish in three starts was a third in an optional claimer at Del Mar.

Although Got Koko won the restricted Torrey Pines Stakes over a mile last September at Del Mar, she confirmed her ability around two turns in the El Encino Stakes, making a five-wide move on the backstretch that carried her to the front on the final turn.

"She showed great determination," Headley said. "I know she won't be so wide in this race."

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