Grade 1 win ripe for the picking in Santa Margarita

ARCADIA, Calif. – The durable and consistent Mopotism seeks her first Grade 1 victory Saturday at Santa Anita, where sometimes half the battle is just showing up.

Although the Santa Margarita is the marquee race of the meet for fillies and mares, this year’s field does not include the marquee names. Unique Bella, already a two-time stakes winner at this meet, got sick with a cough, missed training, and passed on the race. Paradise Woods got sick in January, missed a start in February, and returns next weekend. Abel Tasman is nearing her first start of the year, but not yet.

The absentee list is no bother for the connections of the 10 fillies and mares who did enter the 1 1/8-mile Santa Margarita. For a future broodmare, winning a Grade 1 is as important as the $400,000 purse. That is the goal for Mopotism, trained by Doug O’Neill.

“I feel bad for Unique Bella’s misfortune, but our filly, to get a Grade 1 win would be truly exceptional,” O’Neill said.

He does not dispute that Mopotism is a cut below Unique Bella, Paradise Woods, and Abel Tasman.

“That’s safe to say,” O’Neill acknowledged. “But at the same time, Mopotism’s Beyer numbers continue to stay in the 90s, she’s been very consistent, and just continues to show up.”

“Unique Bella’s not in – that’s why everybody showed up,” trainer Richard Baltas said. “Otherwise, it would be a five-horse field.”

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Baltas will start Mistressofthenight, whose second-level allowance win last out was more impressive visually than the 77 Beyer Speed Figure.

“I know they didn’t give her a very big number last time, but I was impressed with how she ran,” Baltas said. “She exploded down the lane. She’s a filly that can run long on the dirt, so we’re going to give it a try.”

Might as well. The same with Majestic Heat. She was one of three supplemented to the Santa Margarita for $8,000 after nominations closed and after Unique Bella defected.

“Everybody’s doing the same thing,” Majestic Heat’s trainer, Richard Mandella, said, referring to Unique Bella’s absence. “That made everything different. I think I’m in the same league with the others.”

Majestic Heat, the winner of the Grade 2 Bayakoa Stakes in December at Los Alamitos, is one of three graded stakes winners in the field, along with Mopotism and Grade 2 turf stakes winner Fault. Majestic Heat, La Canada Stakes runner-up Mended, and allowance mare Dalsaros all were late supplements.

The field also includes entry-level allowance winner La Force, shipper Bishop’s Pond, and two Northern California shippers trained by Jerry Hollendorfer – Turkish Tabby and Eccentric Spinster. Neither is as fast as the Hollendorfer-trained Unique Bella, but on Saturday in the Santa Margarita, they will not need to be.

Hollendorfer’s assistant trainer Dan Ward said Turkish Tabby and Eccentric Spinster both were intended starters in the Santa Margarita even before Unique Bella defected. “They came for the race,” Ward said. “They were going to try to get a Grade 1 placing.”

The Santa Margarita, race 9, is one of three stakes Saturday at Santa Anita. River Boyne and Pubilius Syrus top the $200,000 Pasadena Stakes, race 8, for 3-year-olds at a mile on turf. Race 3 is the $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares. The race is scheduled for 6 1/2 furlongs on turf.

KEY CONTENDERS

Mopotism, by Uncle Mo
Last 3 Beyers: 95-91-94

◗ “She’s a big, strong, good-looking filly with the mind of a gelding,” O’Neill said. “She’s so laid-back, she’s so comfortable, and she’s shipped around. She’s got a lot of frequent-flier miles.”

Mopotism has made seven starts at Santa Anita, three at Del Mar, and one each at Parx Racing, Saratoga, Indiana Grand, Churchill Downs, Sunland Park, and Los Alamitos. She has won three races and $601,200 from 16 starts and is the top-earning filly by Uncle Mo.

◗ Mario Gutierrez is the regular rider for Mopotism, who earned a career-best Beyer last time out, and he is aboard again on Saturday.

Majestic Heat, by Unusual Heat
Last 3 Beyers: 79-92-86

◗ Majestic Heat, 6, could be making her final start and might be bred this spring to Uncle Mo. A seven-time winner and earner of $570,329 from 19 starts, Majestic Heat won back-to-back stakes last fall. In her last three starts, she has a pair of thirds. She finished third as the odds-on favorite last out in a sprint stakes for Cal-breds.

“She’s very good out of the race, she’s going to be bred, and we’re going to give it another shot,” Mandella said.

◗ Corey Nakatani rides.

Fault, by Blame
Last 3 Beyers: 96-80-86

◗ Her upset victory last out in the Grade 2 Buena Vista on turf was her first start in California and her first for trainer Phil D’Amato. She won a maiden race on a muddy track in January 2017 at Fair Grounds.

Mended, by Broken Vow
Last 3 Beyers: 91-87-85

◗ Claimed for $12,500 in January 2017 by trainer John Martin, she won 10 straight claiming-caliber and allowance races prior to finishing second by a head in the La Canada. Mended is one of several front-runners in the field.

Misstressofthenight, by Midnight Lute
Last 3 Beyers: 77-81-72

◗ A wet track would be fine for Mistressofthenight, who won her only start on wet in January 2017. The Santa Margarita is her third start back from a layoff. She might be better than her most recent figure suggests.