Healthy Addiction gets her season going

ARCADIA, Calif. - makes her 2006 debut a week later than expected in Thursday's $75,000 Paseana Handicap at Santa Anita, a race in which she will be heavily favored.

The Paseana Handicap was originally scheduled for Jan. 13, but was postponed after drawing insufficient entries.

Winner of the Grade 2 Lady's Secret Breeders' Cup Handicap here Oct. 2, Healthy Addiction is making her first start since finishing last of 13 in the Breeders' Cup Distaff at Belmont Park on Oct. 29. Trainer John Sadler dismissed that result, saying, "She's not a traveler."

Owned by Pamela Ziebarth, Healthy Addiction, 5, has been a star at Santa Anita, having finished first or second in seven starts over this course. The Lady's Secret was her first graded stakes win.

Because Healthy Addiction will be a heavy favorite, the Paseana is the second race and not in the pick six, which features a carryover of $185,319.

The Paseana Handicap is a prep for the $250,000 Santa Maria Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 11.

Sadler said that the three weeks between the Paseana and Santa Maria handicaps is sufficient for Healthy Addiction to make both races.

"This was about the last possible day" to run in both, Sadler said. "She's been ready to run."

Healthy Addiction is one of five entrants in the Paseana, which is run at 1 1/16 miles. Garrett Gomez, who was aboard for the Lady's Secret BC Handicap, has the mount.

The biggest threat to Healthy Addiction is Musica Si, a two-time stakes winner from Chile. Trained by Richard Mandella, Musica Si has worked well in recent weeks. In Chile, she won two Group 1 races over about 1 1/4 miles during a three-week span in November 2004. In her last start, she was fifth of 12 in the Group 1 Chilean

St. Leger, which was won by Trotamondo, the winner of the Native Diver Handicap at Hollywood Park last month.

Freakin Streakin will be on the lead. She placed in three stakes for sprinters at Del Mar and Santa Anita last summer and fall. Emerald Sunrise and Rena de Sonora also start.

Healthy Addiction will race near the front, but does not need the lead to win.

"Garrett worked her once and liked the way she worked," Sadler said. "We should be tough unless Mandella's is a monster or there is something I don't know."