Honey Pants ($40.40) holds off Elm Drive in Las Cienegas Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. - The whip went flying in early stretch, right about the time Honey Pants reached contention in Sunday’s Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes for fillies and mares on turf at Santa Anita.

Frankie Dettori, the legendary rider, had made a rookie mistake. He spent the rest of the race making up for the mishap, guiding Honey Pants to an upset win by a head in the Las Cienegas on the hillside turf course.

“I went to twirl my stick and it fell out of my hands,” Dettori said. “I didn’t need the stick. She got the job done.

“It could have been sour grapes if we got beat.”

Honey Pants ($40.40) held off a late threat from even-money favorite Elm Drive to win the $103,000 Las Cienegas Stakes and give trainer Phil D’Amato a sweep of the exacta.

:: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports

Honey Pants won her first stakes in her 22nd start in the Las Cienegas, her 15th career stakes appearance. Owned by Gerald Isbister and Bakster Farm, Honey Pants has won 4 of 22 starts and earned $357,406.

In the Las Cienegas Stakes, Honey Pants tracked the early pace of 24-1 Fast and Shiny, who ran the opening quarter-mile in 22.17 seconds, and 6-1 Kissed by Fire, who led through a half-mile in 43.99.

Dettori had Honey Pants toward the inside when the field crossed over the dirt and onto the main turf course. Honey Pants trailed stretch leader Kissed by Fire narrowly with a furlong remaining and took the lead late, finishing about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course in 1:12.40.

Gracelund Gray (6-1) was always within stalking range of the front and finished third, followed by Nadette, Kissed by Fire, Wakanaka, Adaay In Asia, Fast and Shiny, Benedict Canyon, Anthonys Cleopatra and Lexington Humor.

The Las Cienegas was Honey Pants’s fifth start since being transferred from Christophe Clement’s New York stable to D’Amato in the winter of 2022-2023. In four starts in 2023, Honey Pants was winless, including a second in the Mizdirection Stakes on the hillside turf course last May, and a troubled fifth against males in the Stormy Liberal Stakes at five furlongs on turf at Del Mar on Dec. 2.

“She’s been a bit unlucky in her last couple of starts,” D’Amato said in the winner’s circle. “It was vindication today.”

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.