Horse talent towers over $65k purse

ARCADIA, Calif. - The depth of talent in Wednesday's seventh race at Santa Anita makes the $65,000 allowance race over a mile on turf resemble a quality stakes.

All seven of the fillies and mares entered made their last starts in a graded or group stakes. The results of those races range from a victory by Old Money against males in the Western Australian Derby in December 2000 to several fillies and mares who were unplaced in their last starts.

Wednesday's race is scheduled so that some of the runners can reappear in the $150,000 Beuna Vista Handicap over a mile on turf on Feb. 18.

Only five trainers are represented.

Ron McAnally starts Old Money and Kalatiara, the winner of the Grade 3 Royal Heroine Stakes last July at Hollywood Park. They are an entry, racing for Stonerside Stable.

Bobby Frankel starts Rolly Polly and Twin Set, who were 1-2 in the Safely Kept Handicap at Hollywood Park on Nov. 24. Rolly Polly returned to finish eighth in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes on Dec. 29, her lone start on dirt.

Craig Dollase runs High Margin, who was sixth in the Monrovia. She won the Ramser Stakes over this course and distance in October 2000.

Darrell Vienna trains Queen of Wilshire, a front-runner who has placed in minor stakes.

From the outside post, Minor Details starts for Bob Baffert. Minor Details was third in the Grade 1 Ramona Handicap last July at Del Mar, but has poor recent form.

The McAnally-trained entry will be well-backed. Old Money was entered for Sunday's San Gorgonio Handicap but scratched when Wednesday's race became available.

Those two and the others are likely to be chasing High Margin, who has won sprints in the past. She breaks from the rail and will be ridden by Kent Desormeaux.

"For her going a mile, that's a good post," Dollase said.

High Margin won a one-mile allowance race at Del Mar last August, leading throughout. She failed to make the lead in three subsequent starts, all sprints.

High Margin could be joined on the front by Queen of Wilshire. A speed duel from those two will help Twin Set and Kalatiara. Twin Set has never run a mile around two turns, but closed well in the Monrovia to finish 1 1/2 lengths behind Paga. She may go favored.

Kalatiara is the better known half of the entry. She was overmatched in the Yellow Ribbon and Beverly D. but fits well in this allowance race.

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