ARCADIA, Calif. – There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Kopion, who will be heavily favored to win Saturday’s Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos, was ranked as the second-best filly or mare in the stable of Spendthrift Farm and trainer Richard Mandella. In December, Kopion was a late addition to the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita in her first start in more than eight months. The Spendthrift-Mandella team also had the impeccably bred Tamara entered in the $300,000 La Brea at seven furlongs. Tamara was scratched because of a temperature and has not raced since. Kopion won the La Brea in a 37-1 upset and has not lost since, rising to the top of the nation’s filly and mare sprint division. Earlier this year, Kopion won the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita and delivered a brilliant performance to win the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at seven furlongs at Churchill Downs on May 3 on the undercard of the Kentucky Derby program. Tamara, the winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante in 2023, is very much still around. She was sidelined by injury later in the winter and is being trained for a possible comeback at the Del Mar summer meeting. Kopion, meanwhile, can enhance her reputation in the $200,000 Great Lady M. Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs. She is being raced with the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 1 as a late-season objective. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “This year, she has developed into a real pro,” Mandella said. An Omaha Beach filly, Kopion was purchased for $270,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She had a promising start to her career, winning her first two starts, including the Grade 3 Santa Ynez Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs at Santa Anita in January 2024. After finishing fourth of five in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks three months later, Kopion was sidelined with bone bruising, Mandella said. She had her comeback in the La Brea Stakes, which Mandella chose over the Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes at six furlongs in January because of its prestige. Kopion was the longest shot of eight in the La Brea. She raced near the front throughout under jockey Kazushi Kimura and won by 2 3/4 lengths. “She trained like she was that good,” Mandella said. “I don’t want to sound obnoxious, I’m not saying I wasn’t surprised, but I was surprised with how easy she did it. She won it authoritatively.” Kopion won the Santa Monica Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths as the 6-5 favorite under Antonio Fresu, a substitute for a then-injured Kimura. She ran seven furlongs in 1:21.27 seconds and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 110. In the $1 million Derby City Distaff, Kopion was the 5-2 second choice behind Ways and Means, the winner of the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga last August who had not raced since a fifth-place finish in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar last November. With Kimura back aboard, Kopion closed from sixth of 10 to win by three lengths in 1:21.76. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 109 and gained a vital major stakes win in her first start away from California. Ways and Means finished third in the Distaff. She returned to win the Grade 2 Bed o’ Roses Stakes at seven furlongs by 7 3/4 lengths at Saratoga on June 6. Ways and Means was timed in 1:21.11 and earned a stellar Beyer Speed Figure of 111 in the Bed o’ Roses. For Kopion, the Great Lady M. Stakes represents a test of its own. Sweet Azteca, winner of the 2024 Great Lady M. Stakes, is expected to have her first start since a fourth-place finish as the 1-10 favorite in the Grade 3 Chillingworth Stakes at Santa Anita last October. One Magic Philly, winner of that Chillingworth Stakes, will have her second start of the year in the Great Lady M. “Part of the thought of going to Los Alamitos is it would not be a very tough race, but it will be a tough race,” Mandella said. “It won’t be easy. She’s ready to run. It’s time to get a race into her.” :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Asked on a recent morning if Kopion has reached her peak, Mandella paused before saying, “It’s hard to imagine one doing better, but who knows?" Next month, Grade 1 stakes such as the $400,000 Clement Hirsch Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar on Aug. 2 or the $500,000 Ballerina Stakes at seven furlongs at Saratoga on Aug. 23 are under consideration for Kopion. As for Tamara, Mandella said she has resumed galloping after undergoing recent surgery to have a bone chip removed from a sesamoid. “She’s getting in some good gallops,” Mandella said. Tamara started once last year, finishing second in an allowance race at Del Mar in November. Minor setbacks have plagued Tamara, who has won 2 of 4 starts, including the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante in 2023. “It’s been sickness or this and that,” Mandella said. “Hopefully we have it behind us. She looks better than she ever has.” A 4-year-old filly, Tamara is by Bolt d’Oro out of Beholder, a Hall of Fame mare and four-time champion in a five-year career from 2012 to 2016. Mandella expects Tamara to return to stakes form. “If I didn’t, we would have bred her,” he said. “She’s worth a fortune to breed.” For quite some time, Tamara was the leading female in Mandella’s stable. When she returns, she may have a tough time surpassing the accomplishments of Kopion. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.