ARCADIA, Calif. – A stumble at the start of Saturday’s Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes at Santa Anita left 1-5 favorite Paradise Woods with an unsurmountable disadvantage and helped La Force win the first stakes of her career in her 16th attempt. La Force, ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, closed from last in a field of five, but had an uninterrupted wide rally on the turn before taking the lead in early stretch. Paradise Woods, who raced in fourth behind the leaders on the inside of the track, was to the outside entering the stretch under jockey Mike Smith, but could not catch La Force, who prevailed by 1 1/4 lengths in the field of five. Van Dyke said after the race that La Force benefited from the situation in which Paradise Woods was unlucky and La Force had a clean trip. “I think it was a combination of both,” he said. “That mare gave up a few lengths.” Just a Smidge, a 13-1 outsider, set a slow pace of 24.21 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 48.51 for a half-mile. She held that advantage to the turn. In early stretch, Van Dyke was unsure where Paradise Woods was in the field, trying to listen to track announcer Frank Mirahmadi for clues. “I could hear Frank saying [Paradise Woods] was getting closer,” he said. “It got me a little concerned.” Smith thought Paradise Woods could overcome the tough trip until she turned into the stretch. “I still thought I’d win,” Smith said. “The pace scenario had caught up with her when they kicked. “She stumbled pretty bad. It’s not the first time it’s happened.” Paradise Woods stumbled at the start of the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar in August 2017 and again when third in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile here in June 2018. In the $200,000 Santa Maria, Paradise Woods was a massive favorite on the strength of an easy win by 10 1/2 lengths in the Grade 2 Santa Margarita Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on April 27 when she was near the pace throughout before pulling clear to beat runner-up La Force. The slow fractions of the Santa Maria made the result even tougher for Smith. “At that pace, the mare would be gone,” he said of Paradise Woods. Just a Smidge held third, and was followed by Exuberance and Tapped. La Force was timed in 1:45.91 and earned $120,000 for owners Chuck Winner and Ward and Roberta Williford. Winner is chairman of the California Horse Racing Board. La Force earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 86. Trained by Paddy Gallagher, La Force has won 3 of 25 starts and earned $550,800. She won a maiden race in Italy in 2016 and an allowance race with a $40,000 claiming option here in February 2018. A 5-year-old mare by the Oasis Dream stallion Power, La Force has been second or third in seven stakes, including runner-up finishes in three consecutive Grade 1 races in California in 2018 – the Beholder Mile, Clement Hirsch Stakes, and Zenyatta Stakes. Last November, La Force was eighth behind Monomoy Girl in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs. The Santa Margarita was La Force’s first start of 2019. “She shows up every time,” Van Dyke said. “When you’re consistent, you’re bound to get one sometime.”