La Sardane's return effort pleases Drysdale

ARCADIA, Calif. – Toinette won her second stakes in the last year in Saturday’s $77,275 Swingtime Stakes for fillies and mares, and her trainer, Neil Drysdale, said Sunday he also was encouraged by the fifth-place finish by La Sardane.

The Swingtime Stakes, restricted to nonwinners of a stakes worth $60,000 or more to the winner at a mile or longer this year, was La Sardane’s first start since she was brought down in a two-horse spill in the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes on the hillside turf course on March 31. La Sardane fell heavily. She was given ample time to recuperate in the spring before she resumed training.

Santa Anita has not run a race on the hillside turf course since that day. All turf sprints have been on the main turf oval.

In the Swingtime Stakes, La Sardane was third with a furlong remaining and finished 4 3/4 lengths behind Toinette, the 7-10 favorite.

“I thought she ran well,” Drysdale said of La Sardane. “I was pleased with the comeback.”

La Sardane won two stakes in 2018.

Drysdale said both La Sardane and Toinette will be considered for the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf on Nov. 3, the final day of the autumn meeting.

Toinette won the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at a mile on turf here last October.