Las Cienegas pivotal race for Beau Recall

ARCADIA, Calif. – Beau Recall will run in the shortest race of her American career in Saturday’s Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes at Santa Anita in an effort to produce the best race of her career.

The $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes is run at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course, and will be Beau Recall’s first start in a turf sprint since she won a 2016 maiden race at seven furlongs on turf in Ireland at 2.

Last year, Beau Recall was second in four stakes, including a nose loss in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks at 1 1/8 miles on turf in August. On Dec. 31, Beau Recall was fifth, beaten 3 1/2 lengths in the Grade 1 American Oaks at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita.

“We felt 1 1/4 miles was too far for her last time,” trainer Simon Callaghan said Thursday. “This is quite a drastic distance change, but we always initially planned to start her off down the hill.”

Owned by Slam Dunk Racing and Medallion Racing, Beau Recall is part of a field of nine in the Las Cienegas, the only graded stakes at Santa Anita this weekend.

Callaghan said the Las Cienegas will determine Beau Recall’s immediate career path. She ran in four consecutive Grade 1 races in the second half of 2017.

The Irish-bred filly could stay in turf sprints through the first half of the year with a successful race Saturday.

“She’s got a good turn of foot and I think she’ll be running late,” he said. “It’s more than a matter of seeing how she goes. If she goes well down the hill, we could keep her down the hill or stretch her back out.”