Makena auditions for Breeders' Cup in Tranquility Lake

DEL MAR, Calif. – Three months after her campaign was interrupted by stomach cramps, Makena returns Wednesday at Del Mar with the same lofty goal that her connections had in the spring – a Breeders’ Cup race in the fall at Santa Anita.

“We’re dreaming,” trainer Scott Hansen said. “But there is a possibility.”

Hansen and owner Gary Broad will make definite plans only after Makena runs Wednesday in the $75,000 Tranquility Stakes, a restricted stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on dirt. True, the Breeders’ Cup is a reach. So is a win by Makena in her first start back.

Vale Dori will be strongly favored. A Group 1 winner in South America and 6-5 in the Wednesday program, Vale Dori is the controlling speed. She also benefits from a recent race over the track. Makena has not started since April.

Makena developed rapidly at the winter-spring meet at Santa Anita. She stretched out to defeat maidens and followed up with a sharp allowance win. Makena might have continued her ascent in a second-level allowance May 26, but she was scratched and disappeared.

“She tied up a couple days before the race, from out of nowhere, so we scratched her,” Hansen said.

The 4-year-old filly was given a month off after she recovered from cramps and then trained toward a late-summer comeback. The objective is the same.

“We’re trying to see if she’s worthy of a Breeders’ Cup race,” Hansen said, acknowledging that the odds would be stacked against her if she faced Songbird, Beholder, and Stellar Wind. “It might be one of the greatest Distaffs we’ve seen.”

Hansen believes Makena has other options. The BC Filly and Mare Sprint is a possible target, and she ran well enough on turf in her debut that a return to grass has been discussed. It will be up to Makena to prove she is worthy.

“Lots of options,” Hansen said. “We’re hoping she comes back the way she left. I think she’s ready. She looks like her old self. I think she’s fit enough to run her best race.”

In addition to Makena and Vale Dori, the Tranquility Lake field includes Jolene, The Dream, She’s a Big Winner, Moyo Honey, West Mid, and Scattagirl.

KEY CONTENDERS

Vale Dori, by Asiatic Boy

Beyer: 93

◗ Her runner-up comeback Aug. 3 at Del Mar was outstanding considering it was her first start in more than four months and her first in the U.S. Vale Dori pressed a fast pace and missed by a neck.

◗ Bob Baffert trains the 2-for-6 Vale Dori, who has posted three sharp works since her last race and could be loose on the lead under Rafael Bejarano.

Makena, by Pioneerof the Nile

Last 3 Beyers: 85-78-82

◗ She has two wins and two seconds from six starts, and enough speed that jockey Drayden Van Dyke can keep her within striking range of the pacesetter.

◗ Hansen expressed confidence that Makena will fire, based on two recent works. “She worked 1:11 and 1 and a very good half and would not have blown out a match afterward.”

The Dream, by Scat Daddy

Beyer: 66

◗ A Group 1 winner in Chile, she dove into the deep end in her U.S. debut. She faced Stellar Wind and Beholder in the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch, chased, and tired.

◗ The Dream has worked well since, drops in class, and should move forward with a race under her belt.

◗ Jerry Hollendorfer trains and Tiago Pereira rides the 4-for-9 filly.

Moyo Honey, by Mizzen Mast

Last 3 Beyers: 84-76-72

◗ Trained by Paddy Gallagher, she makes her first start in nearly two months.