Mandella hoping for a hot July; may run Argentine import Scotish Star in Great Lady M.
The Argentine Group 1 winner Scotish Star is ready for her American debut, as long as trainer Richard Mandella can find a suitable race.
Mandella said Wednesday that he may enter the unbeaten Scotish Star in Monday’s Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs at Los Alamitos. Alternatively, Mandella said he could wait for a race at the Del Mar summer meeting, which begins July 16.
“I’m thinking a little bit about that stakes at Los Al,” he said. “It’s a pretty deep bunch.”
The expected starters include Gamine, the champion female sprinter of 2020, and Edgeway, winner of the $250,000 Carousel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in April.
Scotish Star, a two-time winner, has not started since a seven-length win in her stakes debut, the Group 1 Polla de Potrancas at about a mile in Argentina last October. A 4-year-old bred in Argentina, Scotish Star races for Haras La Providencia and Larry Roth’s LNJ Foxwoods stable. The filly won her debut last August in a maiden race at five furlongs.
The Great Lady M. is the leading race on the final weekend of the two-week Los Alamitos summer meeting, which runs from Friday through Monday. There is no daytime Thoroughbred racing in Southern California from Tuesday to July 16.
The Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby at 1 1/8 miles on Saturday did not draw sufficient entries on Wednesday. There were four horses entered, according to racing secretary Bob Moreno. The $150,000 race may be offered on Sunday, pending the number of horses that enter on Thursday and discussions between track officials and horsemen’s groups, Moreno said.
Mandella has an extensive list of stakes horses scheduled to run in July.
Soothsay, winner of the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks in April, will start in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks at 1 1/16 miles on Wednesday at Indiana Grand. Soothsay was beaten for the first time in her third start when second to Crazy Beautiful in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks on May 30 at Santa Anita. Crazy Beautiful is entered in Saturday’s Grade 3 Delaware Oaks at Delaware Park.
Petruchio, second as the 3-2 favorite in the Singletary Stakes at a mile on turf on April 25 at Santa Anita, will start in the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on turf on July 16 at Del Mar. Petruchio had his stakes debut on turf in the Singletary, finishing three-quarters of a length behind Sword Zorro.
On July 17, Royal Ship, second in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup on May 31 at Santa Anita, will run in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles, a key prep for the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Aug. 21.
On July 24, the Mandella-trained United will be part of a competitive field in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf. United, who won the 2020 Eddie Read, left Mandella stunned with a last-place finish in a field of four as the 3-10 favorite in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on May 29 at Santa Anita, a race the 6-year-old gelding won in 2020.
After undergoing a battery of precautionary tests, which Mandella said revealed no abnormalities, United resumed workouts in mid-June.
The $250,000 Eddie Read is expected to include the first three finishers of the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on May 31 at Santa Anita– Smooth Like Strait, Say the Word, and Restrainedvengence, their trainers said last weekend.
Restrainedvengence returned to win the Grade 3 American Stakes at a mile on turf on June 20 at Santa Anita.