ARCADIA, Calif. – Even though Meaning has not run particularly fast in three starts, the stakes winner’s company lines stamp her the favorite in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on Saturday. Meaning’s career-high Beyer Speed Figure is a mere 79, which hardly justifies backing her at 3-5 program odds in the Oaks. Her company lines tell a different story. Meaning finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in just her second start and won the Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita in her February comeback. Runner-up Explora then won the Grade 3 Honeybee at Oaklawn; third-place Bank Shot finished second next out in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel at Santa Anita. Despite modest figures and relative inexperience, 2-for-3 Meaning emerged as a division leader in California. She puts her reputation on the line Saturday against a modest field. Trainer Michael McCarthy expects Meaning to move forward from her workmanlike comeback victory. “Seems like she’s come back [and] trained just as well for this race,” McCarthy said. “Filly’s done everything right since then. Looks well in her appearance.” :: Santa Anita Classic Meet! Get DRF Past Performances, Clocker Reports, and more. Seven fillies entered the 1 1/16-mile Santa Anita Oaks, including McCarthy-trained maiden winner Brooklyn Blonde and a pair trained by Bob Baffert – Grade 3 winner Forced Entry and upset candidate French Blue. The Santa Anita Oaks field also includes Bank Shot and turf fillies Hypergamy and Red Cherry. Having started only three times, Meaning has plenty of room to improve. Juan Hernandez will be her fourth rider in four starts. Meaning is sired by Gun Runner, as is McCarthy-trained Brooklyn Blonde, who is moving up in class from a 79 Beyer maiden win. Brooklyn Blonde finished last in her summer debut at Del Mar, then was off six months. Runner-up in her comeback, Brooklyn Blonde put it all together third time out in her first route. “She wanted to train on and run a little bit longer,” McCarthy said, acknowledging the class hike. “It’s the right time of year to take a shot,” McCarthy said. “She is doing well, acting well.” Kazushi Kimura rides Brooklyn Blonde. Baffert-trained Forced Entry and French Blue finished first and third, respectively, last month in the Santa Ysabel. Forced Entry, 2 for 2 around two turns, is the fastest Oaks entrant with back-to-back Beyers in the low 80s. However, a subsequent team work with French Blue suggests French Blue could turn the tables in the third start of her career. French Blue won her sprint debut, then stretched out, set the pace, and tired to third in the Santa Ysabel. Forced Entry beat her by more than three lengths. Baffert said French Blue “just needed the race. We’ve always been very high on her. Every time she breezes, she breezes like a Grade 1 filly.” In a five-furlong team workout March 26, French Blue went better than Forced Entry. Now that French Blue has a route under her belt, the Gun Runner filly is likely to improve in the third start of her career. Florent Geroux is her rider. French Blue offers value at 5-1 on the morning line. Bank Shot enters with an improving pattern for trainer Ryan Hanson – maiden route winner in January, third in the Las Virgenes in February, and second in the Santa Ysabel in March. “She’s very workmanlike, does her job, seems like she gets a tiny bit better every race,” Hanson said. The Santa Anita Oaks awards Kentucky Oaks points on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis. Bank Shot is ranked 19th on the Oaks list with 31 points; 14 can start. “I need points,” Hanson acknowledged. “If she runs one-two in the Santa Anita Oaks, she belongs in the Kentucky Oaks. If she doesn’t, then she doesn’t belong.” Adrian Escobedo rides Bank Shot. Red Cherry wired maidens last out on turf and will aim for the same successful turf-to-dirt move as her sire. Rock Your World won the 2021 Pasadena Stakes on turf and the Santa Anita Derby on dirt in his next start. Red Cherry “has trained good on dirt, she’s really moved forward since her last race,” trainer John Sadler said. He suspects she may prefer turf. “If we go the dirt, it would be to try it, see how it works, because then after that, you have a summer full of grass for that division.” Armando Ayuso rids Red Cherry. Hypergamy also is a turf filly, all eight starts were on turf including a runner-up finish last out the China Doll Stakes. “She’s always trained well on the dirt,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.