Micro Share possible for Santa Anita Oaks

Micro Share, the easy winner of a maiden special weight race at a mile last Friday, will be considered for the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks at 1 1/16 miles on April 9, trainer Richard Mandella said Wednesday.

From a local perspective, there may not be another available race in the short-term for the promising 3-year-old filly. Allowance races for the division are rare, if run at all, at this time of year.

“In this day and age, you don’t have a lot of choices,” Mandella said. “She’s an improving filly, so we’ll take a shot at it.”

Micro Share closed from fourth of five under jockey Mike Smith to win the March 11 race by 4 1/2 lengths at 2-5 in her third start. She was third in her debut at Del Mar last December and second to 12-length winner Adare Manor in a one-mile maiden special weight race Jan. 7.

Adare Manor won her stakes debut in the Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes at a mile on Feb. 6 by 13 lengths as the 2-5 favorite. Trained by Bob Baffert, Adare Manor has had a steady pattern of workouts since late February and is a candidate for the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks.

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The Santa Anita Oaks is the second-richest race on an April 9 program led by the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles. In the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby, Mandella plans to start Forbidden Kingdom, who is unbeaten in two starts this year in Grade 2 stakes – the San Vicente Stakes at seven furlongs on Jan. 29 and the San Felipe Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on March 5.

Mandella said Forbidden Kingdom will resume workouts this week for the Santa Anita Derby, a key prep for the Kentucky Derby on May 7 at Churchill Downs.

Micro Share and Forbidden Kingdom are co-owned by Spendthrift Farm and the MyRacehorse syndicate.