Midnight Memories, Desert Dawn set for rematch in La Canada

ARCADIA, Calif. – Even though the top California female is weeks away from a comeback, Adare Manor casts a shadow over the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Six fillies and mares entered, including Adare Manor’s stablemate Midnight Memories and her nemesis Desert Dawn. One-two finishers in the Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos last month, Midnight Memories and Desert Dawn figure to attract the most support in the 1 1/16-miles La Canada.

As for Adare Manor, who won four successive graded stakes last year and emerged as the top dirt female in California, she has resumed a regular work pattern. If trainer Bob Baffert keeps Adare Manor home for her 2024 debut, a reasonable option is the Grade 1 Beholder Mile on March 9.

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In the meantime, her stablemate Midnight Memories re-emerged. A two-time graded winner in 2022 and third in the Beholder Mile in 2023, Midnight Memories had been off nine months when she returned to win the Bayakoa, her fifth victory from eight starts. Juan Hernandez rides her back.

Favorites are 4 for 8 since the La Canada conditions changed in 2016. Previously restricted to 4-year-old fillies, the race is now for fillies and mares 4 and up. Another nugget supporting the chalk – since spring 2021 at Santa Anita, Baffert is 13 for 17 with favorites in graded dirt routes for females.

But it would be presumptuous to consider the La Canada as a one-horse race. Trainer Phil D’Amato starts likely second choice Desert Dawn and pace factor Cliquish. Musical Mischief may benefit by a return to dirt. Coffee in Bed and Signorina Merisi also entered.

Desert Dawn finished behind Adare Manor three of four times they met last year, and was second to Midnight Memories twice, including the Bayakoa last out. In that Los Alamitos race, Desert Dawn was forwardly placed, made the lead into the lane, then lost focus.

“Maybe we pushed the button a little too soon, and I think we paid for it late,” D’Amato said. “She came back, she’s trained very well, since, and we’re back at it.”

Flavien Prat is the new rider for Desert Dawn. Though she has not won since the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks in 2022, the Arizona-bred mare placed in eight graded stakes since.

“She seems to just kind of steadily get better and better,” D’Amato said.

Desert Dawn has earned $896,525 from 18 starts. A pace-dependent closer, Desert Dawn could get an assist Saturday from her stablemate.

Cliquish and Desert Dawn are owned by the H&E Ranch of mother-daughter Elena and Hollie Crim, and Cliquish is expected to be either set or press the pace while returning to dirt.

“She’s definitely going to be tactical,” D’Amato said.

Runaway allowance winner two back on dirt, the most recent start by Cliquish was a next-to-last finish on turf in the Lady of Shamrock Stakes.

“I tired her in the turf grass stake and she absolutely hated the grass,” D’Amato said.

Kazushi Kimura rides Cliquish, who should be forwardly placed in a race with a murky pace scenario.

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