Mirth will be on or close to lead in Frankel

ARCADIA, Calif. – As the lone Grade 1 winner in Saturday’s Grade 3 Robert Frankel Stakes at Santa Anita, Mirth has ideal credentials to win her second stakes in the last three months. What is of equal importance is using the $100,000 Frankel Stakes to provide foundation for a 2020 campaign.

“I’d like to keep her in more marathon distances through the year,” trainer Phil D’Amato said Thursday.

The Frankel Stakes is run at 1 1/8 miles on turf for fillies and mares, a distance arguably at the lower end of Mirth’s ideal trip. A 4-year-old filly, Mirth won the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf here in September and was sixth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf here Nov. 2 against an international field.

The Frankel Stakes drew a field of eight locally based runners. Mirth, owned by the Little Red Feather Racing partnership, will be ridden by Mike Smith, who was aboard for the last two starts. Mirth breaks from post 7, which should give Smith options of placing Mirth in her customary position on the lead, or stalking a rival.

“She has unbelievable speed,” D’Amato said. “She can rate, if need be, but her bread and butter is on the engine. I like our spot and I like our post. I like our jock.”

Mirth was entered in the Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes for fillies and mares on dirt on Dec. 8 at Los Alamitos, but was withdrawn after rain fell the night before the race.

More than 3.5 inches of rain fell from Monday through Thursday morning at Santa Anita. D’Amato is not concerned about starting Mirth on a turf course that could be less than firm, arguing it could benefit a filly who races near the front.

“For the most part, those horses do well on the softer turf courses,” he said.

The only other filly or mare in the Frankel Stakes with recent Grade 1 experience is Excellent Sunset, who finished fifth in the Rodeo Drive. Streak of Luck was sixth in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes here in May.

Excellent Sunset was third in the restricted Kathryn Crosby Stakes at a mile on turf at Del Mar in November.

The Frankel Stakes will be Excellent Sunset’s first start for trainer Richard Baltas, following a recent transfer from trainer Anna Meah.

◗ The $75,000 Lady of Shamrock Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf is the first of seven stakes on Saturday’s 11-race program.

Keeper Ofthe Stars will start from the rail in the field of eight. Trained by Jonathan Wong, Keeper Ofthe Stars won the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at a mile on turf for 3-year-old fillies here in October, but was sixth of seven in the Grade 3 Red Carpet Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on turf against older fillies and mares on Nov. 30 at Del Mar.

The Lady of Shamrock will be the turf debut, and first start since July, for Brill, a $1 million yearling purchase in 2017 who has been third in two graded stakes.