Mrs Kipling attempts to regroup

ARCADIA, Calif. - Mrs Kipling was considered the leading 3-year-old turf filly in California when she won the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes at Hollywood Park by a convincing 2 1/2 lengths in early May.

That status was gone after a 12th-place finish in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Hollywood Park in July, but there is time to restore her stature.

Trained by Neil Drysdale for celebrity chef Bobby Flay, Mrs Kipling makes her first start in more than three months in Saturday's $100,000 Harold Ramser Handicap at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meet.

The conditions - one mile on turf - and the likelihood of a decent pace should ideally suit Mrs Kipling, who will be after her third stakes win.

"It should suit," Drysdale said. "She's training well."

The American Oaks performance has been forgotten by Drysdale.

"She came out of it with soreness in a shin," he said.

Mrs Kipling is a stalker and she should be helped in the Grade 3 Ramser by expected pacesetters Malibu Win and Pride Dancer.

A minor stakes winner in Italy last year, Mrs Kipling is making her first start at Santa Anita since a game second at 16-1 in the Grade 2 Providencia Stakes last April.

The Ramser has drawn Acting Lady, the winner of the Providencia, as well as four other 2009 stakes winners - April Pride, Century Park, Starlarks, and Strawberry Tart. Minute Limit, a sharp allowance race winner at Del Mar on Aug. 27, makes her stakes debut.

Century Park won the California Cup Distance Handicap over 1 1/4 miles on turf against four rivals on Oct. 3.

Starlarks and Strawberry Tart were the first two finishers of the Grade 2 San Clemente Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 1, but neither ran well in the Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 22, finishing sixth and eighth.

Century Park won the California Cup Distance Handicap over 1 1/4 miles on turf against four rivals on Oct. 3. Trainer Bob Baffert is not thrilled about running her in the Ramser, but said he had no alternatives.

Strawberry Tart was sixth in the California Cup Distaff on the hillside turf course on Oct. 3, her first start against older fillies and mares. Starlarks has not started since the Del Mar Oaks, and the nine-week break has helped her, trainer Paddy Gallagher said.

"She's not a big filly and it may have been a bit close to her other race," Gallagher said.

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