ARCADIA, Calif. – In most years, the undefeated California-based filly Faiza would be the subject of widespread discussions regarding leading contenders for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on May 5 at Churchill Downs. This year, Faiza is staying in California, leaving the Oaks without a key member of the 3-year-old filly division. Faiza won her fifth start, and fourth stakes, with an impressive win in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks at 1 1/16 miles on Saturday. Ridden by Flavien Prat, Faiza stalked the early pace and pulled clear to win by 7 1/2 lengths, by far her widest margin of victory. Faiza is trained by Bob Baffert, who has been suspended from running horses in the Kentucky Derby or Kentucky Oaks this year for a medication violation found in a post-race test taken from Medina Spirit after the 2021 Kentucky Derby. This is the second and final year of a two-year penalty issued by Churchill Downs management. On Sunday, Baffert was full of praise for Faiza’s win in the $400,500 Santa Anita Oaks. The race, the richest of the year for 3-year-old fillies in California, drew a field of nine, including seven who started in a graded stakes for the first time. :: Get ready for Santa Anita racing with DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports.  “We cranked her up a little bit because there were some new shooters in there,” Baffert said. With a start in the Kentucky Oaks unavailable, Baffert did not elaborate on any race plans for Faiza, who races for Michael Lund Petersen. “My plan is to keep her undefeated,” Baffert said. Aside from races at Churchill Downs, another leading dirt race for 3-year-old fillies in May is the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on May 19 at Pimlico. At the end of the spring, two prominent stakes for 3-year-old fillies on dirt are the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks on June 2 at Santa Anita and the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes on June 9 at Belmont Park. They are both run at 1 1/16 miles. And Tell Me Nolies, second to Faiza in the Santa Anita Oaks, is firmly on schedule for the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks, trainer Peter Miller said Sunday. :: Take your handicapping to the next level and play with FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic.  And Tell Me Nolies, winner of two graded stakes for 2-year-old fillies last year, closed from sixth in the Santa Anita Oaks, her second start of 2023. And Tell Me Nolies was second to Faiza in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on March 5. “I think we saw what we needed to see,” Miller said of the Santa Anita Oaks. “We wanted to take her back. That’s what you need to do to win the Kentucky Oaks. I think there will be a lot of speed in the Oaks. “She settled nicely and made a late run.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.