Overachiever Lady Ninja one to beat in Kalookan Queen

ARCADIA, Calif. – Since she was claimed for $32,000 in September 2018, Lady Ninja has won the Grade 3 L.A. Woman Stakes at Santa Anita, earned $223,340, and was so well regarded she ran in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in November.

Lady Ninja finished eighth of nine in that race, 16 1/4 lengths behind winner Covfefe, but she had earned the chance. By any measure, the claim of Lady Ninja has been a success story, one that is not complete.

Sunday at Santa Anita, Lady Ninja runs in the $75,000 Kalookan Queen Stakes for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs. The race is a prep for the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes at seven furlongs on Feb. 15.

Lady Ninja has not raced since the Nov. 2 BC Filly and Mare Sprint. Trainer Richard Baltas says there are no regrets about trying the $1 million race.

“At the time, I thought it was a good idea,” Baltas said.

Lady Ninja, who races for Harry Bederian, Harout Kamberian. and Hagop Nakkashian, drew the outside post in a field of five in the Kalookan Queen. Flavien Prat regains the mount for the first time since Lady Ninja won an allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option at Del Mar in July. Prat has ridden Lady Ninja to four of her five wins since she was claimed.

“I love the post,” Baltas said.

In August at the Del Mar summer meeting, Lady Ninja finished third in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap after a poor start, but rebounded to win the L.A. Woman by a nose at 6 1/2 furlongs on Oct. 5.

“She’s overachieved,” Baltas said. “She’s a stakes winner.”

Lady Ninja is based at the San Luis Rey Downs training center, where Baltas has part of his stable. A 6-year-old mare, Lady Ninja was sent there shortly after she was claimed.

“She has an outdoor pen and it’s quieter,” Baltas said of the surroundings at the training center. “I don’t want to change it.”

Lady Ninja is one of four stakes winners in the Kalookan Queen field along with Flor de La Mar, Mother Mother, and Show It N Moe It. Exuberance, who drew the rail, has placed second or third in four stakes. The Kalookan Queen Stakes is her first start since an eighth-place finish in the Rancho Bernardo.

Flor de La Mar, who won the Beverly Lewis Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Los Alamitos in September, and Mother Mother, who was third in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies here on Dec. 28, are trained by Bob Baffert.

Mother Mother was beaten 3 1/4 lengths by Hard Not to Love in the La Brea Stakes at seven furlongs in her first start since May and rates as a leading contender on Sunday.

“She came out of the race really well,” Baffert said.

For the Kalookan Queen, Mother Mother will not be fitted with blinkers for the first time since last January.