Penwith headed west for Santa Margarita

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Penwith, the winner of the Grade 2 Royal Delta at Gulfstream Park in her last start Feb. 13, is scheduled to head to California to try to annex the first Grade 1 of her career.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said Penwith will go to Santa Anita for the $500,000 Santa Margarita Stakes on March 19.

“She’s got a Grade 2, so another Grade 2 doesn’t do her any good. She needs to run in a Grade 1,” McLaughlin said.

On Friday, Penwith had her first work since the Royal Delta, a half-mile at the Palm Meadows training center in 49 seconds.

Penwith, a 5-year-old Bernardini mare owned by Godolphin Racing, has won her last two starts. She captured an allowance race at Gulfstream on Jan. 21 when returning from an 11-month layoff. She then won the 1 1/16-mile Royal Delta by three lengths.