Prize Exhibit a question mark on dirt in Santa Monica
ARCADIA, Calif. – The $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday changed drastically when Sunday Rules was not entered because of an inflamed hock. Gone was the expected pacesetter, who would have been a solid favorite. Without Sunday Rules, the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes for fillies and mares at seven furlongs is an open race with nine runners, six of whom are stakes winners.
“It will be a difficult race to handicap,” said trainer Jim Cassidy, who runs Prize Exhibit.
Prize Exhibit won the Grade 2 Monrovia Stakes on the hillside turf course Jan. 3. She is the only stakes winner from the current meeting in the field, although Kiss At Midnight and Lost Bus were second and third behind Sunday Rules in the Kalookan Queen Stakes on Dec. 30.
There was one supplemental entry for $4,000 – Room for Me, who was seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland in October and won the Garland of Roses Stakes at Aqueduct on Dec. 5. Room for Me was claimed for $12,500 here last February and has since won three stakes in New York and New Jersey.
Santa Monica, Race 8
KEY CONTENDERS
Prize Exhibit (Last 3 Beyers: 96-92-81)
◗ Cassidy was not thrilled that Prize Exhibit drew the inside for her first start on dirt. In 20 starts, Prize Exhibit has won 5 of 19 races on turf and won her only start on a synthetic track in England in 2014. How she will perform on dirt is a mystery, Cassidy said.
“She trains well over it, but she’s never had dirt in her face,” he said. “If she runs like she trains on it, she’ll be fine. I would have liked to have gotten an outside post rather than an inside post.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Prize Exhibit. Trainer James Cassidy is 7-0-1-0 over the past five years going turf to dirt in graded stakes races. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Ben’s Duchess (Last 3 Beyers: 80-100-89)
◗ Ben’s Duchess won the Grade 3 L.A. Woman Stakes here in October from off the pace, benefiting from a wicked speed duel, but was fourth in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs Dec. 26. Ben’s Duchess stalked the pace in the La Brea, which may have been a mistake, trainer John Sadler said.
“Maybe I made an error in my tactics,” he said. “She was much closer to the pace, and she might be better off the pace. She was a little disappointing.”
Living The Life (Last 3 Beyers: 90-93-88)
◗ Living The Life won her last appearance in a sprint, the Grade 2 Presque Isle Masters at 6 1/2 furlongs in Pennsylvania in September. She was sixth, beaten 2 3/4 lengths, in the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 1.
◗ Living The Life will break from post 7 under jockey Flavien Prat, which could be to her advantage as a stalker racing wide, according to trainer Gary Mandella.
“She won’t set the pace, but she’ll be off of it,” Mandella said. “She doesn’t like dirt in her face. She’s better in the clear. We’ve got the long straight on the backstretch. Flavien can get her out there and make a move.”
Lost Bus (Last 3 Beyers: 77-79-57)
◗ Lost Bus has shown speed at times in her 10-race career but has never faced this strong of a field. Still, she might play a role from the front. Trained by Gary Sherlock, Lost Bus was beaten 5 1/2 lengths by Sunday Rules in the Kalookan Queen Stakes.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Kiss At Midnight. Trainer Richard Baltas is 23-8-2-2 with a $3.91 ROI over the past two years in dirt sprints in the second start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 Tara’s Tango. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer is 9-7-1-1 with a $7.37 ROI over the past five years in dirt sprint graded stakes in Southern California in the second start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Room for Me. Trainer David Jacobson is 20-1-2-2 with a $0.85 ROI over the past five years in graded stakes outside of New York. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan