Rainha Da Bateria looking for a trip in Blue Norther

ARCADIA, Calif. – Perhaps the start of the 2015 season will result in better luck for the filly Rainha Da Bateria than her final starts of 2014.

After finishing ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 31 and second in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 29, racing wide in both stakes, Rainha Da Bateria will be favored to win the second stakes of her career in Thursday’s $75,000 Blue Norther Stakes at Santa Anita.

Another stakes win is overdue for Rainha Da Bateria in the mind of trainer Graham Motion.

“It’s a little frustrating,” he said. “I didn’t feel like she had the best trips in either race.”

The Blue Norther Stakes is run over a mile on turf. The race drew 14 3-year-old fillies, but 10 will start with the temporary inner rails on the turf course set 24 feet out from the permanent position.

KEY CONTENDERS

Rainha Da Bateria (Last 3 Beyers: 68-79-76)

◗ Mike Smith rode Rainha Da Bateria for the first time in the Durante Stakes and retains the mount for the Blue Norther.

“I like the fact he has ridden her once,” Motion said. “She’s a straightforward filly to ride.”

◗ Motion said his primary concern is whether Rainha Da Bateria can find her way through in a large field. The filly tends to run from off the pace.

“My fear in this race is it’s a big field and that it could be another race that some horses will not have the best trips,” he said. “I’m sure it won’t be an easy spot.”

◗ Owned by Three Chimneys Farm, Rainha Da Bateria won the Grade 3 Jessamine Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on turf at Keeneland in October.

Wedding Blush (Last 3 Beyers: 73-65-67)

◗ Wedding Blush, by Pure Prize, has finished second or third in her three stakes attempts, all in Northern California, in her six-race career. The Blue Norther will be her first start on turf, a surface trainer Ed Moger Jr. has been eager to try with her.

◗ Wedding Blush was second by a neck to Blue Norther entrant Sharla Rae in the one-mile Pike Place Dancer Stakes over a mile at Golden Gate Fields on Oct. 25 and second to Seduire in the Golden Gate Debutante on Nov. 29. The Pike Place Dancer Stakes was scheduled for turf but moved to the synthetic main track because of wet weather.

“I didn’t think that was an easy race, and it was the first we routed her,” Moger said. “This filly runs hard every time.”

Pankhurst (Last 3 Beyers: 69-56-35)

◗ Trained by Mark Casse, Pankhurst was third in the Glorious Song Stakes over seven furlongs at Woodbine on Nov. 22. A quick filly, Pankhurst will race on turf and around two turns for the first time in the Blue Norther.