Santa Anita: Include Me Out eyes Ladies’ Classic

The resounding victory by Include Me Out in the Santa Margarita Invitational on Saturday has her trainer, Ron Ellis, eyeing the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic this fall. Like the Santa Margarita, the Ladies’ Classic is at 1 1/8 miles, and, most significantly, it will be at Santa Anita this year on Nov. 2.

“I wouldn’t mind if the Breeders’ Cup was six weeks away,” Ellis said.

Ellis said immediate plans for Include Me Out are uncertain. He said he gave fleeting thought to next month’s Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park, but the likelihood that Havre de Grace, the 2011 Horse of the Year, is headed there has tempered his enthusiasm.

“It’s a long year, and she likes this track, so we want to make sure she’s at her best for the Breeders’ Cup,” Ellis said.

Include Me Out is 2 for 2 in two-turn races, both at Santa Anita.

Ellis and owner Samantha Siegel, who combined with Include Me Out, also won the Santana Mile on Sunday with Canonize. Like Include Me Out, Canonize took a while to finally go around two turns, but he responded magnificently. Ellis said Canonize will be kept around two turns and on dirt, so he will likely ship out of town for his next race rather than compete on Cushion Track at Hollywood Park.

“His form totally changed when I got him on real dirt,” Ellis said. “We’ll probably have to ship to some dirt track.”