Santa Anita notes: Spellbound will target Santa Margarita next

ARCADIA, Calif. – Spellbound won her first stakes in Sunday’s Grade 2 La Canada Stakes for 4-year-old fillies at Santa Anita. She can win her first Grade 1 in the $350,000 Santa Margarita Stakes on the same track March 15.

Trainer Richard Mandella said Monday that Spellbound is unlikely to race again until the Santa Margarita, which is run over 1 1/8 miles for fillies and mares. The Santa Margarita is considered the championship race for older fillies and mares on dirt at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.

Mandella said he most likely will skip the $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 15 with Spellbound.

“I don’t think I’d look at the Santa Maria,” Mandella said. “She really tried hard on Sunday, ate a lot of dirt.

“I’ll probably take time and wait for the Santa Margarita. It’s farther, which is what she wants.”

Spellbound ($35) won the La Canada Stakes for 4-year-old fillies over 1 1/16 miles by a neck over 14-1 Let Faith Arise, closing from last in the field of seven to take the lead in the final strides. A Bernardini filly, Spellbound has won 3 of 8 starts and earned $208,750 for owners Ramona Bass, Claiborne Farm, and Adele Dilschneider.

◗ Streaming, winner of the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet on Dec. 7, worked six furlongs in 1:11.60 on Monday. Trained by Baffert, Streaming is a candidate for the $300,000 Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies over a mile on Feb. 1, he said.