Santa Anita Oaks: Adare Manor seeking third straight blowout

ARCADIA, Calif. – Adare Manor aims to solidify her reputation as the top 3-year-old filly in California on Saturday, when she starts favored in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks.

The 1 1/16-mile Oaks will be Adare Manor’s first start since she was transferred from trainer Bob Baffert to Tim Yakteen. The filly has not missed a beat.

“She’s so professional,” Yakteen said. “You bring them into your barn, and you sort of evaluate, take a look at them. But she’s very straightforward. She makes trainers look good. Hopefully she’ll continue to do that.”

Adare Manor should be tough to beat. After losing two sprints, she stretched out and became a beast. Adare Manor won a maiden route and Grade 3 Las Virgenes by double-digit margins, earning a 94 Beyer in both mile races. The only 3-year-old filly to run a faster route this year is Kathleen O., winner of the Gulfstream Park Oaks with a 98.

Five are entered the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks, race 4, in which Adare Manor faces two legitimate rivals. Under the Stars, an ex-Baffert now trained by Yakteen, won a Grade 2 sprint two back and finished second last out in a Grade 3 route. Ain’t Easy, a Grade 2 route winner last year for trainer Phil D’Amato, is expected to improve from her comeback.

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Maiden winner Micro Share and Desert Dawn complete the Oaks field on a Saturday card sadly marked by small fields. Five graded stakes Saturday at Santa Anita attracted 28 total entrants, an average field size of 5.6.

Even though Adare Manor and Under the Stars employ similar up-front running styles, Yakteen does not envision a pace duel between the stablemates.

“We have two very good riders. They’ll ride their own races,” Yakteen said. “They shouldn’t [get in each other’s way].”

John Velazquez is back aboard Adare Manor; Mike Smith rides Under the Stars for the first time, replacing Flavien Prat.

Beyond successive romps in the afternoon, Adare Manor has thrived in the morning. “She’s been training super, absolutely super,” Yakteen said. “She had a super work on Saturday, just perfect.”

The main challenge to the Yakteen pair is Ain’t Easy, who won the Grade 2 Chandelier last fall before an ankle chip cut short her 2-year-old campaign. D’Amato suspected she would need a start when she finished third in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel on March 2.

“She was about 80-85 percent going into that first race,” D’Amato said. “She made that nice, promising move there like she was going to do something, then just flattened out a little. Now, out of that race, we have a filly that should be 100 percent going into the Oaks.”

Juan Hernandez has worked Ain’t Easy, and rides her Saturday for the first time in a race.

D’Amato also starts Desert Dawn, a late-running longshot who finished fourth in back-to-back graded stakes. Maiden winner Micro Share completes the field.

The Santa Anita Oaks will determine the California contingent to the Kentucky Oaks.