Santa Anita: Renee's Titan starts second season in Friday allowance

ARCADIA, Calif. – Renee’s Titan began her 2013 campaign by beating Beholder, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2012, in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita in January.

That is basically all she has done. The upset win was followed by three non-competitive losses in graded stakes. After a last-place finish of 13 in the Eight Belles at Churchill Downs in May, Renee’s Titan was rested over the summer.

Renee’s Titan can revive her career when she makes her turf debut in an optional claimer at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita on Friday.

“Hopefully, she can run well and gets better and better,” trainer Doug O’Neill said.

Owned by Zillah Reddam, Renee’s Titan has won 2 of 10 starts and earned $167,921. After the Santa Ynez, Renee’s Titan was last of eight in the Grade 1 Las Virgenes at Santa Anita in March, a race won by Beholder. She was later eighth in the Grade 2 Beaumont at Keeneland in April.

“She had a long campaign and we wanted to give her a break,” O’Neill said. “It was fatigue. We sent her to the farm.”

O’Neill said that he has no plans for Renee’s Titan beyond Friday’s race, although a competitive race could lead to further starts on turf.

“This will be a big race,” he said. “We’ll learn a lot.”

Renee’s Titan drew the rail in Friday’s race, the fourth race on a nine-race program. She is part of a solid field that includes stakes winners Ismene, Little Emily, and Travesura. Ismene, second in the Irish O’Brien Stakes on the hillside turf course in March, is not a definite starter, trainer Bill Spawr said earlier this week. She is nominated for Saturday’s $100,000 California Distaff Handicap on the hillside turf course.

Little Emily won the 2012 Las Madrinas Handicap at the Los Angeles County Fair but is winless in eight starts this year. Travesura won the Grade 3 Miesque Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park last November, but is winless in four starts this year. Travesura was last of 10 in the Unzip Me Stakes on the hillside on Sept. 28.

The race represents the turf debut of the speedy Fightin Mean Mad, who was third in the Beverly Lewis Stakes at the Los Angeles County Fair last month.