Santa Margarita next target for Tara's Tango

ARCADIA, Calif. - Since her debut win at 2 at Del Mar in 2014, Tara’s Tango has been held in the highest regard by Stonestreet Stable and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. It took much longer than expected for her to win her first graded stakes.

Saturday, Tara’s Tango won the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles, closing from fifth of eight to win by a half-length as the 8-5 favorite. The win left Hollendorfer planning a start in the $500,000 Santa Margarita Invitational for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on March 19.

“That’s what we want to run in,” Hollendorfer said in his stable office. “She’s always runs well. She’s been very consistent.”

A 4-year-old filly by Unbridled’s Song, Tara’s Tango has won 3 of 9 starts and earned $318,004. The Santa Maria was her first stakes win, seventh appearance in a stakes, and fourth in a graded stakes. Last June, Tara’s Tango was second by a nose in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita, losing to Stellar Wind, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2015.

The Grade 1 Santa Margarita Invitational is expected to include Yahilwa and Living The Life, who were second and third in the Santa Maria, and Taris, the winner of the Grade 2 La Canada Stakes on Jan. 16.

The race will not include two champions – Stellar Wind and Beholder, a three-time champion who was most recently honored as the outstanding older female of 2015.

Stellar Wind resumed training last month with John Sadler and is expected to have her 4-year-old debut in the spring. Beholder is slightly ahead of that schedule. Trainer Richard Mandella said on Sunday that Beholder is galloping and will have her first workout of the year in two weeks.

Taris is galloping for trainer Simon Callaghan, but missed training time in recent weeks because of an illness. Sunday, Callaghan said there is sufficient time to prepare Taris for the Santa Margarita.

“We’ve got time on our side,” he said. “She spiked a little fever after [the La Canada]. She’s 95 percent of where she needs to be. She’s galloping at the moment and we’re playing it day-by-day on when we’ll breeze her.”

Yahilwa led in the stretch of the Santa Maria but could not sustain the advantage. She was beaten a neck in the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland last October and was sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff there later that month.

The narrow loss in the Santa Maria left trainer Jim Cassidy frustrated, but in admiration of the 6-year-old mare’s effort.

“She lays so much down every time,” he said.

Asked about the chances of a start in the Santa Margarita, Cassidy had a quick reply – “Absolutely.”