Santa Ynez a good fit for Forever Darling
Forever Darling was given a tall order in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland last time out and – like every other filly who has tried to beat Songbird – couldn’t handle the task, finishing eighth. But she’s back in the familiar surroundings of Santa Anita on Saturday, facing a softer field and back sprinting.
But what makes her prospects even more intriguing in the Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes, for 3-year-old fillies, is that since the Breeders’ Cup, Forever Darling has had a surgical procedure that trainer Richard Baltas hopes prevents her from displacing her palate, which Baltas believes happened at Keeneland.
“I think she’s training good,” Baltas said Thursday. “We took a shot in the Breeders’ Cup. We thought she displaced in the race.”
Forever Darling has won once in three starts, and that lone win – against maidens – came in a 6 1/2-furlong race at Santa Anita, the same distance and location as the Santa Ynez.
A field of eight was entered in the Santa Ynez, with three of them – including the multiple graded stakes winner Pretty N Cool – trained by Bob Baffert.
The Santa Ynez offers 17 points (10-4-2-1) toward a berth in the Kentucky Oaks on May 6 at Churchill Downs. It goes as race 3 on the nine-race card Saturday.
KEY CONTENDERS
Forever Darling (Career Beyers: 72-75-59)
◗ She drew favorably in the outside post and retains Rafael Bejarano, who has been aboard for all of her races.
◗ Baltas enters 2016 having completed a 2015 campaign that was a career best in both purse earnings and victories. He entered the New Year’s Eve card with $3.8 million in earnings – placing him 35th nationally – and 74 wins.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 8 Forever Darling. Trainer Richard Baltas is 14-6-2-1 with a $4.20 ROI over the past year going route to sprint on dirt. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Pretty N Cool (Last 3 Beyers: 67-69-80)
◗ She was considered a top prospect at the start of her career at Del Mar, but she has finished out of the money in her last two starts and doesn’t seem to have improved of late.
◗ After trying two turns for the first time in her last start, she returns to a sprint, which is in her comfort zone, and the potential race shape seems favorable for her front-running style.
Code Warrior (Career Beyers: 77-80-71)
◗ She has won all three of her starts, each on Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields, so this will be her first time racing on dirt. But her sharpness makes her a major player.
My Dynamo (Last 3 Beyers: 70-78-37)
◗ She was third behind Code Warrior at Golden Gate last time out but has won twice in three starts on dirt, with her lone loss on dirt coming against Songbird in the Del Mar Debutante.
Treasuring (Last 3 Beyers: 65-77-74)
◗ She should appreciate the turnback in distance after finishing fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Starlet at Los Alamitos last time out.
◗ She has finished in the money in all of her sprints, including outfinishing stablemate Pretty N Cool and taking second in the Desi Arnaz at Del Mar.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 One Last Shot. Trainer Bob Baffert is 17-6-5-1 with a $4.92 ROI over the past five years going turf to dirt and route to sprint. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan