She Is Romantic will try to close on cutback

For now, She Is Romantic is the second-string 3-year-old turf filly for owners Lee and Susan Searing and trainer Peter Eurton at Santa Anita behind the unbeaten Medoro.

While Medoro is scheduled to start in the $100,000 China Doll Stakes at a mile on turf on March 10, She Is Romantic is part of a field of eight in a competitive six-furlong allowance race on turf on Monday.

The program was scheduled for Sunday, but was delayed 24 hours after the track’s Saturday program was canceled because of weather-related concerns.

Eurton said Friday that he would prefer to start She Is Romantic in an allowance race at a mile on turf, but that such a race failed to draw sufficient entries.

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Instead, She Is Romantic is one of several fillies capable of winning the six-furlong allowance race, along with April Vintage, who was third in the Speakeasy Stakes at five furlongs on turf against males in October; Elegant, winner of a maiden race for turf sprinters on Jan. 1; and Madison Rae, winner of the Soviet Problem Stakes for statebred 2-year-old fillies at Los Alamitos in December.

She Is Romantic finished a well-beaten second to Mo Fox Givin, another candidate for the China Doll, in an allowance race at a mile on turf Jan. 20. Eurton saw improvement in that race following She Is Romantic’s seventh-place finish in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes at a mile on turf on Dec. 2 at Del Mar.

“In the stakes, she was very aggressive, very keen,” he said. “She got tired.

“We came back and spent some more time with her and she matured a little bit more. She ran a lovely second and relaxed a lot better.”

Frankie Dettori has the mount for the first time.

“We’ve sharpened her works,” Eurton said. “I think she can close on sprinters.”

Elegant followed her win on Jan. 1 with a troubled start in the Sweet Life Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course Feb. 11. Elegant set the pace and was fading from contention when she was severely hampered in the stretch. Her win on Jan. 1 leaves her a contender capable of leading throughout for trainer Bob Baffert.

Madison Rae is another filly intended for a one-mile race, trainer Peter Miller said. She was fifth by three lengths in the California Cup Oaks at a mile on turf in her debut on the surface after a wide trip Jan. 13.

Miller also starts April Vintage and Highlands, who was seventh in the Blue Norther.

“April Vintage likes to be up close,” Miller said. “I think she has a good chance.”

Phil D’Amato starts Granny Budgie, who was a troubled seventh in the Sweet Life Stakes in her American debut, and Ms Brightside who was fourth in the same race as She Is Romantic on Jan. 20.

Ms Brightside won a maiden race on turf for sprinters in Ireland last June by stalking the pace.

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