Shining Energy stretches out

ARCADIA, Calif. - Sweet Catomine is not the only stakes-winning filly that trainer Julio Canani is starting at Santa Anita on Saturday.

A couple hours after Sweet Catomine takes on males in the Santa Anita Derby, Shining Energy will represent the stable in the $100,000 Providencia Stakes for 3-year-old fillies over 1 1/8 miles on turf.

is likely to go favored. Since arriving from France last winter, she is unbeaten in two starts - a maiden race on Feb. 5 and a convincing win in the La Habra Stakes over about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course on March 6.

The longer trip of the Providencia is a concern to Canani, but he has raved about her training since the La Habra Stakes.

"She's never run that far, but she's working great," he said.

Like Sweet Catomine, Shining Energy must conquer a large field. There are 11 fillies in the Providencia, including Thatswhatimean, who won the China Doll Stakes on turf last month, and Berbatim, On London Time, and Royal Copenhagen, who have placed in turf stakes.

finished in a dead heat for third behind Shining Energy in the La Habra after a slow start.

"I think she ran a better-than-looked third," trainer Richard Mandella said. "I thought she had a tough trip."

The La Habra marked Berbatim's first start for Mandella and first start since finishing second in the Jesamine County Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on turf at Keeneland last October. Berbatim won a minor stakes at Canterbury Park last July.

finished sixth in the La Habra, a race shorter than her ideal distance. Trained by Laura de Seroux, Royal Copenhagen was second in both the Grade 3 Miesque Stakes last November and Blue Norther Stakes in January in her first two starts in the United States. In France last year, Royal Copenhagen finished second in a Group 3 race over about seven furlongs.

won the China Doll Stakes over a mile in her turf debut. She tried the surface at the insistence of owner B. Wayne Hughes even though trainer Warren Stute said he had "mixed emotions" about the experiment.

Both Hughes and Stute were happy with the results when Thatswhatimean rallied from third to win by a neck.

"She ran good," Stute said. "She moved up on the grass."

Runner-up Cee's Irish returned to win the $250,000 WinStar Sunland Park Oaks last weekend. Third-place finisher On London Time was making her first start on turf.