Switch makes it look easy in Santa Monica

ARCADIA, Calif.- A little more than a month into the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, Switch has become the undisputed leader of California’s older female sprint division.

She won the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies over seven furlongs by four lengths on Dec. 26, and essentially repeated the effort against older fillies and mares in Sunday’s $250,000 Santa Monica Stakes.

Ridden by Joel Rosario, Switch ($2.60) stalked pacesetter Pica Slew for the first half-mile, and took the lead in early stretch before winning the Grade 1 Santa Monica by 3 1/2 lengths. Rosario did not urge the 4-year-old filly through the final furlong.

“It was pretty easy,” Rosario said. “She’s a big-striding filly.”

Gilded Gem, a 10-1 outsider, finished second, 2 1/4 lengths in front of Sweet August Moon, an 11-1 shot in the field of six. Mona de Momma and Pinkarella were scratched early Sunday.

Switch ran seven furlongs in 1:20.70, scoring the fifth win of her 12-race career. A Quiet American filly owned by CRK Stable and trained by John Sadler, Switch has earned $782,600. She became the first filly to accomplish the La Brea-Santa Monica double since Island Fashion in 2003-04.

Switch had a favorable trip in the Santa Monica. Breaking from the outside post, she was within a length of the lead through early fractions of 22.42 and 45 seconds set by Pica Slew.

“She had the best draw,” Sadler said. “The way the track is playing you don’t want to let anyone steal it.

“He was a little closer than maybe I thought he might be, but speed’s been kind of holding so I didn’t want anybody to get away with a cheap lead,” Sadler said of Rosario. “When you think you have the best horse, you want him up close and clear and he did the right thing.”

Switch will be tried in longer races in coming months, with the $300,000 Santa Margarita Invitational Stakes on March 12 a goal, Sadler said.

Switch gave Zenyatta a scare in the Grade 1 Lady’s Secret Stakes at Hollywood Park last October, losing by a half-length to the eventual Horse of the Year who has since been retired. Switch later finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Churchill Downs.

“I think she has a chance to be the leader of the division with Zenyatta coming home,” Sadler said.

Reba Is Tops goes out a winner in Wishing Well

Reba Is Tops won the final race of her career in Sunday’s $78,400 Wishing Well Stakes for fillies and mares on the hillside turf course.

Ridden by Joe Talamo, Reba Is Tops ($8.40) was last when the field crossed from the hillside part of the turf course to the main oval, less than a quarter-mile from the finish, but she showed a brilliant kick to win by 2 1/4 lengths, finishing about 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:13.25.

Catchy Tune, a 6-1 chance, finished second, three-quarters of a length in front of Well Deserved, who set the pace. Givine, the 9-5 favorite who was making her first start in the United States, was never a factor and finished eighth of nine.

Reba Is Tops races for a partnership and was trained by Mark Glatt. A 7-year-old Washington-bred by He’s Top, Reba Is Tops will be bred to Broken Vow in coming months, Glatt said. Reba Is Tops won 14 of 29 starts and $454,709.