Tamara makes yet another comeback in Chillingworth
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She has more lengthy layoffs than stakes wins, yet Tamara will be the center of attention in Saturday’s Grade 3 Chillingworth Stakes for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita.
The impeccably bred Tamara has not raced since November, when she finished second by a nose in an allowance race at Del Mar. The race was designed as the launch of a wintertime campaign that would re-establish Tamara among the nation’s leading older fillies and mares.
An illness kept Tamara from starting in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita last December, a race won by her stablemate Kopion. While training earlier this year, Tamara kicked a wall and sustained an injury that required surgery several weeks later to remove a bone chip from a sesamoid.
Spendthrift Farm, which owns and bred Tamara, could easily have called for her retirement. Tamara is by Bolt d’Oro out of Beholder, a Hall of Fame mare and four-time champion from 2012-16.
Instead, Tamara was given a chance to race as a 4-year-old. She resumed workouts in early July and was ready to race at the end of the Del Mar summer season. A targeted allowance race failed to draw sufficient entries, leading to Saturday’s $100,000 Chillingworth Stakes.
A successful race on Saturday will likely lead to a start in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at seven furlongs on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Tamara won her first two starts – a maiden race in August 2023 and the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs three weeks later. In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita that November, Tamara was the 4-5 favorite. She set the pace and faded to finish seventh. She was later diagnosed with a splint bone injury.
Trainer Richard Mandella said earlier this week that Tamara has trained in a manner in recent weeks that reminds him of her form from 2023.
“I’m hoping she runs like she used to,” he said. “Her last couple of works have been pretty impressive.”
Tamara worked six furlongs from the gate in 1:11 on Sept. 22 and a half-mile in 47 seconds on Sunday.
Tamara, who will be ridden by Mike Smith, drew post 3 in a field of five in the Chillingworth. Trainer Bob Baffert, who won three graded stakes at Santa Anita last weekend, starts Baela and Silent Law, who drew the inside two post positions. They are capable of showing speed.
Mandella expects Tamara to be near the front, too.
“I think she’s fresh and feeling good,” he said. “She’ll jump out of there fairly close.”
Chismosa, a five-time stakes winner, is drawn one position to the outside of Tamara. Ang N Ash, claimed for $50,000 in March, starts from the outside and will be a longshot.
Chismosa, trained by Rafael DeLeon, is a closer. A winner of 6 of 28 starts, Chismosa is scheduled to be sold at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale on Nov. 4.
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