Taris targets La Brea

CYPRESS, Calif. – Taris, the winner of the Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland in October, is in training at Santa Anita for a scheduled start in the $300,000 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, the opening day of the winter-spring meeting.

Taris is trained by Simon Callaghan on behalf of Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor. The filly was purchased at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky sale last month for $2.35 million. By Flatter, Taris has won 4 of 5 starts. The Raven Run Stakes is the most prestigious win of her career.

Callaghan has a prospect for the $500,000 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 20 in Firing Line, the winner of a maiden special weight race over 6 1/2 furlongs by an easy 4 1/4 lengths at Del Mar on Nov. 30.

On Thursday at Santa Anita, Firing Line worked five furlongs in 58.80 seconds. By Line of David, Firing Line is owned by Arnold Zetcher.

The Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity, run at Hollywood Park as the CashCall Futurity in recent years, is run over 1 1/16 miles and is the richest race of the track’s three-week autumn meeting.

The leading contenders are the unbeaten Dortmund, the sharp winner of an allowance race at Churchill Downs on Nov. 29, and Mr. Z, who was second in the Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes on Nov. 22.

Other candidates include Bench Warrant, Calculator, and Pioneer of the West.

◗ Jockeys Mario Gutierrez, who won the 2012 Kentucky Derby on I’ll Have Another, and Edwin Maldonado, a top 10 rider in Southern California in recent years, have changed agents. Gutierrez, who previously worked with Tom Knust, has hired Vince DeGregory. Maldonado’s business will be handled by Dennis Yokum, who replaces Vic Lipton.