Tenma has no trouble with field of three in Las Virgenes

ARCADIA, Calif. - Tenma turned a brief match race into an exhibition with an easy victory in Sunday’s Grade 3 Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.

Facing only two rivals in her 2025 debut, Tenma ($2.40) dueled with Just as Fancy to the end of the backstretch, took the lead on the turn and rapidly pulled clear to win the $92,000 race at a mile by 6 1/2 lengths.

“When you have three horses, it’s like a match race,” winning trainer Bob Baffert said. “She’s improved a lot.”

Tenma was timed in 1:38.31 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 92.

Just as Fancy (9-2) led narrowly through early fractions of 23.05 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 47.45 for a half-mile. Tenma, who was ridden by Juan Hernandez, took the lead while racing outside of that rival.

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“The filly is getting really professional,” Hernandez said. “Before she was a little rank sometimes, getting out, but this time she went beautifully. She put herself in a good spot.

“I was outside and had a good position. At the quarter-pole, she switched leads and kicked off to the wire.”

Cipriani, also trained by Baffert, closed from last to finish second, well clear of Just as Fancy who was not persevered with by jockey Flavien Prat in the stretch when beaten.

Lolo Le Plume and Our Moonlight were withdrawn on Sunday morning from an original field of five.

The Las Virgenes Stakes was the third graded stakes for Tenma, who has won 4 of 5 starts and earned $429,000 for Charles and Susan Chu’s Baoma Corp. The win on Sunday was worth $60,000.

Tenma won the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs in September in her stakes debut before she finished third in the Grade 2 Oak Leaf Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Oct. 5.

Tenma, who was purchased for $850,000 at a 2-year-olds in-training sale last April, rebounded to win the Grade 2 Starlet Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Los Alamitos on Dec. 7.

The Las Virgenes Stakes is a prep race for the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks at 1 1/16 miles on April 5.

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