Track layout plays to Nothing Is Forever's strength

The stretch at Los Alamitos covers a hearty 1,380 feet, which, from trainer Andy Mathis’s perspective, may work for a closer such as Nothing Is Forever in Friday’s eighth race on the opening day of the track’s two-week December meeting.

Based at Pleasanton with Mathis, Nothing Is Forever has had success in Southern California this year, winning a maiden race for California-bred fillies and mares on turf at Del Mar on Aug. 16 and finishing third less than two weeks later in an allowance race for statebred fillies and mares on dirt.

This fall, Nothing Is Forever has won an allowance race by five lengths at Fresno on Oct. 5 and was second by a nose in an allowance race at Pleasanton on Nov. 2.

In all her races, Nothing Is Forever has closed from off the pace.

“I think she might like the design there at Los Al,” Mathis said on Wednesday. “Timing-wise, she’s ready to run.”

Nothing Is Forever is part of a field of 10, the largest on an eight-race program that begins at 12:30 p.m. Pacific. The brief season, with racing only on dirt, runs on a Friday-through-Sunday schedule through Dec. 15. Santa Anita begins its marathon winter-spring meeting on Dec. 26.

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There are four stakes during the Los Alamitos meeting, all for 2-year-olds, including two Grade 2 races worth $200,000 at 1 1/16 miles with potential long-term ramifications – Saturday’s Starlet for fillies and the Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 14.

There are two $100,000 stakes for statebred 2-year-olds at a mile – Sunday’s Soviet Problem Stakes for fillies, and the King Glorious Stakes on Dec. 15.

Nothing Is Forever, who will be ridden by Kyle Frey, starts from post 5. Two of her leading rivals are trained by Steve Miyadi – Song of Shadows and Big Mama Sue. They are both entered for the $40,000 optional-claiming condition.

Song of Shadows, a winner of 5 of 14 starts, will race at a mile for the first time on Friday. A 4-year-old, Song of Shadows has won her last two starts in turf sprints – a $25,000 claimer at six furlongs at Santa Anita on Oct. 14 and an allowance race at five furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 8. In both wins, Song of Shadows set the pace.

Big Mama Sue is a stalker. She closed through traffic to finish third by three-quarters of a length in a $25,000 claimer at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 9. A 6-year-old, Big Mama Sue has raced primarily on turf in her career, but did win a $50,000 claimer for maidens on dirt at Santa Anita in her second start in 2020.

Nothing Is Forever will need pace to help her closing style. Mathis says he has noted consistent improvement from the filly in the last several months.

“Her races seem to have jumped up,” he said. “I don’t know how much is dirt and how much is maturity. She had a couple of good races and hopefully she can keep her form going.”

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