Trainer says two-turn races likely in Finest City's future

ARCADIA, Calif. - Finest City, the champion female sprinter of 2016 and the winner of Saturday’s $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita, may appear in one of several stakes for fillies and mares in the next few months.

Trainer Ian Kruljac said Sunday that he is considering two-turn races on dirt and turf for Finest City, who won the Santa Monica Stakes at seven furlongs in her first start since a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint here last November.

Possibilities include the $200,000 Buena Vista Stakes at a mile on turf Feb. 18, the $200,000 Santa Ana Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf March 12, or the $400,000 Santa Margarita Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on the main track March 18.

Kruljac downplayed the Buena Vista because of its proximity to the Santa Monica, saying he would prefer to give Finest City “45 to 60 days” between starts. A stakes win on turf is a goal for 2017.

“I think that would show she can run on anything,” he said. “She’s already proven how good she is. She owes us nothing.”

Owned by Tyler Seltzer, Finest City won the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes by 3 3/4 lengths. She fought for the lead through the first half-mile with Fantastic Style before drawing clear in the final furlong under jockey Mike Smith.

“Mike said it looked a lot easier than it was,” Kruljac said. “He said, ‘You’ll be surprised how good she comes out of it.’

“He was 100 percent right. She took one deep breath at the quarter-pole.”

In 2016 Finest City won 2 of 8 starts, with both wins in graded stakes for sprinters. Aside from the BC Filly and Mare Sprint, she won the Grade 2 Great Lady M Stakes at Los Alamitos last April, giving the 28-year-old Kruljac his first stakes win.

Finest City’s other six starts included a second in the Santa Monica, and a second, by a head, in the Grade 2 John Mabee Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar in September. She was third to Beholder and Stellar Wind in the Grade 1 Vanity Mile on dirt last June. Beholder was the champion older mare of 2016. Stellar Wind was the champion 3-year-old filly of 2015.

Those performances have left Kruljac encouraged she can be effective in two-turn stakes.

Finest City, by City Zip, has won 5 of 15 starts and $1,050,594.

Kruljac did not attend Saturday’s Eclipse Award ceremony at Gulfstream Park in Florida. He and Seltzer were represented by Ian’s father, trainer Eric Kruljac. After the Santa Monica, Ian Kruljac described Saturday as a “once-in-a-lifetime day.”

Finest City emerged from her race in fine condition Sunday morning.

“She’s in better shape than I am,” he said. “We’re very happy.”