Trio of La Brea contenders get final tune-up

Awesome Baby, Stonetastic and Taris, three leading contenders for the $300,000 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita next Friday, worked at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Awesome Baby, unraced since winning the Sunland Park Oaks in New Mexico in March, worked five furlongs in 58.80 seconds. Trained by Bob Baffert for Kaleem Shah, Awesome Baby won two stakes at the 2013-14 Santa Anita winter-spring meeting – the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Stakes over 6 1/2 furlongs in January, and the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes over 1 1/16 miles in March.

Taris, the winner of the Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 18, worked a half-mile in 47.60 seconds. She was purchased for $2.35 million at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky sale in November by trainer Simon Callaghan on behalf of Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor.

Stonetastic, fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, worked a half-mile in 47.60 seconds. Trained by Kelly Breen for Stoneway Farm, Stonetastic won the Grade 2 Prioress Stakes at Saratoga.

The La Brea is one of three graded stakes on the opening day.

The day’s top race is the $300,000 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds over seven furlongs, a race led by Shared Belief, the champion 2-year-old male of 2013. Shared Belief was beaten for the first time in his eight-race career when fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1.

He is not expected to face a large field. Trainer Bob Baffert has six nominees for the Malibu, including Chitu and Pimpernel.

Saturday, Chitu, the winner of the Damascus Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 31, worked five furlongs in 58.40 seconds. Pimpernel, who won an optional claimer on Oct. 29 but has yet to win a stakes, worked the same distance in 58.20 seconds.

Friday’s lone turf stakes is the $200,000 Mathis Brothers Mile for 3-year-olds.

Awesome Return, a three-time stakes winner in 2014, is among the candidates. Trained by Mike Puype, Awesome Return worked five furlongs in 1:04 on turf on Saturday. Puype said that Awesome Return worked slowly early and quickened through the final furlong.

The Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile, formerly known as the Sir Beaufort Stakes, is expected to include Ashleyluvssugar, Home Run Kitten, Long On Value, Red Outlaw, Talco, Tamarando, and Tonito M.