Turf Paradise: Malia Sofia sharp for Chandler

Two one-mile turf stakes highlight the Turf Paradise card, as Malia Sofia and Briecat renew their rivalry in the $50,000 Chandler Stakes, and Bingham looks to bounce back in the $50,000 Jack Coady Sr. Stakes after finishing fourth as the favorite in his last start.

The Chandler is for 3-year-old fillies and drew a field of eight. It goes as race 8. The Jack Coady has a field of six as race 3.

Malia Sofia, owned by Dan Agnew and trained by the sizzling Mike Chambers - who has 9 winners in his first 21 starters this meet - has blossomed in recent months, winning three straight. She won her maiden at Emerald on May 31, beat allowance foes there July 27, and then rallied to win the Oct. 4 Sun Devil here by a nose over Briecat. All three wins, however, came sprinting on dirt, and on Saturday she's racing for the first time on turf.

Briecat, trained by Vladimir Cerin, bounced back from that tough loss in the Sun Devil by leading all the way to beat second-level allowance foes, including elders, at Hollywood Park on Oct. 30. Unlike Malia Sofia, she has turf experience, though she was off the board in all three grass tries, all in Southern California.

Profitability ships in from Southern California for trainer Neil French off two fifth-place finishes at Oak Tree at Santa Anita in October. Those were her first two U.S. starts; she won her maiden in England in June. Glenn Corbett rides. Czechers also invades from Southern California, and he won on the turf at a mile at Santa Anita in February.

Bingham comes into the Coady off a fourth-place finish at 6-5 against older horses in the Walter R. Cluer here. He scored his first two wins here in April, then went to Southern California. After a pair of main-track stakes fourths at Hollywood Park, he won a second-level allowance turf race at Del Mar, then won the Pomona Derby on dirt at Fairplex on Sept. 20.

El Mirage has done the bulk of his work sprinting on dirt at Turf Paradise, but he won his only turf start - the Tempe Handicap - on this course at this trip in wire-to-wire fashion in March.

Manningtoharrison has won his last three turf starts, including an optional claiming win on this course at this trip Oct. 14.