Off-turf Sweet Life renewal keeping Grade 3 status

ARCADIA, Calif. – The $100,000 Sweet Life Stakes for 3-year-old fillies last Sunday will be recognized as a Grade 3 race even though the surface was switched from turf to dirt because of wet conditions, the American Graded Stakes Committee announced on Thursday.

The Sweet Life Stakes was immediately downgraded from a Grade 3 to a listed race before the committee conducted its review this week.

Apache Princess won her third consecutive start, and first stakes, in the Sweet Life Stakes. Trainer Keith Desormeaux said on Thursday that Apache Princess may be back in action quickly in Monday’s $200,000 California Cup Oaks for statebred 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf.

“As long as she continues to train well and hold her weight and not look fatigued, we will run back on Monday,” he said. “If she shows any regression, we won’t run her.

“It’s hard to pass up on a distance and surface that she loves.”

Apache Princess is unbeaten in three starts at the winter-spring meeting, having won a maiden special weight race in December and an optional claimer on Jan. 21. Those races were on the hillside turf course.