Unique Bella, West Coast put in works for major stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – The 2017 champions Unique Bella and West Coast worked at Santa Anita on Sunday in advance of major stakes in March in California and Dubai.

Unique Bella, the champion female sprinter last year, worked five furlongs in 58.60 seconds, the fastest of 103 works at the distance. Unique Bella will be a heavy favorite to win her third race of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Invitational at 1 1/8 miles on March 17.

The $400,000 Santa Margarita is the leading race for older females at the winter-spring meeting and will be the longest race of Unique Bella’s career. Earlier at this meeting, Unique Bella won the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs on Dec. 26 and the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 10 in her last start.

Owned by Don Alberto Stable and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Unique Bella has won 7 of 9 starts and earned $712,400.

West Coast, the champion 3-year-old male of 2017, worked a half-mile in 47.60 seconds for a scheduled start in the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates on March 31.

“I wish the race was next week,” trainer Bob Baffert said on Sunday morning. “He’s doing very well.”

West Coast was second to 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 27 in his only start this year.

Owned by Gary and Mary West, West Coast has won 6 of 10 starts and earned $3,683,800. He won four consecutive stakes last year, including the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga, before finishing third to Gun Runner in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar last November.

The undefeated Dream Tree worked six furlongs in 1:14.20 for a scheduled start in Saturday’s Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes, a $100,000 race for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles. Dream Tree won the Grade 2 Las Virgenes Stakes at a mile on Feb. 4.

Owned by Phoenix Thoroughbreds and trained by Baffert, Dream Tree has won four races, including three stakes, and earned $390,000.