Vasilika likely to run in Gamely on favorite course

ARCADIA, Calif. – Vasilika, who won her fifth graded stakes in the last six months in Saturday’s Grade 2 Royal Heroine, has been nearly unbeatable at Santa Anita for more than a year.

Vasilika has won 10 of 11 starts at Santa Anita and is on a 10-race winning streak at the track.

Her next start is likely to come in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf here for fillies and mares May 27.

Immediately after the Royal Heroine, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer mentioned the Grade 2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile in Kentucky on May 4 as an option for Vasilika’s next start, but on Sunday, he was leaning toward a longer gap between starts and waiting for the Gamely.

“I don’t think it would hurt at all,” he said of the time between starts.

Vasilika won her third consecutive start, all in stakes, in the $200,702 Royal Heroine. Since being claimed for $40,000 here in February 2018, Vasilika has won 11 of 13 starts and earned $909,524. Her most prestigious win in that span was the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf here last September.

A 5-year-old mare by Skipshot, Vasilika has won 16 of 31 starts and earned $1,058,585. The win in the Royal Heroine was worth $120,000 for owners George Todaro, Gatto Racing, All Schlaich Stables, and Hollendorfer.

“I don’t know what caught my eye on this mare,” Todaro said in the winner’s circle on Saturday. Todaro is a longtime client of Hollendorfer’s who has been involved in numerous claims.

“I didn’t expect this,” Todaro said. “Some of them work out, and some of them don’t. This one worked out very well.”

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Vasilika has won six graded stakes, all since Labor Day weekend. Since being claimed, she has compiled win streaks of 8 and now 3 races. Vasilika was fourth in the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar last December.

This year, Vasilika began the season with wins in the Grade 3 Megahertz Stakes on Jan. 21 and the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes on Feb. 23.

◗ Trainer Bill Spawr was recently fined $2,000 by Santa Anita stewards after race winner Matriculate tested positive for the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory naproxen at Santa Anita on Feb. 1. Matriculate won an $8,000 claimer at 6 1/2 furlongs as a 3-1 chance.