Baffert gets exacta with Eda, Under the Stars in Santa Ysabel

Fresh off the bench from a three-month break, Eda sped to the lead under Juan Hernández and had plenty left in the tank late as she held off her heavily favored stablemate Under the Stars by a half-length to win Sunday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita, earning an exacta for trainer Bob Baffert.

Eda got the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.31 over the fast main track.

Breaking sharply from the No. 7 post position, Eda made the lead with her ears up and dictated terms with Hernández sitting still to the quarter pole. At that point he held his position in the 2 path as Ain’t Easy challenged from the inside, and Under the Stars loomed on her outside.

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“She was comfortable the whole race, she broke really sharp today and I got a good position,” said Hernández, who had ridden her to victory in the Starlet Stakes (G1) last out at Los Alamitos on Dec. 4. “I was outside, and when she broke like that, I just came to the rail and just let her run. I asked her around the quarter pole when I felt the inside horse and the outside horse closing in. I told her it was time to go, and she picked it up pretty good.”

A three-time stakes winner coming into Sunday, Eda was off as the third choice in the wagering at 3-1 and paid $8.60, $4.00 and $2.60.

A $550,000 March 2021 2-year-old in training sale purchase by Susan and Charles Chu’s Baoma Corporation, Eda is by Munnings out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Show Me.

With the winner’s share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $430,000 and her overall mark to 7: 5-1-0.

“Both of my fillies were training really well, and I was debating whether to run her,” Baffert said. “There was another spot. It was either run here or go to Sunland Park. I thought, well, we’ll keep her here. She worked well coming into this, and I’m happy both of my horses ran well. ... I don’t know where I’m going to run them next. We’ll definitely be in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2, April 9) with someone, but I don’t know yet.”

The Santa Ysabel was a 50-20-10-5 points qualifier for the Kentucky Oaks. The points that would have gone to Eda and Under the Stars were vacated, because Baffert and his horses were banned by Churchill Downs when the late Medina Spirit failed a drug test after last year’s Kentucky Derby.

Off at even money with Flavien Prat, Under the Stars did not appear to have any excuses as she finished second, 3 3/4 lengths in front of Ain’t Easy to return $2.60 and $2.10.

Ridden by John Velazquez, Ain’t Easy checked in a length clear of Desert Dawn. The actual second choice at 3-1, she paid $2.40 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.62, 48.05, 1:12.48 and 1:37.75.