Bellafina, Chasing Yesterday clash in Sunland Park Oaks 2019
The West Coast’s top Kentucky Oaks contenders will get their first matchup in Sunday’s $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks, as Grade 1 winners Bellafina and Chasing Yesterday top a field of nine in the prep race that awards points on a 50-20-10-5 scale toward the May 3 feature at Churchill Downs.
Bellafina is 2-for-2 this year following wins in the Jan. 6 Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) and Feb. 9 Las Virgenes Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park. The Quality Road filly has gradually stretched back out this season. She strode to an 8 ½-length victory over Mother Mother in the seven-furlong Santa Ynez, then fended off Enaya Alrabb with a front-running trip in the Las Virgenes at a mile.
The Sunland Park Oaks will be her first trip at 1 1/16 miles this season, a distance she last ran in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs. Bellafina finished fourth as the favorite in the World Championships event, but also won by 6 ½ lengths at that distance in Santa Anita’s Chandelier Stakes (G1) in late September.
Bellafina has won five of seven starts for trainer Simon Callaghan and owner Kaleem Shah. Jockey Flavien Prat will be aboard as the break from the farthest post.
Chasing Yesterday, the half-sister to 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, provides a tough foe in her delayed seasonal debut. Trainer Bob Baffert scratched the Summer Wind Equine homebred from Fair Grounds’ Feb. 16 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) due to a wide post, then she missed the March 10 Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) when Santa Anita suspended racing.
The daughter of Tapit finished off 2018 by running down Enaya Alrabb and Mother Mother to win the Dec. 8 Starlet Stakes (G1) at Los Alamitos by a head. The race was her first try around two turns and run at the same distance as the Sunland Oaks.
Chasing Yesterday has won four of her five starts. Her lone loss came in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) during the Saratoga meet. Drayden Van Dyke will be in the irons as the pair leaves from post No. 7.
The Sunland Park Oaks marks only the second start outside California for both Bellafina and Chasing Yesterday.
At the opposite end of the field breaking from the rail will be Victim of Love, a local runner who scored in the Feb. 24 Island Fashion Stakes. Jockey Ry Eikleberry has the return call. Second in the Island Fashion was Backlash, who will ship back for the Sunland Park Oaks from Steve Asmussen’s Sam Houston string. Luis Contreras is named to ride from post No. 5.
Rounding out the field is Parade of Roses (Joe Talamo, post No. 2), Figure (Ken Tohill, post No. 3), Peaceoutyourhonor (Frank Reyes, post No. 4), K P Slickem (Tyler Baze, post No. 6) and Enlisting (Juan Hernandez, post. No. 8).
The Sunland Park Oaks runs as Race 9 of 12 with a post time of 6:27 p.m. ET on the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby undercard.