Consistent Becca Taylor leads Great Lady M. field
Owner-breeder Nick Alexander and trainer Steve Miyadi will try for their second stakes win of the Los Angeles County Fair meet when they send out Becca Taylor in the Grade 2, $200,000 Great Lady M. Monday at Los Alamitos.
A race for fillies and mares, 3-year-old and up, at 6 1/2 furlongs, the Great Lady M. is the final of nine races on the special Fourth of July program. Post time is 4 p.m. EDT and scheduled post time for the main event is 7:58 p.m. EDT.
Alexander and Miyadi, who won the Bertrando Stakes for a second year in a row with Desmond Doss June 25, will see if Becca Taylor can win for the ninth time in 10 starts and pick up her second graded victory. The talented 4-year-old daughter of Old Topper and the General Meeting mare Lady Sea captured the Desert Stormer (G3) June 4 at Santa Anita.
An earner of $379,160, Becca Taylor is a nose away from being undefeated. Her lone loss came when she was edged by Eddie’s New Dream in the Irish O’Brien Stakes on turf March 19.
The Great Lady M. will be Becca Taylor’s second appearance at Los Alamitos. She scored a 17-1 upset in her debut during the 2020 Winter meet.
Another filly who was a first-out winner at Los Alamitos is Elm Drive. Owned by Little Red Feather Racing and trained by Phil D’Amato, the 3-year-old daughter of Mohaymen and the Indian Charlie mare Lets Dance Charlie won by eight lengths here during the 2021 Summer season.
She has won two of four since then, including the Sorrento (G2) at Del Mar and the Angels Flight in her 2022 debut May 8. She has banked $195,640.
D’Amato also entered Ain’t Easy, a 3-year-old Into Mischief filly out of the Fastnet Rock mare Ameristralia. Owned by a partnership that includes Old Bones Racing Stable, Michael Lombardi and Joey Platts, Ain’t Easy is 2-for-5 with a bankroll of $227,000. She won the first two starts of her career in 2021, including the Chandelier (G2).
Lady Mystify will shorten up for Exline-Border Racing LLC, SAF Racing and Richard Hausman and trainer Peter Eurton after finishing fourth of six in the Santa Maria (G2) June 18.
The 4-year-old Bernardini filly out of the Unbridled’s Song mare J. Quirk has won three of 10 and earned $295,239. She has a graded victory on her resume having taken the Remington Park Oaks (G3) Sept. 26, 2021 in Oklahoma.
A distant third behind Becca Taylor in the Desert Stormer in her first start as a 5-year-old, Samurai Charm will be trying to stay perfect at Los Alamitos. The First Samurai mare out of the Silver Charm mare Back Seat Charm is 3-for-3 locally for Downstream Racing LLC and trainer Peter Miller.
She is 2-for-5 elsewhere and has been worse than third only once while banking $159,250.
Brandon’smylawyer will be making her first start on dirt after clicking in her 2022 debut on grass May 29. Owned by Bran Jam Stable and Ciaglia Racing LLC and trained by George Papaprodromou, the 3-year-old Astern filly out of the Pulpit mare Ivory Pearl has won two of three and earned $83,900.
Eased most recently in the Santa Barbara (G3) going 12 furlongs on turf May 14, Cover Version, who is owned by 5th Street Stables, Leopoldo Urbina and trainer Reed Saldana, returns to the scene of one of her five wins. The 7-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro and the A.P. Indy mare Vaguely Familiar who has banked $192,238 in 38 races, won a starter allowance at 1 1/16 miles during the 2021 summer meet.
From inside out, the field for the Great Lady M. Stakes: Lady Mystify, Edwin Maldonado rides, 121 pounds; Brandon’smylawyer, Mario Gutierrez, 114; Becca Taylor, Juan Hernandez, 124; Samurai Charm, Ramon Vazquez, 119; Ain’t Easy, Kyle Frey, 116; Cover Version, Ryan Curatolo, 119 and Elm Drive, Ricky Gonzalez, 116.