Defending champion Finest City heads field of 7 in Great Lady M

Defending champion and 2016 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Finest City heads a field of seven in the Grade II, $200,000-guaranteed Great Lady M. Stakes Saturday at Los Alamitos. Post time is 2 p.m.

Run at 6 ½ furlongs for fillies & mares 3-year-olds & up, the Great Lady M., which will go as the eighth of nine races, is the concluding half of a stakes doubleheader.

Earlier in the afternoon, Soi Phet, a three-time stakes winner at Los Alamitos, will try to add to his total against six opponents in the $100,000-guaranteed Bertrando. The one-mile race, which is the sixth on the card, is for 3-year-olds & up bred or sired in California.

The third day of the Summer Thoroughbred Festival also include a live money handicapping contest in which three seats to the 2018 National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas are on the line.

Trained by Ian Kruljac for Seltzer Thoroughbreds, Finest City upset heavily-favored  - and defending champion – Fantastic Style in the 2016 Great Lady M, earning her first graded stakes victory during a campaign that culminated with her 8-1 surprise in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint last Nov. 5 at Santa Anita.

For her efforts, the 5-year-old daughter of City Zip and the Lemon Drop Kid mare Be Envied earned the Eclipse Award as the champion female sprinter of 2016.

A winner of five of 18 with earnings of $1,232,394, Finest City will try to become the first repeat winner of the Great Lady M. – which was run previously as the Sequoia Handicap (1941-1978) and A Gleam Handicap (1979-2013) at Hollywood Park – since Somethinaboutlaura scored in 2006 and 2007.

Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who trained Somethinaboutlaura and who won the inaugural Great Lady M. at Los Alamitos with Doinghardtimeagain in 2014, will be represented by Constellation Saturday.

Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, the 4-year-old Bellamy Road filly out of the Not for Love mare For Royalty has won half of her 10 starts and banked $559,464.

Her only graded victory came as a 12-1 outsider in the Grade I La Brea last Dec. 26. Constellation has been idle since finishing second –beaten by a neck by Paulassilverlining – in the Grade I Madison April 8 at Keeneland.

Defeated as the 4-5 favorite in the Grade III Desert Stormer June 18, Pretty N Cool will be seeking her sixth lifetime win for owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman and Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

A 4-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy and the Rockport Harbor mare Stayclasssandiego has earned $550,905 in 13 starts. Baffert won the 2016 Great Lady M. with Fantastic Style and twice captured the A Gleam with Book Review (2013) and Irish Gypsy (2011).

A winner of four of six since being claimed for $40,000 last Aug. 27, Skye Diamonds will be cutting back in distance for a partnership that includes Allen Racing LLC, Bloom Racing Stables and Tom Acker and trainer Bill Spawr.

A California bred daughter of First Dude and the Johannesburg mare Exonerated, Skye Diamonds comes off a runner-up finish behind multiple graded stakes winner Vale Dori in the Grade III Adoration at 1 1/16 miles May 7.

A maiden winner in her only previous appearance at Los Alamitos in 2015, Skye Diamonds is 7-for-14 with a bankroll of $329,150.

Claimed for $10,000 last Aug. 17 by Leopoldo Urbina and trainer Reed Saldana, Cuddle Alert will be seeking her third victory of the year in the Great Lady M.

A California bred daughter of Bedford Falls and the Gilded Time mare Tee Dee, the 6-year-old is 6-for-24 with earnings of $240,393. She won the Spring Fever Stakes Feb. 19.

No worse than third in seven starts this year, Avicii will be making her initial appearance in a graded race Saturday.

Owned by Gary Hartunian’s Rockingham Ranch and trained by Peter Miller, the consistent 6-year-old mare has won eight of 31. The daughter of City Zip and the Devil’s Bag mare Beech Bag has earned $318,795.

So Sweetitiz will be making her first start since last Sept. 30 for owner-breeder Pamela Ziebarth and trainer Marty Jones.

A 5-year-old daughter of Grand Slam and the El Prado mare Sweetitiz, So Sweetitiz has won four of nine and banked $180,135. She broke her maiden over her home track Dec. 10, 2015 with her three other victories coming on turf.

From inside out, the field for the 4th running of the Great Lady M. Stakes: Cuddle Alert, Agapito Delgadillo rides, 119 pounds; Constellation, David Flores, 121; So Sweetitiz, Jamie Theriot, 119; Pretty N Cool, Martin Garcia, 124; Skye Diamonds, Tiago Pereira, 119; Avicii, Norberto Arroyo, Jr. 119 and Finest City, Tyler Baze, 121.

In the Bertrando, Soi Phet, whose stakes wins at Los Alamitos include the Bertrando and Los Alamitos Mile in 2014 as well as last year’s E.B. Johnston, will try to go 2-for-2 in 2017.

Trained by Leonard Powell for the Benowitz Family Trust, Mathilde Powell and Paul Viskovich, the Tizbud gelding out of the Siberian Summer mare Summer Jersey took an optional claimer by 1 1 ½ lengths May 21 in his 9-year-old debut.

A winner of 12 of 51 with earnings of $802,056, Soi Phet has been 1-2 in five of six at Los Alamitos.

Magic Mark, who won the 2015 Bertrando at 11-1, will be aiming for his first win of the year for owner-breeders John and Dorine Lanza and trainer Ron Ellis.

A 7-year-old Benchmark gelding out of the Deputy Governor mare Jewel Magic, Magic Mark is 6-for-21 with earnings of $361,979.

Ambitious Brew will return to dirt for the first time in more than a year for Ziebarth and Jones as he looks for a second stakes success at Los Alamitos.

Winner of the 2015 E.B. Johnston, the 7-year-old Tizbud gelding out of the Forest Wildcat mare Kathwen has won eight of 24 and banked $609,425. His last seven starts have been on turf.

Winless in five starts at Los Alamitos, Avanti Bello will be trying to rebound after finishing fifth of six in an optional claimer at the Bertrando distance May 5.

Trained by Doug O’Neill for a partnership that includes Steve Keh, Pablo Suarez and Wonderland Racing Stables, the 5-year-old Include horse out of the Mizzen Mast mare Masterful Lass has won six of 25 and earned $435,154.

Gold Rush Dancer will make his Los Alamitos debut in the Bertrando for owner-breeder John Parker and trainer Vann Belvoir.

A Private Gold colt out of the In Excess mare Dances On Water, Gold Rush Dancer has five wins in 16 attempts and a bankroll of $388,613. He trailed in the Thors Echo at six furlongs in his first start of 2017 June 11 and hasn’t won since taking the Real Good Deal at seven furlongs last July 27.

Smokey Image, who has earned all six of his wins on dirt, returns to his preferred surface after finishing third behind What a View and recent American Stakes winner Pee Wee Reese in the grassy Crystal Water May 20.

Owned by Irvin Racing Stable and trained by Carla Gaines, the 4-year-old Southern Image colt, who is out of the Free House mare Special Smoke, has earned $482,601 in 13 starts.

Taman Guard, an impressive first out winner at Los Alamitos April 17, 2016, will stretch out after winning at seven furlongs in his 4-year-old debut May 27.

Trained by Hollendorfer for a partnership that includes LNJ Foxwoods, KMN Racing LLC, Black Duck Racing and Jungle Racing LLC, the Midnight Lute gelding out of the Deputy Minister mare Bellastrega has won half of his six races and earned $143,340.

From inside out, the field for the 4th running of the Bertrando Stakes: Gold Rush Dancer, Evin Roman rides, 119 pounds; Smokey Image, Tyler Baze, 119; Soi Phet, Kent Desormeaux, 119; Avanti Bello, Rafael Bejarano, 121; Taman Guard, David Flores, 119; Ambitious Brew, Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 121 and Magic Mark, Drayden Van Dyke, 119.