Donna Veloce comes back a winner of Santa Anita's Santa Ysabel

The latest 3-year-old filly to make an impressive step toward the Kentucky Oaks, Donna Veloce won Sunday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes with ease despite a bobble at the start at Santa Anita Park.

The Simon Callaghan-trained daughter of Uncle Mo, guided by Flavien Prat, was content to stalk the pace up the back stretch after her slow start. But natural speed pulled her three-wide under a confident ride into the far turn.

Pace-setting Gidgetta was first to drop out of contention after opening up in 22.79 seconds for the quarter mile and 46.80 for the half. Then Donna Veloce put a head in front of Speech at the top of the lane before gliding across the wire a 4 1/4-length winner.

Campaigned by Kaleem Shah and Coolmore connections, Donna Veloce completed the 1 1/16 mile in 1:45.43 and paid $2.60. Speech was second and with another 3 1/4-lengths back to Storie Blue in third.

"I thought it was the perfect race," Callaghan said. "We didn't plan to take back like that. I thought she'd be the fastest filly. But Flavien went to Plan B -- let them go when she didn't break good.

"She got a good schooling and came around them. I think that's going to serve her to good effect in the future."

It was Donna Veloce's first start since an abbreviated but successful 2-year-old campaign in which she went from a flashy maiden victory to running a close second to British Idiom as the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies favorite. When last seen in the afternoon, Donna Veloce was a narrow second to since-retired Bast in Los Alamitos’ Starlet Stakes (G1).

This victory at 1-5 in a field of six moves Donna Veloce to the head of the sophomore class out west with Venetian Harbor, who won the Feb. 8 Las Virgenes Stakes (G2) but skipped this spot to train up to the April 4 Santa Anita Oaks (G2), in which these two fillies may well meet.

Callaghan indicated there was a slight chance Donna Veloce could ship and run in the Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland as a final prep for the Kentucky Oaks given its Grade 1 status. In all likelihood, she'll stay at Santa Anita for the 1 1/16-miles Santa Anita Oaks.  

"We'll think about, but I'm pretty sure we'll stay here," said Callaghan, who teamed with Shah to win the 2019 Santa Anita Oaks with Bellafina. That one went on to Churchill Downs as the Kentucky Oaks favorite and ran fifth.

In this case, Callaghan expressed some immediate relief after Donna Veloce hit the wire under a hand ride.

"When you got a filly that’s such a heavy favorite, we’re obviously hoping for a big 3-year-old campaign from her," the trainer said. "She really did achieve a lot in a short period last year, going from a maiden to the Breeders’ Cup and Starlet. So it’s nice that she came through."|

Donna Veloce earned 50 points towards the Kentucky Oaks. Speech collected 20 points while Storie Blue tallied 10 points and fourth-place finisher Paige Anne got five points. 

Donna Veloce, who previously earned Oaks points when second in both the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and Starlet, has now totaled 62 points to date. That trails only Finite's 70 points on the Oaks leaderboard.