Finite, Merneith lead 11 promising fillies in Saturday's La Brea

In what appears to be a wide-open affair at seven furlongs, Steve Asmussen’s Finite and Bob Baffert’s Merneith head a field of 11 sophomore fillies in the Grade 1, $300,000 La Brea Stakes, one of five graded events on Santa Anita’s Winter/Spring opening day this Saturday, Dec. 26.

A winner of the Chilukki Stakes (G3) going a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs Nov. 21, Finite is a three-time graded stakes winner who seeks her seventh win in what will be her 12th career start.

A winner of her last two starts, Merneith, a daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, seeks her third consecutive win and her first graded stakes win.

FINITE

Owners: Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, Thomas Reiman, William Dickson & Deborah Easter

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Fresh off a rousing 2 1/2-length win in the Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 21, this daughter of Munnings will ship west in search of her first Grade 1 victory. Although she rallied powerfully from off the pace to win the Chilukki, Finite has plenty of natural speed, evidenced by her gate-to-wire maiden win going 6 1/2 furlongs on grass at age 2. With three graded stakes victories and an overall mark of 11: 6-3-0, she is the leading money earner in the field, with $757,869, and looms the post time favorite.

MERNEITH

Owner: HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud

Trainer: Bob Baffert

A game neck winner of an ungraded six-furlong stakes at Keeneland on Nov. 7, this daughter of American Pharoah was an emphatic 3 1/4-length allowance winner at the same distance here on Oct. 11 and thus seeks her third consecutive win. A well beaten third by Horse of the Year candidate Swiss Skydiver in her only graded stakes try, the Santa Anita Oaks (G2) five starts back on June 6, Merneith appears poised for a top effort as Baffert seeks his record eighth La Brea triumph.

MOTIVATED SELLER

Owner: Klaravich Stables Inc.

Trainer: Chad Brown

Second, beaten a neck by Merneith going six furlongs at Keeneland on Nov. 7, this daughter of top sire Into Mischief is very much on the improve for Brown. A six-length first-out maiden winner going six furlongs at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 12, she was then idle until Oct. 11 at Belmont Park, where she pressed the early pace and registered a 2 3/4-length allowance win at the same distance. In what will be her fourth career start, Motivated Seller will be trying graded stakes competition for the first time.

The La Brea is the eighth race on Santa Anita's Saturday card of 11 races, with a post time of about 5:30 p.m. ET.