Impressive Debut Winner Miss Big Stuff Steps Up in Anoakia
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Impressive first-out maiden special weight winners Miss Big Stuff and Lemhill Basr, along with well seasoned Surfside Tiara, conditioned respectively by Peter Miller, Bob Baffert and Jerry Hollendorfer, head a competitive field of nine juvenile fillies in Sunday’s $70,000 Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita.
The even money favorite versus six male rivals, Miss Big Stuff was dominant throughout as she went gate to wire, covering six furlongs in 1:10.20 while winning by a half length. A Florida-bred filly by Big Drama, she earned an Anoakia-best last out Beyer Speed figure of 82 and banked $42,000 for the win. She was purchased out of a 2-year-old in training sale at Ocala this past April for $45,000.
Owned by David Bernsen, Rockin Robin Racing Stable, STD Racing Stable and partners, Miss Big Stuff is headquartered at San Louis Rey Downs, where she has four recorded works since her maiden win, the most recent a half mile in 48.60 on Oct. 6. She’ll break from post eight and be reunited with Victor Espinoza.
A Kentucky-bred filly by Quality Road, Lemhill Basr was purchased for $800,000 out of Fasig Tipton’s Mid Atlantic May 2-year-old in training sale and made a significant step toward validating the investment with a powerful 4 ¼ length maiden score at Los Alamitos on Sept. 10. Off at 9-2 in a field of eight, she got 5 ½ furlongs in 1:02.80.
Owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktou, Lemhill Basr will be asked to overcome the rail post with Martin Garcia back aboard.
A close second at even money to Anoakia rival Undisputed first time out on July 4, Hollendorfer’s Surfside Tiara was a galloping 5 ¼ length maiden winner going 6 ½ furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 9 while earning an 81 Beyer. She then faced the undefeated Songbird in the Grade I, seven furlong Del Mar Debutante Sept. 5 and was distanced by 17 lengths at odds of 8-1.
Owned by M Racing, Dang, Pageler and partners, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Scat Daddy has had four local works since her last start, including a bullet six furlong move of 1:12.80 on Sept. 22. Purchased for $120,000 at the March Ocala Breeders Sale for $120,000, she’ll be making her fourth start on Sunday.
Trained by Simon Callaghan, Undisputed, a Florida-bred filly by Street Boss, came out of her first-maiden win July 4 to run in the Grade II, 6 ½ furlong Sorrento Stakes Aug. 12, where she showed brilliant early speed but stopped badly en route to finishing last, beaten 26 ½ lengths at 10-1. Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bamford and TNIP Racing, she adds blinkers and gets Tyler Baze for the first time.
With all horses assigned 117 pounds, the Anoakia will be run as the eighth on a nine-race card Sunday. Here’s the field, with riders, from the rail out: Lemhill Basr, Martin Garcia; Magnolias in Bloom, Drayden Van Dyke; Octofy, Santiago Gonzalez; Surfside Tiara, Rafael Bejarano; Undisputed, Tyler Baze; Uptown Twirl, Joe Talamo; Find Joy, Tiago Pereira; Miss Big Stuff, Victor Espinoza, and Star of Munster, Fernando Perez.
Source: Santa Anita Park
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