La Cañada Stakes 2021 guide: Odds, picks and analysis
A pair of Grade 1 winners will face off Saturday in the first 2021 graded stakes race for older female runners.
Fighting Mad (9-5) and Hard Not to Love (2-1) are co-headliners for Santa Anita’s Grade 3, $200,000 La Cañada Stakes. Post time for the 1 1/16-mile event is 6:35 p.m. EST, with the race shown on TVG.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Fighting Mad beat Hard Not to Love last year in both Santa Anita’s Santa Maria Stakes (G2) and Del Mar’s Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1). Jockey Abel Cedillo will pilot the 5-year-old New Year’s Day mare.
John Shirreffs trains Hard Not to Love, winner of the 2019 La Brea Stakes (G1) and last year’s Santa Monica Stakes (G2), both at Santa Anita. Jockey Ricardo Gonzalez gets the call on the 5-year-old daughter of Hard Spun.
Five other older female runners will challenge that duo, including last-out Bayakoa Stakes (G3) winner Proud Emma (6-1), Chilean Group 1 victor Sanenus (6-1) and Del Mar stakes winner Message (6-1).
Here is a look at the 2020 La Cañada Stakes field (trainer and jockey in parentheses) with morning-line odds:
1. Proud Emma (Peter Miller, Juan Hernandez), 6-1
2. Hard Not to Love (John Shirreffs, Ricardo Gonzalez), 2-1
3. Fighting Mad (Bob Baffert, Abel Cedillo), 9-5
4. Message (Bob Baffert, Flavien Prat), 6-1
5. Sanenus (Michael McCarthy, Umberto Rispoli), 6-1
6. Miss Stormy D (Carla Gaines, Mike Smith), 8-1
7. Never Be Enough (Manuel Badilla, Tiago Josue Pereira), 12-1
TimeformUS’ pace projections show Cedillo taking favorite Fighting Mad out to the lead, just as he did last summer in Santa Maria and Clement L. Hirsch victories.
Check out HRN’s free past performances page for more information on the La Cañada’s seven runners.
La Cañada links
For Saturday’s Best Bet, Jarrod Horak has zeroed in on Michael McCarthy trainee Sanenus. Horak notes that the Chilean-bred mare is a consistent board hitter who possesses tactical speed.
Reinier Macatangay also has an upset option for the La Cañada in Miss Stormy D. The Tapizar mare enters off a fourth-place run last month at Los Alamitos in the Bayakoa Stakes (G3), but earned impressive TimeformUS Speed Figures for performances earlier in her career.
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La Cañada card
First post Saturday is 3 p.m. EST, with full Santa Anita entries available via HRN. The La Cañada is the eighth of 10 races carded Saturday at the Arcadia, Calif., oval.
Here is a look at some of the other action taking place Saturday at Santa Anita.
3 p.m. EST – Race 1, allowance, 4-and-up, one mile, turf
Rip City, winner of four straight races, goes for a fifth straight victory here as the 5-2 morning-line favorite for trainer Mike Puype. Mario Gutierrez will pilot the 4-year-old City Zip gelding, who has recorded all four of his victories going one mile over the lawn. The 3-1 co-second choices are starter optional claiming winner Gregdar for trainer Philip D’Amato and the stakes-placed Lane Way from trainer Richard Mandella’s barn.
6:05 p.m. EST – Race 7, maiden special weight, 3-year-olds, one mile, turf
Irish-bred colt Earls Rock makes his North American debut for D’Amato as 5-2 morning-line favorite under jockey Flavien Prat. The son of Fascinating Rock finished second in his only previous start, a maiden weight for age race last September at Down Royal in Northern Ireland. Airman, third last out at Del Mar, makes his third attempt at a first win as a 3-1 second choice for trainer John Shirreffs.
7:05 p.m. EST – Race 9, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes (G3), 4-and-up fillies and mares, six furlongs, turf
Jolie Olimpica began her North American racing career last January by winning the Las Cienegas, and now seeks a repeat as the 8-5 morning-line favorite. Jockey Mike Smith gets the call on the Drosselmeyer mare, whose last start was a runner-up finish last July at Keeneland in the Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1). Jolie Olimpica has never finished worse than second in four starts for Mandella. Next on the morning line at 9-5 is Neil Drysdale-trained mare Oleksandra, winner of last June’s Jaipur Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park.
La Cañada preview
Idle since third as the odds-on favorite in the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes on Sept. 27, Bob Baffert’s speedy Fighting Mad heads a field of seven older fillies and mares going a mile and one sixteenth in Saturday’s $200,000 La Cañada Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita.
While Fighting Mad will hope to control the early pace, the John Shirreffs-trained Hard Not to Love, a Grade 1 winner who was second in the Zenyatta, figures to stalk the pace with Ricky Gonzalez aboard for the first time and could prove dangerous late.
Peter Miller’s Proud Emma, who will be ridden back by upstart Juan Hernandez, comes off a career-best victory in the Bayakoa Stakes (G3) at Los Alamitos and will hope to be rolling again from off the pace.
Baffert will also be well represented by Baoma Corporation’s Message, who comes off a solid second in the Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos and will be ridden back by Flavien Prat.
Trainer Michael McCarthy’s Chilean-bred Sanenus returns to Southern California following a second-place finish in the Chilukki Stakes (G3) going a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs and could well make her presence felt in any early pace scenario with Umberto Rispoli engaged.
Mike Smith, who had ridden Hard Not to Love in her last seven races, will be aboard the Carla Gaines-conditioned Miss Stormy D, who could prove bothersome to Fighting Mad on the front end.
FIGHTING MAD
Owner: Gary & Mary West
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Off as the 2-5 favorite in the Zenyatta at 1 1/16 miles, Fighting Mad regressed off of her impressive gate-to-wire win in the Clement Hirsch (G1) at Del Mar on Aug. 2, tiring late to finish third, beaten 1½ lengths under Luis Saez. She’ll be reunited with Abel Cedillo, who guided her to gate to wire scores in both the Hirsch and the Santa Maria (G2) on May 31, and this 5-year-old homebred mare by New Year’s Day will hope to bounce back with a big effort.
HARD NOT TO LOVE
Owner: Mercedes Stables, LLC & West Point Thoroughbreds
Trainer: John Shirreffs
Sight-impaired as she lost the use of one eye in a paddock mishap as a youngster, this 5-year-old Ontario-bred mare by Hard Spun is often a handful in the mornings and on the way to the gate on race days. Masterfully handled by Shirreffs, she’s amassed earnings of $568,980 from an overall mark of 10: 5-3-1. Although well beaten by Fighting Mad in both the Santa Maria and Clement Hirsch, she turned the tables in the Zenyatta, as she rallied late to finish second, beaten three quarters of a length while besting Fighting Mad by the same margin.
PROUD EMMA
Owner: Gem Inc., and Tom Kagele
Trainer: Peter Miller
Ridden for the first time Juan Hernandez, Proud Emma rallied to take the Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos by a half-length in her first graded stakes victory. A 5-year-old mare by Include, she’s on the improve and should have plenty of pace to run at, if good enough Saturday.
MESSAGE
Owner: Baoma Corporation
Trainer: Bob Baffert
A dead heat winner of the restricted Tranquility Lake at one mile two starts back Aug. 28, she made the lead turning for home in the Bayakoa on Dec. 6 and finished second, beaten a half-length by Proud Emma. As the “Other Baffert,” she’ll be facing much tougher competition Saturday, but she has recency in her corner and top jock Prat sticks with her.
SANENUS
Owner: Matriarca
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
A Group 1 winner in her native Chile at age three, this 5-year-old mare by Scat Daddy made her U.S. debut three starts back Aug. 16 at Del Mar, running third in a six-furlong classified allowance. Subsequently a close third in a one-turn mile allowance at Churchill Downs on Sept. 26, she was off at 10-1 in the Chilukki, a race in which pressed the pace, made the lead around the turn and ended up second, beaten 2½ lengths.
MISS STORMY D
Owner: Keith Brackpool
Trainer: Carla Gaines
A dazzling 6¼ lengths one-mile allowance winner here Feb. 29, a race in which she earned a lofty 94 Beyer Speed figure, Miss Stormy D resurfaced at 7-2 in the Dec. 6 Bayakoa and was done early after showing the way after the first quarter mile. Fourth, beaten nine lengths, Miss Stormy D, who will be ridden by Mike Smith for the first time, will hope to improve with a recent race under her belt.