McCarthy says long shot merits attention in Santa Margarita

Morning-line favorite Splendora (6-5) and Seismic Beauty (3-1), both trained by Bob Baffert, and graded-stakes winners Where’s My Ring (5-2) and Alpha Bella (5-1) are the principal players in Sunday’s Grade 2 Santa Margarita Stakes.

But if you ask trainer Michael McCarthy, the contention doesn’t end there. He believes his long-shot mare Princess of Time (12-1) is also in with a legitimate chance.

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“I think she fits with these,” McCarthy said Saturday.

Princess of Time most recently returned from a more than one-year layoff, going against males in a second-level allowance going a mile March 28 at Santa Anita. The 5-year-old by Not This Time pressed the pace and finished evenly to be third. She finished behind winner Il Bellator, who returns in Monday’s Hollywood Gold Cup (G2), and runner-up Bartholdy, who is Grade 3-placed.

“Unfortunately, we had to run her against the boys off an extended layoff, but I thought her race was very respectable,” McCarthy said. “Now we’re going to try a mile-and-an-eighth. She’ll need to show she can handle the distance, but I don’t think she needs to step forward from an ability standpoint.”

Owned by Mike Rutherford, Princess of Time was ridden by then apprentice Serafin Carmona in her comeback but will have Kazushi Kimura in the irons Sunday. They will break from post 2 in a field of six that may be reduced. Where’s My Ring is entered in both the Santa Margarita and Monday’s Gamely (G1) on turf. Trainer Peter Miller said Saturday that Where’s My Ring would be scratched from the Gamely and also could be withdrawn from the Santa Margarita in favor of another spot.

The Gamely goes as the third race Sunday at 5:05 p.m. EDT on a 10-race card that starts at 4 p.m.