Miss Sunset, S Y Sky clash in Melair

Three-time stakes winner Miss Sunset and up and coming S Y Sky head a field of six 3-year-old fillies bred or sired in California in Monday’s $200,000 Melair Stakes to be run at 1 1/16 miles over Santa Anita’s main track.

A winner versus statebreds of the one mile turf Campanile Stakes at Golden Gate Fields April 30, the Jeff Bonde-trained Miss Sunset is easily the biggest money earner in the field with a bankroll of $265,930. A stakes winner at first asking, Phil D’Amato’s S Y Sky came back to run a big second against open company in her second start at odds of 4-5.

Owned and bred by Millard and Rous and trained by John Sadler, the brilliant, multiple stakes winning Melair, a California-bred filly by Debonair Roger, defeated eventual 3-year-old Eclipse Champion Snow Chief in the 1986 Grade II Silver Screen Handicap at Hollywood Park and retired with earnings of $336,500.

MISS SUNSET: A two-time stakes winner sprinting, the Campanile score marked her first added money win going two turns. A bay filly by Into Mischief, she was bred by Premier Thoroughbreds and Alan Klein and is owned by Klein and Phil Lebherz. A gate to wire winner up north, she’ll no-doubt be on or near the early Melair lead. Well managed by Bonde, her overall mark stands at 7-4-0-1.

S Y SKY: A 5 ½ length winner of the $200,000 Evening Jewel stakes going 6 ½ furlongs here on April 8, this Nick Alexander homebred daughter of Grazen, out of the Sky Mesa mare Sky Marni, earned a Melair-best last out Beyer Speed figure of 83 when second in an open first condition allowance on May 4. It’ll be up to Joe Talamo to try and ration her speed as she stretches out a bit from one mile and faces the likes of the highly accomplished Miss Sunset in her third career start.

THE $200,000 MELAIR STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 5 of 9 Approximate post time 3 p.m. PT

1.  Miss Sunset—Mike Smith—126

2.  So Heres the Thing—Edwin Maldonado—120

3.  Radish—Mario Gutierrez—120

4.  S Y Sky—Joe Talamo—124

5.  Ocean Dream—Santiago Gonzalez—120

6.  Queen Bee to You—Kent Desoremeaux—120