Queen Ofthe Temple turns back for Possibly Perfect

Fresh off victory at a 1 1/2 miles on turf, trainer Dan Blacker’s Queen Ofthe Temple rates a big look as she cuts back to a mile and one quarter on grass in Sunday’s $100,000 Possibly Perfect at Santa Anita. The Possibly Perfect, which has attracted five fillies and mares three and up, is part of a 12-race closing day card. It serves as a supporting feature to Sunday’s main event, the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano.

Ridden for the first time by Joe Bravo and off at 2-1, Queen Ofthe Temple was attentive to the pace in the 1 1/2-mile Santa Barbara on April 30 and was up to win in a three-horse photo. With Bravo back aboard, the 5-year-old mare by Temple City, who is three-time graded-stakes placed, seeks her second consecutive stakes win in what will be her 14th career start.

Owned by Radley Equine, Inc., Roger Featherston, Rick Gold and Tony Maslowsky, Queen Ofthe Temple is out of the Read the Footnotes mare Queeenameina. With two wins, four seconds and a third from nine tries over the Santa Anita lawn, she is 13: 2-6-3 overall with earnings of $237,840.

A gate-to-wire winner of last year’s Possibly Perfect and idle since running seventh in the Rodeo Drive (G1) here Oct. 8, trainer Leonard Powell’s French-bred Neige Blanche is the class of the field with earnings of $542,780. With four wins and two thirds from 10 starts over the course, Neige Blanche has six stakes wins, four of them graded, from an overall mark of 21: 9-0-4.

With regular rider Juan Hernandez committed to ride Phil D’Amato’s Buzz of New York, Neige Blanche, who is owned by Madaket Stables, LLC, Laura DeSeroux, Marsha Naify and Mathilde Powell, will be ridden for the first time by Diego Herrera.

Most recently fourth, beaten just a head by second place finisher Queen Ofthe Temple in the  Santa Ana (G3) at a mile and one quarter on turf March 12, Irish-bred Buzz of New York enters the Possibly Perfect fresh and will be reunited with Juan Hernandez, who last rode her to a one mile turf allowance win two starts back on March 5.

Although the Possibly Perfect will be just her second stateside stakes assignment, Buzz of New York has been very consistent for D’Amato, finishing in the money in 10 out of her 12 local starts—winning three of them.

A 5-year-old mare, Buzz of New York is owned by Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal. With all three of her wins coming in combination with Hernandez, Buzz of New York rates a big chance with an overall mark of 18: 3-5-3 and earnings of $228,677.