Sanenus serves notice with romping victory in La Cañada
There looks to be a serious new player in the older distaff division on the West Coast: Sanenus. A Chilean-bred who made her North American bow this past summer for trainer Michael McCarthy, Sanenus ran past a pair of Grade 1 winners on the second turn and then drew off in the stretch for a dominating win in the $200,000 La Cañada Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park on Saturday.
A homebred for Haras Matriarca, Sanenus was third in a Del Mar allowance race last summer in her U.S. debut and was back in Southern California after making her two most recent starts at Churchill Downs, which includes a runner-up finish to Finite in the Nov. 21 Chillukki Stakes (G2).
In the 1 1/16-miles La Cañada, Sanenus was sent off the 7-1 third choice behind Grade 1 winners Fighting Mad (4-5) and Hard Not to Love (3-1). The 5-year-old Scat Daddy filly broke alertly under Umberto Rispoli and took up an outside stalking position as Fighting Mad and Hard Not to Love dueled through fractions of 23:30 and 46:37 for the opening half mile. As that pair continued on a clear lead down the backstretch, Sanenus commenced a big move to challenge for the lead on the second turn.
Neither Fighting Mad nor Hard Not to Love had an answer for the challenge. Sanemus had a one-length lead when completing six furlongs in 1:11.28 and then drew off in the stretch to crush the field in a final time of 1:45.24. It was six lengths back to Miss Stormy D, who rallied to nip Hard Not to Love by a nose for second. Never Be Enough completed the superfecta.
“I’ve been on her several times in the morning,” Rispoli said. “I knew she was a very good filly. Today, I asked her a bit at the half mile pole and she responded well. At the top of the stretch, she was looking around and I was just hoping she was going to stay focused. She finished well and I think she has more there.”
Sanemus, who is out of the Tale of the Cat mare Belgian Chocolate, returned $17.00 for the upset. She was a Group 1 winner in her native country and with her first U.S. victory, improves to 15: 5-2-2 with earnings of $217,900.
“Umberto did a great job, he had to niggle a little bit at her to kind of keep her in the game around the first turn,” McCarthy said. "I thought she was in a great position up the backside and she went up to engage those fillies leaving the half mile pole.
"At the quarter, she had her ears up and I love the way she opened up. The La Canada has a great history and a lot of really nice mares have won this race over the years," McCarthy added. "This is a nice race to have on her resume.”