Santa Anita: Honeymoon is Jungle Peace's 2-turn debut

Six 3-year-old fillies will step into the unknown Sunday when all in the field race 1 1/8 miles for the first time in the Grade 3 Honeymoon Stakes on the Santa Anita turf.

Among the half dozen fillies in the lineup is Jungle Peace, the 6-5 program favorite who is undefeated in three U.S. starts for trainer Phil D’Amato. For Jungle Peace, not only has she never gone nine furlongs, the Irish-bred daughter of Bungle Inthejungle has never even raced around two turns. She is the only one in the lineup not to have done so.

In her U.S. debut Feb. 15, Jungle Peace broke her maiden sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on Santa Anita’s flat turf course. She came back to win an allowance at six furlongs on grass then scored in the Senorita (G3) sprinting about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course April 27.

Jungle Peace drew the rail and will have regular rider Umberto Rispoli aboard.

The 2-1 second choice on the morning line is As Catch Can, a daughter of Mo Town trained by Jonathan Thomas. As Catch Can is back at Santa Anita after rallying to be second in the 1 1/16-mile Bourbonette Oaks on synthetic at Turfway Park on March 25. She’s a two-time winner going at least a mile. In the Honeymoon, As Catch Can will be ridden by Kazushi Kimura for the first time.