Santa Anita: Linda’s Gift adjusts style in Santa Ana victory

A gate-to-wire winner of two consecutive marathon turf stakes, trainer Richard Mandella’s razor-sharp Linda’s Gift was content to sit second early in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Santa Ana Stakes. She rallied powerfully from there to win going away by 3 3/4 lengths.

With regular rider Tiago Pereira up, the 5-year-old mare by Arrogate got 1 1/4 miles on firm turf in 2:00.79.

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“Tiago is not only a good rider. He is a good horseman,” Mandella said. “He understands what they are thinking. He’s done a great job with her. My assistant Taylor Cambra, José Contreras who rides her and my groom Felipe, they have all done a great job. She’s a little wired, and they have done a great job of turning the wire back. Here we are.”

With a hillside start and a short run to the dirt crossing at the top of the stretch, it was the Phil D’Amato-trained Leisureware who went to the early lead with Linda’s Gift stalking her in second position, 1 1/2 lengths back as the field crossed under the wire for the first time.

Leisurewear, ridden by Juan Hernández, maintained a one-length advantage three furlongs out, but Linda’s Gift sailed by her with consummate ease turning for home and, from that point, was essentially in a race of her own.

“Today she was more relaxed,” Pereira said of Linda’s Gift. “Last time she broke and relaxed after the first furlong, and she took the bridle a little bit. Today she was relaxed and sat second. In all of her races she has been able to relax. I don’t have to ask her to do too much.”

With her first graded-stakes win coming two starts back at Del Mar going 1 3/8 miles in the Red Carpet (G3) on Nov. 23, Linda’s Gift most recent victory came at 1 1/2 miles on turf in Santa Anita’s Astra Stakes on Jan. 21.

Off as the 6-5 favorite among a field of eight older distaffers Saturday, Linda’s Gift paid $4.60, $3.00 and $2.10.

A Kentucky-bred mare out of the Tapit mare Americana and originally based on the East Coast, Linda’s Gift has four wins from seven starts in Southern California with Mandella.

Owned by John Cronin, Anthony DiMarco, Michael Mandara, Fred Nicotra and Vincent Varvaro, Linda’s Gift picked up $60,000 for the win, increasing her earnings to $314,936 while improving her record to 13: 5-2-2.

Ireland-bred Queens Command, ridden by Antonio Fresu, rallied from mid-pack early to be second by 1 1/2 lengths over English-bred Khinjani. Off at 10-1, Queens Command paid $7.00 and $5.80.

An impressive recent allowance winner at the trip, Khinjani, ridden by Frankie Dettori, was the second choice at 3-1 and paid $3.20 to show while finishing a half-length in front of Leisurewear.

Early fractions for the Santa Ana were 23.75, 48.39, 1:13.06 and 1:37.16.