Sugarinthemorning tangles with big girls

Team McAnally hopes Sugarinthemorning’s first race in two months will benefit her against La Brea conqueror Teddy’s Promise in Saturday’s Grade I Santa Monica Stakes for fillies and mares, 4 and up, at seven furlongs.

“I thought she ran pretty well last time,” said Dan Landers, an assistant with Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally since 1995. “She does well with time between her races and we’re hoping she moves forward off of that race. It was the first time she’d ever run on this (dirt) track, really.”

A 4-year-old daughter of Candy Ride, Sugarinthemorning has a 5-2-1 record from 12 starts with earnings of $310,334.

The Santa Monica field: Bella Diamante, David Flores, 30-1; Big Tiz, Corey Nakatani, 9-2; Teddy’s Promise, Victor Espinoza, 8-5; Home Sweet Aspen, Joel Rosario, 6-1; She’s Cheeky, Joe Talamo, 20-1; Rumor, Mike Smith, 9-5; and Sugarinthemorning, Rafael Bejarano, 4-1.