Sweet Azteca looks to stay hot in Chillingworth Stakes

Grade 1 winner Sweet Azteca will try for her fifth-straight victory Saturday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Chillingworth Stakes for fillies and mares going 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Sweet Azteca most recently romped by seven lengths when winning the Rancho Bernardo (G3) under Flavien Prat going 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 25. Both the runner-up Chismosa and third-place finisher Anywho also return in the Chillingworth.

A 4-year-old filly by Sharp Azteca, Sweet Azteca has a record of 6: 5-0-1 with $481,200 in earnings for owner-breeder Pamela Zeibarth. Her other stakes wins have come in the Beholder Mile (G1) in March at Santa Anita and the Great Lady M (G2) at Los Alamitos in July. In the Great Lady M, Sweet Azteca set a track record when completing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.33.

Jockey Juan Hernandez, who was aboard in the Great Lady M, will be back in the saddle Saturday.

Hope Road has won three straight for trainer Bob Baffert, including the Torrey Pines (G3) going a mile at Del Mar on Aug. 31, and will face Sweet Azteca for the first time. The 3-year-old Quality Road filly returned from a layoff of more than nine months in June and rolled to 5 1/2-length maiden win going six furlongs at Santa Anita. She then won a six-furlong allowance at Del Mar in July before winning the Torrey Pines.

All three of Hope Road’s wins came with Hernandez in the irons. With the jockey now taking the call on Sweet Azteca, Kazushi Kimura takes over aboard Hope Road, who races as a homebred for Cicero Farms.

Another ascending 3-year-old in the lineup is One Magic Philly for trainer Phil D’Amato. She graduated in her second start Aug. 3 going 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar and came right back to romp by seven lengths in an entry-level allowance Sept. 2, also going 6 1/2 furlongs. The Good Magic filly will have regular rider Antonio Fresu in the irons.