Irish-breds headline Senorita Stakes, Santa Anita's Saturday feature
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Photo:
Benoit Photo
A pair of Irish-breds, West Palm Beach and Pursuing The Dream, along with Kentucky-bred Exuberance, all figure prominently among a field of seven 3-year-old fillies in Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 Senorita Stakes at one mile over the Santa Anita turf.
An impressive winner over the course of her U.S. debut on March 16, West Palm Beach, who is trained by Simon Callaghan, seeks her fourth consecutive win on Saturday and looms the probable favorite with Tyler Baze taking over for Flavien Prat who is away to ride in Kentucky.
Trainer Jim Cassidy’s Pursuing The Dream, who pressed the pace and was beaten three quarters of a length in her U.S. debut, a 6 ½ furlong hillside turf allowance here on March 30, will get the services of Stewart Elliott and will likely be on the lead or thereabouts.
Trainer Ian Kruljac’s Kentucky-bred Exuberance, who will try turf for the first time, was second two starts back in the Grade II Las Virgenes Stakes and was most recently a troubled fourth in the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks on April 7.
WEST PALM BEACH
Owner: Michael B. Tabor
Trainer: Simon Callaghan
A winner of her last two starts in England this past November, this Irish-bred filly by Scat Daddy tried turf for the first time in her U.S. debut March 16 and she responded with an authoritative 1 ¼ length win as the 7-5 favorite in a one mile turf allowance. She has three wins from five overall starts and appears to be the horse to beat.
PURSUING THE DREAM
Owner: D P Racing and Madaket Stables, LLC Trainer: Jim Cassidy
Dismissed at 10-1, she ran too good to lose in her U.S. debut down the hillside turf, finishing fourth, beaten three quarters of a length while earning a solid 79 Beyer Speed figure. With Drayden Van Dyke away to ride at Churchill Downs, Stewart Elliott will take over on what appears to be an improving filly for Cassidy.
EXUBERANCE
Owner: Seltzer Thoroughbreds
Trainer: Ian Kruljac
The leading money earner in the field with $131,200, she has a good measure of class and faced much tougher fillies in her most recent start, the Grade I Santa Anita Oaks, a race in which her chances were compromised by a troubled start. A Kentucky-bred filly by Archarcharch, she’ll be ridden for the first time Tiago Pereira as she tackles turf for the first time in what will be her seventh career start.
THE GRADE III SENORITA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 7 of 11 Approximate post time 3 p.m. PT
1. West Palm Beach—Tyler Baze—120
2. May Girl—Joe Talamo--120
3. Exuberance—Tiago Pereira—120
4. Treasuring—Brice Blanc—120
5. Consolida—Julien Couton—122
6. Pursuing The Dream—Stewart Elliott—120
7. Movie Moment—Geovanni Franco--120
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