No Disguising Chances of Hidden Message in Autumn Miss

Although Hidden Message has not started since rallying to second in the Aug. 17 Del Mar Oaks Presented by The Jockey Club (G1T), her form shines just as brightly more than two months later. Graded stakes victories earlier this month at Keeneland over Cambier Parc, who beat her in the Del Mar Oaks, and from Lady Prancealot—third, a half length behind Hidden Message at Del Mar—suggests the race was of particularly high quality.

Now is her chance to add further credence to the Del Mar Oaks when she faces an overflow field of 3-year-old turf fillies that includes graded winners Apache Princess and Mucho Unusual in the $100,000 Autumn Miss Stakes (G3T) Oct. 26 at Santa Anita Park. 

In addition to the apparent strength of the Del Mar Oaks—from which Cambier Parc took the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes presented by Lane's End (G1T) and Lady Prancealot the Pin Oak Valley View Stakes (G3T)—Hidden Message previously displayed promise overseas, winning two of her first five starts in Britain and France. Among these was a stakes victory in the July 6 Coral Distaff at Sandown in her race before the Del Mar Oaks.

The Del Mar Oaks was still a defining moment, her first graded placing. A 3-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy, she is owned by Qatar Racing.

"After that race this was a race that we circled and targeted," said trainer Simon Callaghan. "Obviously it would be nice to win a graded stakes with her after her really good run in the grade 1. We've been really happy with the way she has been training."

Video: Del Mar Oaks Presented by The Jockey Club (G1T)

Besides her start in the Del Mar Oaks, Hidden Message raced in graded company overseas in France, rallying to fourth, beaten 1 1/2 lengths in the June 2 Prix De Sandringham (G2) at Chantilly. A $150,000 purchase by Hunter Valley Farm from the Legacy Bloodstock consignment at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, she has earned $107,947. Bred by Frank Hutchinson, she is out of the stakes-winning Green Desert mare Secret Charm.

Flavien Prat is back aboard the filly, who is well drawn in post 3 in the Autumn Miss, a one-mile turf test.

Four other horses from the Del Mar Oaks—Keeper Ofthe Stars, Mucho Unusual, Raymundos Secret, and  Apache Princess—also landed in the Autumn Miss entries, though Raymundos Secret is an also-eligible in need of a scratch to start. Performing best of these opponents in the Del Mar Oaks was Keeper Ofthe Stars, who finished fourth, beaten three lengths after pressing the pace. Mucho Unusual, Raymundos Secret, and Apache Princess ran seventh, eighth, and 11th, respectively.

Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Keeper Ofthe Stars followed her Del Mar Oaks effort with a confidence-building allowance victory Sept. 20 at Golden Gate Fields, where she was backed to 1-5 favoritism. After going to the front in a four-horse field, the daughter of Midnight Lute  drew away after setting comfortable splits to win by 3 1/2 lengths.

Video: Race 3 (ALW) at GG on 9/20/19

Before the Del Mar Oaks the Jonathan Wong trainee took fourth in the July 20 San Clemente Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar, a little more than a length behind 1-2 finishers Mucho Unusual and Apache Princess. 

With 12 horses in the body of the field, the Autumn Miss, the final graded stakes race of October at Santa Anita, has the potential to offer the largest stakes field to date of the current autumn meet, surpassing the Oct. 5 City Of Hope Mile (G2T), which went to post with 11 starters. It is carded as the seventh race on a nine-race card. Post time is 3:30 p.m. PDT.

Entries: Autumn Miss S. (G3T)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, October 26, 2019, Race 7

• Grade IIIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 3:45 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Apache Princess (CA)	Kent J. Desormeaux	120	J. Keith Desormeaux	12/1
2	2Alittlelesstalk (WA)	Tyler Baze	124	Roddina A. Barrett	30/1
3	3Hidden Message (KY)	Flavien Prat	124	Simon Callaghan	5/2
4	4K P Slickem (VA)	Jorge I. Velez	122	Jeff Mullins	20/1
5	5Keeper Ofthe Stars (KY)	Abel Cedillo	122	Jonathan Wong	5/1
6	6Solent (KY)	Mike E. Smith	122	Brad H. Cox	8/1
7	7Great Sister Diane (KY)	Jeffrey Sanchez	124	Rohan Crichton	6/1
8	8Holly Hundy (VA)	Norberto Arroyo, Jr.	120	Vladimir Cerin	15/1
9	9Mucho Unusual (CA)	Victor Espinoza	124	Tim Yakteen	6/1
10	10Giza Goddess (KY)	Brice Blanc	124	John A. Shirreffs	8/1
11	11Strike At Dawn (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	122	Richard Baltas	8/1
12	12Free My Soul (KY)	Martin Garcia	124	Jeffrey Metz	30/1
13	13Raymundos Secret (FL)	Geovanni Franco	120	Richard Baltas	4/1