Lady Prancealot Finds Opportunity in American Oaks

Though Christmas is over, a gift awaits the winner—and those able to earn a grade 1 placing by finishing second or third—in the $300,000 American Oaks (G1T) Dec. 28 at Santa Anita Park. 

This gift is one of opportunity. As a top-tier stakes race, it offers prestige, a rewarding purse, and residual value-increasing potential without the competition typically found at the upper level. Of the eight 3-year-old fillies in the age-restricted turf event, only three are existing graded winners and none in a grade 1.

That leaves Lady Prancealot, a 10-1 winner of the Pin Oak Valley View Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland in her previous start Oct. 18, as the 2-1 favorite over fellow graded winners Mucho Unusual and Apache Princess, plus stakes winner Giza Goddess and the multiple grade 1-placed Vibrance. The three others are outsiders.

Video: Pin Oak Valley View S. (G3T)

Irish-bred Lady Prancealot, imported to the U.S. from Britain in the summer of 2018, has enjoyed the most rewarding 2019 of any entrant, making $310,700 of her $367,841 bankroll this year for owners Craig and Josie Arntz, Donald Durando, Jerry McClanahan, and Jules and Michael Iavarone. Besides her victory in the Valley View, in which she rallied wide to defeat 13 rivals, she won the Honeymoon Stakes (G3T) on the Santa Anita turf June 1 and an allowance race there Feb. 1.

Though she lacks a win at the 1 1/4-mile distance of the American Oaks, the daughter of Sir Prancealot  won at 1 1/8 miles in the Honeymoon.

Five of her seven rivals have only won as far as a mile, and the other, longshot Pretty Point, at 1 1/16 miles in recording her lone victory in a Sept. 29 maiden contest at Golden Gate Fields.

This is Lady Prancealot's third attempt in a grade 1, having previously finished 14th in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) in the fall of 2018 at Churchill Downs and third in the Del Mar Oaks Presented by The Jockey Club (G1T) this past summer at Del Mar.

Joe Bravo, aboard for the Valley View, returns in the irons for trainer Richard Baltas, who won the 2015 American Oaks with Spanish Queen.

Giza Goddess and Mucho Unusual possess the most recent grade 1 experience, finishing eighth and ninth, respectively, Dec. 1 against classy older mares Got Stormy, Daddy Is a Legend and Juliet Foxtrot in the Matriarch Stakes (G1) at Del Mar. Giza Goddess won the Blue Norther Stakes at Santa Anita last December, defeating a group that included Lady Prancealot; while Mucho Unusual took the July 20 San Clemente Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar in her career highlight.

John Shirreffs, trainer of Giza Goddess, won back-to-back renewals of the American Oaks with Harmonious (2010) and Nereid (2011).

Making her swan song is Vibrance, whose breeding rights have been sold to Shadai Farm in Japan, said co-owner Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

Second last year in the Chandelier Stakes (G1) and third in the Tito's Handmade Vodka Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), she sputtered thereafter before displaying renewed energy in her past couple of starts—both on turf, the last of which was a ground-saving third in traffic in the 1 3/8-mile Red Carpet Handicap (G3T) against older mares Nov. 30 at Del Mar.

Video: Red Carpet H. (G3T)

"We think we've figured out that she wants to be a marathon filly on the turf," Wellman said.

Abel Cedillo rides the daughter of Violence  out of the Dynaformer mare Block, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Donna and Jim Daniell and trained by Michael McCarthy.

Post time for the American Oaks, race 6 as part of an 11-race card with seven stakes, is 1:44 p.m. PST. 

Entries: American Oaks (G1T)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, December 28, 2019, Race 6

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Downhill turf
• $300,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 1:44 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1So Much Happy (KY)	Tiago Josue Pereira	124	George Papaprodromou	30/1
2	2Apache Princess (CA)	Javier Castellano	124	J. Keith Desormeaux	5/1
3	3Mucho Unusual (CA)	Joel Rosario	124	Tim Yakteen	4/1
4	4K P Slickem (VA)	Jorge I. Velez	124	Jeff Mullins	15/1
5	5Lady Prancealot (IRE)	Joe Bravo	124	Richard Baltas	2/1
6	6Pretty Point (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Patrick Gallagher	30/1
7	7Giza Goddess (KY)	Victor Espinoza	124	John A. Shirreffs	7/2
8	8Vibrance (LA)	Abel Cedillo	124	Michael W. McCarthy	3/1