Thegirlinthatsong Facing Tough Baffert Trio

Thegirlinthatsong will look to claim her second straight graded stakes victory in the $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes (gr. II) Feb. 14 at Santa Anita Park.

A well-matched field of 10 older fillies and mares that includes a trio from the Bob Baffert barn await the upset La Canada Stakes (gr. II) winner Saturday. The 1 1/16-mile Santa Maria is race 8 on the card with a tentative post time of 4 p.m. PST.



Bred in Texas by Clarence Sharbauer Jr. and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, 4-year-old Thegirlinthatsong scored at odds of 6-1 Jan. 17 at Santa Anita. Under leading jockey Rafael Bejarano, who returns for his fifth straight ride on the filly, Thegirlinthatsong won by an impressive 4 1/2 lengths in the La Canada after stalking the pace.

Thegirlinthatsong is a five-time winner in 19 starts with earnings of $407,695 for Gatto Racing and partners.



The only other graded stakes winners in the field are Bob Baffert-trained Tiz Midnight and Awesome Baby. Baffert has also entered a sharp Sweet Marini, second last time out in the Santa Monica Stakes (gr. II) for owner Kaleem Shah.



Tiz Midnight is owned by breeders Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, as well as Mike Pegram. The Kentucky-bred won the Bayakoa Stakes (gr. II) at Los Alamitos Race Course Dec. 12, defeating Warren's Veneda—another entrant in the Santa Maria—by a head.

But the 5-year-old daughter of Midnight Lute   took a significant step back last time out, finishing sixth—15 1/2 lengths behind winning Warren's Veneda—in the Paseana Stakes on a wet fast surface at Santa Anita Jan. 11. Jockey Victor Espinoza will be in the irons for the pair's eighth straight race.



Thegirlinthatsong, in post 2, and Tiz Midnight, in post 3, will each carry the top weight assignment of 123 pounds, while the rest of the field will carry 118.



The speedy Awesome Baby will break from post 8 after winning two graded stakes as a 3-year-old in 2014, the Santa Ynez Stakes (gr. II) and Santa Ysabel Stakes (gr. III), both at Santa Anita. The Awesome Again   filly was on a three-race winning streak after also taking the listed Sunland Park Oaks last March before going to the sidelines for nine months.

In her return Dec. 28 she once again led but weakened to fifth in the listed Kalookan Queen Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Bred in Kentucky, the 4-year-old will also lose Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who has been aboard in her last four races. Smith will be at Golden Gate Fields Saturday to ride Conquest Typhoon in the El Camino Real Derby (gr. III). Flavien Prat, who has nine wins in 56 mounts this year, will take Smith's place on Awesome Baby, who had a bullet workout Feb. 3, running a half mile in :46 4/5.



Warren's Veneda, a 5-year-old sired by Affirmative, might be hitting her stride late in her career. The California-bred mare, trained by Craig Lewis and owned by breeder Benjamin Warren, not only broke a nine-race losing streak with the Paseana win, but also had a bullet workout Feb. 5, when she ran five furlongs in :59 4/5.

Out of Flying Continental mare More Cal Bread, Warren's Vaneda also tops the field in career earnings with $467,612. Tyler Baze will be aboard once again.



Beyond Warren's Vendeda are outside contenders Yahilwa, Uzziel and Legacy, who could challenge Awesome Baby for the early lead. Stalkers Backintheacademy and Valiant Emilia need closing bids to spring an upset.