Laura's Light Seeks Third Graded Win in San Clemente

Gary Barber's Laura's Light will attempt to add a third stakes score to her record this season when she takes on nine other 3-year-old fillies in the $150,000 San Clemente Stakes (G2T) July 25 at Del Mar. 

"Laura's Light is training great," said trainer Peter Miller. "She's training very well and she's had a couple months since her last race so she should be fit and fresh."

The daughter of Constitution  will enter Saturday's one-mile grass test off a win in the May 30 Honeymoon Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park. She opened the season with a victory in the Feb. 16 Sweet Life Stakes (G3T) at the Southern California track—the first graded win of her career. 

Laura's Light's only misstep out of the winner's circle this season came March 14 when she finished fourth in the Maxim Crane Works Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park. The Bourbonette Oaks is the only race in which Laura's Light finished off the board. The filly broke her maiden on debut at 2, followed that effort with a second in the Jimmy Durante Stakes (G3T), and closed out her freshman season with a win in the Blue Norther Stakes. 

Laura's Light will break from post 3 under jockey Abel Cedillo. 

Miller will also send out She's So Special in Saturday's race. Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the Hard Spun  filly has performed consistently in 2020 winning four of her six starts. While the San Clemente will be her first step up to graded company, She's So Special enters off a half-length score in the June 6 Desert Code Stakes at Santa Anita. 

She's So Special will leave from the rail with Flavien Prat in the irons. 

"The rail is good around two turns, she can save some ground," said Miller. "We drew good with both of them. They both have speed and they're both tactical. We're excited and both fillies are doing really well. Both have a lot of natural speed so that should serve us really well. We're expecting big efforts out of both of them."

Richard Baltas will also send out a pair of fillies in Saturday's race. Among those is Little Bird, who will be making only her fourth start in the United States for owners Baltas, Next Wave Racing, and Ritchie Robershaw. 

A daughter of Free Eagle, Little Bird opened 2020 with a win in a Jan. 31 allowance optional claiming race at Santa Anita, but finished off the board March 7 in the China Doll Stakes over the same track. 

Unraced since her last stakes effort, Little Bird most recently worked a bullet five furlongs on the Del Mar turf July 16 where she was clocked in 1:02 2/5. Ruben Fuentes will have the call from post 7. 

Leaving from the far outside post 11 for Baltas is Applecross, a daughter of Sir Prancealot  who will be making her third start in the United States. 

Owned by Medallion Racing, Next Wave Racing, and Jerry McClanahan, the filly came close to victory twice at Del Mar last year, running third in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes and fifth in the Jimmy Durante. Drayden Van Dyke will be aboard for the San Clemente. 

Also possible for the San Clemente is multiple stakes winner Warren's Showtime, a California-bred Clubhouse Ride filly. A homebred for Benjamin and Sally Warren, the filly has amassed three stakes victories this season for trainer Craig Anthony Lewis, taking the Jan. 18 California Cup Oaks, the March 7 China Doll Stakes, and June 21 Melair Stakes—all at Santa Anita. 

Warren's Showtime is cross-entered in the July 24 Fleet Treat Stakes at Del Mar. 

Entries: San Clemente S. (G2T)

Del Mar, Saturday, July 25, 2020, Race 9

• Grade IIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $150,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 6:00 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	She's So Special (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Peter Miller	-
2	Lazy Daisy (KY)	Geovanni Franco	118	Doug F. O'Neill	-
3	Laura's Light (KY)	Abel Cedillo	123	Peter Miller	-
4	Over Attracted (KY)	Mike E. Smith	118	Carla Gaines	-
5	Croughavouke (IRE)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	118	Jeff Mullins	-
6	Cheermeister (KY)	Victor Espinoza	123	Armando De la cerda	-
7	Little Bird (IRE)	Ruben Fuentes	120	Richard Baltas	-
8	Mind Out (KY)	Brice Blanc	118	Simon Callaghan	-
9	Warren's Showtime (CA)	Jorge I. Velez	123	Craig Anthony Lewis	-
10	Guitty (FR)	Juan J. Hernandez	118	Leonard Powell	-
11	Applecross (IRE)	Drayden Van Dyke	118	Richard Baltas	-