Beautiful Gift, Moraz Duel in Santa Anita Oaks

After finishing heads apart in the March 7 Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park, Baoma Corporation's Beautiful Gift  and Don Alberto Stable's Moraz  battle again in April 3 the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks (G2).

The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita Park is a top qualifier for the April 30 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs, providing qualifying points on a 100-40-20-10 basis to its top four finishers. Eventual champion Swiss Skydiver  won the Santa Anita Oaks last year.

Beautiful Gift already has 50 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Oaks, earned in narrowly defeating Moraz in the Santa Ysabel, while the latter has 22. Twenty of Moraz's points came from her second in the Santa Ysabel and another two from a third-place finish in the Feb. 6 Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita.

Owned and bred in Kentucky by Baoma Corporation, Beautiful Gift made her first start of the year in the March 7 Santa Ysabel after receiving a freshening following a second-out maiden victory at Santa Anita Oct. 30. She rallied after pausing briefly in traffic on the second turn to catch Moraz at the wire under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who returns in the saddle Saturday.

"By the time I got her to the outside, I got her rolling, and I was hoping she would get there before the wire and she did," Velazquez said.

Beautiful Gift is trained by Bob Baffert, who won the Santa Anita Oaks in 2003 with Composure and in 1999 with Excellent Meeting.

The Michael McCarthy-trained Moraz, who appeared on her way to victory in the Santa Ysabel when in front by 1 1/2 lengths in midstretch, made Beautiful Gift's win easier by either tiring or idling in the lane once taking the lead.

Her jockey, Umberto Rispoli, also came under criticism on social media for looking over his right shoulder for the competition with about 70 yards remaining.

"For sure will not look good at all, but at the time I knew it, then I was in trouble," Rispoli responded on Twitter. "She completed (stopped). (I'll) agree with you again, that's something to show at racing academy (what a jockey doesn't have to do.) Out of that I will get beat anyway."

Moraz and Rispoli break Saturday from the rail.

There is little apparent speed in the lineup, with the graded-placed Brilliant Cut  perhaps the one most likely to go to the lead, coming off a second-place finish in an allowance optional claiming turf sprint.

Soothsay , a Distorted Humor   filly who stylishly won her only start Feb. 26 at Santa Anita going six furlongs, breezed six furlongs locally in a bullet 1:11 2/5 March 26, leaving a workmate far behind. Owned by Claiborne Farm, Perry Bass, Ramona Bass, and Adele Dilschneider, she is trained by Richard Mandella, a three-time Santa Anita Oaks winner, capturing it most recently in 2017 with Paradise Woods .

Soothsay's dam, the Bernardini   mare Spellbound , won the 1 1/16-mile La Canada Stakes (G2) in 2014 at Santa Anita.

Godolphin's Javanica , a Medaglia d'Oro   filly trained by Eoin Harty with four stakes placings on turf and synthetic surfaces, rounds out the five-horse field.

Entries: Santa Anita Oaks (G2)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, April 03, 2021, Race 6

• Grade II
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 2:48 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Moraz (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	124	Michael W. McCarthy	8/5
2	2Brilliant Cut (KY)	Abel Cedillo	124	Doug F. O'Neill	8/1
3	3Soothsay (KY)	Flavien Prat	124	Richard E. Mandella	6/1
4	4Javanica (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Eoin G. Harty	5/2
5	5Beautiful Gift (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	Bob Baffert	9/5