Stamina Test Awaits Tapwater in Santa Barbara

A miler throughout much of her career, LNJ Foxwoods' Tapwater  aims to turn up the heat going a mile and a half on turf in the May 8 $100,000 Santa Barbara Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park. Trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, Tapwater will be making her second career graded stakes appearance following a fourth in the Royal Heroine Stakes (G2T).

Trainer Michael McCarthy's recent allowance-level winner Go Big Blue Nation  will also be making her second stakes appearance and will command considerable attention with Umberto Rispoli aboard for the first time and another McCarthy trainee, Rideforthecause , a grade 2 winner in Canada this past September, could also figure prominently as the leading money earner. 

A 5-year-old mare by Tapit   out of the Indian Charlie  mare Fiji Moon , Tapwater was most recently beaten 3 1/4 lengths by highly respected Charmaine's Mia  going one mile on turf in the Royal Heroine at Santa Anita April 3.  A sharp classified allowance winner going a mile on grass two starts back on Feb. 12 with Flavien Prat, she'll be reunited with the meet's leading rider on Saturday and will be stretching out off of six consecutive races at one mile.

Tapwater, who will be making her third start of the year, brings an overall mark of 3-2-0 from nine races with earnings of $154,940.

Owned by Cannon Thoroughbreds, Go Big Blue Nation flew late under apprentice Alexis Centeno to win a second condition allowance on April 4 at a mile and one quarter on turf by a half-length and will hope to employ similar tactics when ridden by Rispoli for the first time. Claimed out of a maiden $75,000 victory eight starts ago in January 2020, Go Big Blue Nation, a 4-year-old filly by Animal Kingdom , owns competitive speed figures and rates a chance stretching out a quarter of a mile.

Trained in Canada by Gail Cox, Rideforthecause was an even sixth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths by multiple graded stakes winner Mucho Unusual  in her first start for McCarthy, the Robert J. Frankel Stakes (G3T) at a mile and an eighth on turf Dec. 27. Subsequently seventh, beaten seven lengths in an even effort by Charmaine's Mia in the Royal Heroine for Alpha Delta Stables, Rideforthecause will be ridden for the second time in a row by Mario Gutierrez.

A winner of the Canadian Stakes Presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2T) at a mile and an eighth over the Woodbine turf four starts back on Sept. 12, Rideforthecause was subsequently fourth as the 5-2 favorite in Woodbine's E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1T) Oct. 18 and will hope to regain her Canadian form in the Santa Barbara.  

Other threats include Neige Blanche , a group 3 winner in France who was grade 1-placed last summer and fourth in her seasonal bow in the Santa Ana Stakes (G3T), and Carpe Vinum , a close third to Go Big Blue Nation April 4 and previously fifth in the Astra Stakes (G3T) Jan. 17.

Entries: Santa Barbara S. (G3T)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, May 08, 2021, Race 7

• Grade IIIT
• 1 1/2m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:19 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Catch the Eye (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	122	David E. Hofmans	12/1
2	2Rideforthecause (ON)	Mario Gutierrez	124	Michael W. McCarthy	7/2
3	3Tapwater (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Richard E. Mandella	9/5
4	4Carpe Vinum (KY)	Jose Valdivia, Jr.	122	Philip D'Amato	5/1
5	5Star of Africa (KY)	Abel Cedillo	122	Patrick Gallagher	12/1
6	6Neige Blanche (FR)	Juan J. Hernandez	124	Leonard Powell	4/1
7	7Go Big Blue Nation (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	122	Michael W. McCarthy	4/1
8	8Dynapower (KY)	Cesar Ortega	122	Charles R. Stutts	50/1