Stakes-Winning Eda the Speed of Del Mar's Desi Arnaz

Eda  and Lady T , 1-2 in the six-furlong Anoakia Stakes last month at Santa Anita Park, meet again Nov. 13 at a different venue and over an extra sixteenth of a mile. The two juvenile fillies are among five entered in the $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes going 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar.

Baoma Corp.'s Eda, victorious by 2 1/4 lengths at 1-5 odds in the Anoakia, again looms a short-priced favorite. Two of her four rivals are maidens, and one of those with wins, Endless Thirst , did so in a slow time against California-breds at Los Alamitos Race Course.

This will be the 34th running of the Desi Arnaz, though only its seventh local edition of the race. The first 27 runnings took place as the Moccasin Stakes at the now-demolished Hollywood Park, where the National Football League's SoFi Stadium currently sits.

Eda, a daughter of Munnings  , races out of the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, a seven-time Del Mar training champ, a 14-time winner of the Del Mar Futurity (G1), and a dual winner of the Desi Arnaz. The bay miss, a $550,000 purchase from Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, has two wins and a second in four starts. Besides her victory in the Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita Oct. 24, she was a close runner-up in the Sorrento Stakes (G2) at Del Mar in August.

The 3-5 morning-line favorite will be ridden Saturday by Flavien Prat. She is the lone entrant in an inexperienced cast who has raced close to the pace early.

"She's pretty quick. She has a lot of speed," Prat said after she won the Anoakia.

Baffert also will run Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith's Under the Stars  (Pioneerof the Nile), a fast-closing debut third who adds blinkers for her second start.

Abel Cedillo rides the half sister to 2012 Arkansas Derby (G1) winner and Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) runner-up Bodemeister  .

Tonito's  also unleashed a powerful late kick to win her debut, doing so over six furlongs on the grass at Santa Anita Oct. 23. The Blame   filly went from 10th to first in the final quarter-mile to triumph by a length under Mario Gutierrez. She races for trainer Doug O'Neill and owners Anderson Farms, ERJ Racing, Reddam Racing, John Fielding, and Ryan Lloyd.

Lady T (Into Mischief  ) was second to Eda in the Anoakia and more than seven lengths ahead of her next closest rival. The $235,000 2020 Keeneland September Yearling buy raced by Jerry and Tina Moss comes out of the barn of trainer John Shirreffs. She was also second, beaten a nose, in a maiden race at Del Mar Sept. 5 in her only other start. She breaks from the fence under Victor Espinoza.

Lady T is the 7-2 third choice in the race behind second favorite Under the Stars at 5-2. Tonito's is 8-1 and Endless Thirst 30-1.

Entries: Desi Arnaz S.

Del Mar, Saturday, November 13, 2021, Race 8

• STK
• 6 1/2f
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 4:00 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Lady T (KY)	Victor Espinoza	118	John A. Shirreffs	7/2
2	2Endless Thirst (CA)	Tyler Baze	120	Edwin G. Alvarez	30/1
3	3Under the Stars (KY)	Abel Cedillo	118	Bob Baffert	5/2
4	4Tonito's (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	120	Doug F. O'Neill	8/1
5	5Eda (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Bob Baffert	3/5