Private Mission Sprints in La Brea After Distaff Fade

The adage that "pace makes the race" was reinforced in the 1 1/8-mile Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Del Mar Nov. 6. Taxed by furious fractions, the fillies and mares racing 1-2-3-4 after the first six furlongs retreated to finish in the middle or rear of the field of 11, and Marche Lorraine  rallied from ninth to score an upset at 49-1 odds.

Now the horse who carved out Distaff splits of :21.84, :44.97, and 1:09.70—eventual last-place finisher Private Mission —will try to regroup in the $300,000 La Brea Stakes (G1) Dec. 26 at Santa Anita Park. The 3-year-old daughter of Into Mischief   also cuts back to seven furlongs and returns to a Santa Anita main track where she is perfect in three starts.

Further likely to boost her chances is a move to face lesser competition. Though the La Brea is a grade 1 like the Breeders' Cup Distaff, it is a significantly easier race as it's restricted to 3-year-old fillies. She and stablemate Kalypso  are the lone graded stakes winners in the expected seven-horse field, compared with a Distaff lineup that included standouts such as Letruska , Malathaat , and Shedaresthedevil .

Like her dam Private Gift, Private Mission is a stakes winner, having captured the Torrey Pines Stakes (G3) this summer at Del Mar before adding the Oct. 3 Zenyatta Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita, a Breeders' Cup Distaff "Win and You're In" Challenge race. In each of those two stakes victories going two turns, she settled just off the leader before taking command and drawing away. She won the Torrey Pines by 6 1/2 lengths and the Zenyatta by 2 1/4 lengths, both under Flavien Prat, who returns Sunday.

"She's on the improve, getting better and better," trainer Bob Baffert said following the Zenyatta.

She is one of two talented daughters of leading sire Into Mischief in the La Brea, the other being Spendthrift Farm's stakes-placed Missy P. , a comebacker trained by Richard Mandella.

"She just had a big work (seven furlongs in 1:25 Dec. 19), a real nice work, so we're going to give it a go," Mandella said. 

With a 4-for-6 record and earnings of $256,800, Baoma Corp.'s Private Mission is the second richest entrant in the La Brea behind Rockingham Ranch, David Bernsen, Chad Littlefield, and Gainesway Stable's Kalypso, who is 2-3-2 in eight starts with a race-topping $300,600 bankroll.

The latter hasn't raced since eased in the April 30 Eight Belles Stakes Presented by Smithfield (G2) at Churchill Downs. Though the Equibase chart noted that she bled, the blood that was visible was from an injury in the starting gate, according to Bernsen. He said jockey Joel Rosario indicated she acted up in the gate and smashed her face.  

Last year at 2, she won the Anoakia Stakes and placed in the Starlet Stakes (G1). Then at 3 she won the seven-furlong Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) and showed speed and faded but hit the board in the Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) and Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) when racing in routes.

She has trained quickly for Baffert leading up to her return. Her trainer, a seven-time La Brea winner, has named John Velazquez to ride the daughter of Brody's Cause  .

Leading the opposition are B-4 Farms Canoodling  and Hronis Racing's Livingmybestlife , both of whom notched minor stakes wins in their previous starts.

Stakes-placed runners Eddie's New Dream  and Brilliant Cut  complete the lineup.

Entries: La Brea S. (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, December 26, 2021, Race 8

• Grade I
• 7f
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 2:44 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Canoodling (KY)	Roimes Chirinos	120	Mike Puype	8/1
2	2Eddie's New Dream (CA)	Mario Gutierrez	120	Ben D. A. Cecil	15/1
3	3Kalypso (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Bob Baffert	5/1
4	4Private Mission (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Bob Baffert	8/5
5	5Missy P. (KY)	Mike E. Smith	120	Richard E. Mandella	5/2
6	6Brilliant Cut (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Doug F. O'Neill	12/1
7	7Livingmybestlife (FL)	Juan J. Hernandez	120	John W. Sadler	7/2