Edgeway, Private Mission Vie in Five-Horse Las Flores

In a matchup of two highly regarded older female dirt runners March 13 at Santa Anita Park, Edgeway  and Private Mission  battle in a five-horse field in the $100,000 Las Flores Stakes (G3) over six furlongs.

Hronis Racing's Edgeway has form on her side. She was second in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) Nov. 6 at Del Mar and later proved victorious over Merneith  in the ungraded Kalookan Queen Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita Jan. 2. John Velazquez returns aboard the 4-5 morning-line favorite.

A 5-year-old mare by Competitive Edge   out of the Stormin Fever mare Magical Solution , Edgeway will be seeking her second graded stakes victory after taking the Rancho Bernardo Handicap (G3) last summer for trainer John Sadler. She has earnings of $596,360 from a 6-2-1 record in 10 starts.

Triumphant by 1 3/4 lengths in gate-to-wire fashion at 2-5 odds in the Kalookan Queen, her win looks even better following runner-up Merneith's next-out win in the Santa Monica Stakes (G2) Feb. 5 at Santa Anita.

Private Mission, owned by Baoma Corp. and trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, won a pair of graded races during the second half of 2021 but enters Sunday's race off a pair of subpar races. After tiring to last after setting a hot pace in the Nov. 6 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Del Mar, she finished sixth in the La Brea Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Dec. 26. She encountered early trouble in La Brea and raced farther off the pace than usual.

A 4-year-old filly by Into Mischief   out of the Unbridled mare Private Gift , Private Mission didn't breeze in January but resumed working in February and has since recorded five drills, the most recent of which was a three-furlong move in a bullet :35 3/5 March 9.

Juan Hernandez rides the rail-drawn 6-5 morning-line shot, who typically races longer than six furlongs but won her only prior start at the distance.

With four wins from seven starts, she has earnings of $257,300.

Only three other entrants are in the Las Flores to take on the favorites, resulting in the Santa Anita racing department placing it as the opener on the eight-race card.

Hronis Racing and Sadler have a second representative in the grade 3-placed Park Avenue , who most recently was a distant fourth in the Santa Monica. Tyler Baze is aboard the Quality Road   filly, a 10-1 outsider.

The remaining two participants exit turf sprints: Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Dynasty of Her Own , and S3L's Aloha Kitten , a former $12,500 claimer in search of black-type. Jonathan Wong trains 8-1 Dynasty of Her Own, who has recorded 10 of her 11 victories on synthetic, while Doug O'Neill trains 15-1 Aloha Kitten.

Ricky Gonzalez rides Dynasty of Her Own. Flavien Prat picks up the mount on Aloha Kitten.

Entries: Las Flores S. (G3)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, March 13, 2022, Race 1

• Grade III
• 6f
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 12:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Private Mission (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	124	Bob Baffert	6/5
2	2Park Avenue (KY)	Tyler Baze	120	John W. Sadler	10/1
3	3Edgeway (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	John W. Sadler	4/5
4	4Dynasty of Her Own (KY)	Ricardo Gonzalez	122	Jonathan Wong	8/1
5	5Aloha Kitten (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Doug F. O'Neill	15/1