The Wild Grazer May Feast in China Doll

The Jeff Mullins-trained The Wild Grazer , a neck shy of being unbeaten in three Southern California starts, leads a competitive field of seven 3-year-old fillies in the $100,000 China Doll Stakes March 18 at a mile over the Santa Anita Park turf. 

Second, beaten a neck as the 2-1 favorite in the one-mile turf Lady of Shamrock Stakes at Santa Anita Feb. 12, The Wild Grazer, in her U.S. debut three starts back at Del Mar Nov. 24, was a 2 1/4-length maiden winner versus eight rivals going five furlongs on grass.

Owned by Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, The Wild Grazer made no mistakes as the 9-5 favorite in a first-level allowance optional claimer going about 6 1/2 furlongs on turf Jan. 8, winning by 1 1/4 lengths.

In what will be her third start of the meet, The Wild Grazer, who was winless in two starts this past summer in Ireland, has an overall mark of 2-1-1 in five starts and will again be ridden by leading rider Juan Hernandez.

Leading trainer Phil D'Amato has three entrants, led by a pair of Irish-breds: local stakes winner Comanche Country  and Paris Secret , who will make her U.S. debut after a debut win in Ireland last fall.

Far and away the leading money earner in the field with $241,287, Comanche Country has been idle since finishing a respectable seventh, beaten 5 3/4 lengths in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) Nov. 4 at Keeneland.

A winner of her U.S. debut as the 9-5 favorite in a one-mile maiden turf race at Del Mar July 30, Comanche Country then took two one-mile turf stakes, the ungraded Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf Sept. 10 and Santa Anita's Surfer Girl Stakes (G3T) Oct. 9 before running at Keeneland.

Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, and Marsha Naify, Comanche Country will be ridden for the fifth consecutive time by Umberto Rispoli in a bid to record her fourth victory.

Strand Beach's Paris Secret would appear to have ample upside with 2019 Eclipse Award-winning Apprentice Kazushi Kimura up. She has trained regularly at Santa Anita Park leading up to her first U.S. start. Her most recent breeze a five-furlong workout in 1:00 1/5 March 13.

Third, beaten three-quarters of a length by the top selection in the Feb. 12 Lady of Shamrock, Peter Eurton's Florida-bred Princess Bettina  was fourth, beaten 2 3/4 lengths by The Wild Grazer coming down the hill two starts back Jan. 8. The Donald Dizney-owned filly faces her for the third time in a row on Saturday with Frankie Dettori riding for the first time.

Havana Angel , Fast and Shiny , and Tea N Conversation  round out the field.

Entries: China Doll S.

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, March 18, 2023, Race 7

• STK
• 1m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 3:31 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Paris Secret (IRE)	Kazushi Kimura	120	Philip D'Amato	5/1
2	2Havana Angel (IRE)	Hector Isaac Berrios	120	Leonard Powell	15/1
3	3The Wild Grazer (IRE)	Juan J. Hernandez	120	Jeff Mullins	5/2
4	4Fast and Shiny (KY)	Ramon A. Vazquez	120	Bob Baffert	6/1
5	5Tea N Conversation (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	Michael W. McCarthy	5/1
6	6Princess Bettina (FL)	Lanfranco Dettori	120	Peter Eurton	5/1
7	7Comanche Country (IRE)	Umberto Rispoli	124	Philip D'Amato	8/5