Elm Drive, Dance to the Music Regroup in Desert Stormer

A grade 2 stakes winner in her second start at 2, Phil D'Amato trainee Elm Drive , idle since well beaten Sept. 24 at Pimlico Race Course, returns to Southern California and heads five older fillies and mares sprinting six furlongs March 25 in the $100,000 Desert Stormer Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park. 

 A 4-year-old filly by Mohaymen   out of the Indian Charlie  mare Lets Dance Charlie , Elm Drive's last Southern California start was a third-place performance in the Great Lady M Stakes (G2) at Los Alamitos Race Course last July. Subsequently distanced in the Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 6, she then showed early speed but checked in sixth, beaten 11 1/2 lengths in an ungraded stakes going six furlongs at Pimlico Sept. 24.  Both of her starts in the Northeast were with trainer Michelle Nevin.

A 2 1/4-length winner going seven furlongs at Santa Anita in the ungraded Angels Flight Stakes four starts back last May, Elm Drive, who is owned by Little Red Feather Racing, will be ridden for the first time by Ramon Vazquez as she seeks her third stakes win and her fourth overall from nine starts. 

The leading money earner in the field with $228,140, Elm Drive has six works on her tab at Los Alamitos and two most recently at Santa Anita, where her last work was five furlongs on the main track in 1:00 2/5 March 20. 

"Ramon breezed her last time and thought she was ready to go," D'Amato said. "She drew a nice outside post, which should help, and I'm sure he'll have her out there in a nice forward position."

Elm Drive made just four starts last year. Her biggest victory came as a 2-year-old in the 2021 Sorrento Stakes (G2) at Del Mar.

Never a factor in a 6 1/2-furlong hillside turf allowance optional claiming race Feb. 20, Mark Glatt trainee and the grade 1-placed Dance to the Music  switches back to dirt and will be making her second start off a nearly six-month vacation in the Desert Stormer. A well-beaten second in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) in her second start at 2, Dance to the Music, a 4-year-old filly by Maclean's Music  , sold for $575,000 at the 2021 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. She will be making her ninth start on Saturday and looks to rebound from three straight losses by 11 lengths or more.

Owned by Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, Dance to the Music has two wins and as many seconds and will be ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez. 

Stakes-placed once on dirt and once on turf and raced exclusively on grass in her last 10 starts, trainer Keith Desormeaux trainee Stella Noir  returns to the main track in search of her first career stakes victory in what will be her 18th start. 

A first-out maiden 6 1/2-furlong winner on dirt at Santa Anita two years ago on March 19, 2021, Stella Noir is 1-1-2 from seven tries on dirt and will likely hope for a stalking trip with Luis Contreras up for the first time.  A 6 1/2-furlong hillside turf allowance optional claiming winner two starts back on Jan. 13, Stella Noir is a 5-year-old mare by Stay Thirsty   out of the Cuvee  mare Guadalupe High . 

Owned and bred in Kentucky by Rose Hill Farm, Desormeaux, Wayne Detmar, and Gene Voss, Stella Noir is 3-3-3 overall in 17 starts with earnings of $207,642. 

The field is completed by two longer-priced runners from the Steve Knapp barn, Violent Runner  and Half Past Twelve .

Entries: Desert Stormer S. (G3)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, March 25, 2023, Race 8

• Grade III
• 6f
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:37 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Violent Runner (KY)	Edwin A. Maldonado	120	Steve R. Knapp	4/1
2	2Half Past Twelve (ON)	Tiago Josue Pereira	120	Steve R. Knapp	8/1
3	3Dance to the Music (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	120	Mark Glatt	3/1
4	4Elm Drive (KY)	Ramon A. Vazquez	124	Philip D'Amato	6/5
5	5Stella Noir (KY)	Luis Contreras	120	J. Keith Desormeaux	3/1