Three Witches, Kirstenbosch Return in Santa Monica

Class vs. recency might be the primary question in the Feb. 3 Santa Monica Stakes (G2), a seven-furlong affair for older fillies and mares at Santa Anita Park. Two runners are coming out of a third and a fifth in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) three months ago, while two others finished first and second in the Jan. 1 Las Flores Stakes (G3).

Three Witches  and Kirstenbosch  have not raced since the Breeders' Cup when Three Witches ran third and Kirstenbosch fifth behind winner and female sprint champion Goodnight Olive , who locked up a second championship in that race.

Saffie Joseph Jr. trained Three Witches, a daughter of Into Mischief  , through the Breeders' Cup. Under Joseph's tutelage, Three Witches also won the Oct. 7 Princess Rooney Invitational Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

Six days after the Breeders' Cup, Three Witches sold at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale for $1.7 million to an Australian ownership group in the name of RIFA Mustang Europe. It was the top price of the sale's third session and the fifth-highest price of the entire sale. Yuesheng Zhang is her owner of record in the Santa Monica.

Between the Breeders' Cup and the Keeneland sale, Goodnight Olive co-topped The November Sale at Fasig-Tipton, selling for $6 million to John Stewart.

Michael McCarthy now trains 5-year-old Three Witches. Flavien Prat will ride the mare for the first time. She drew post 3.

"She's trained forwardly since we've had her," McCarthy said. "She's a mare that does everything right. Her works have been very professional. We're looking for a good effort."

Kirstenbosch races for her breeder, Keith Abrahams, and is trained by John Sadler. Though she is coming off her fifth at seven furlongs in the Breeders' Cup and won the 6 1/2-furlong Chillingworth Stakes (G3) before that, Kirstenbosch has the versatility to win around two turns and on the turf. She broke her maiden in 2022 at 1 1/8 miles on turf and captured the La Canada Stakes (G3) a year ago at 1 1/16 miles on dirt. Regular rider Hector Berrios will pilot Kirstenbosch from post 2.

Challengers From the Las Flores

At six furlongs just a month ago, the Las Flores brings a different segment to the Santa Monica. California-bred Chismosa  posted a 1 1/4-length win over Florida-bred Hot Peppers  in the Las Flores, only to run fourth 12 days later against state-bred company in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint Stakes on the Santa Anita hillside turf course.

Chismosa and Hot Peppers return in the Santa Monica, as does Cal-bred Rose Maddox , winner of the Sunshine Millions. 

The Las Flores was Chismosa's first stakes victory since she won two California-bred stakes as a 2-year-old in 2022. Rafael DeLeon trains the daughter of Clubhouse Ride  and has named Tiago Pereira to ride from post 5.

Steve Miyadi conditions Rose Maddox, a daughter of Grazen  owned and bred by Nick Alexander. Rose Maddox has won four stakes—three on turf and one on Golden Gate Fields' synthetic main track. However, after the Sunshine Millions, Miyadi said, "as good as she's run on turf, I actually think she's better on dirt."

Umberto Rispoli is set to ride from post 4.

Hot Peppers was making her first start for trainer Phil D'Amato in the Las Flores and her first start in 16 months. Before that, in the East, the 5-year-old mare won the 2022 Victory Ride Stakes (G3) and Jersey Girl Stakes and ran second in that year's Test Stakes (G1).

D'Amato also trains Cliquish , who has won two of nine starts but has been unplaced in her only two stakes attempts.