Pleasant, Third in Breeders' Cup, Favored in Las Flores

Juddmonte's lightly raced Pleasant , third in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) at Del Mar, pursues her first graded stakes win when she races against six foes in the $100,000 Las Flores Stakes (G3) Jan. 4 at Santa Anita Park.

Following her close defeat in the Breeders' Cup, in which the daughter of Munnings   was beaten a half-length by victorious Soul of an Angel  and a nose by runner-up Society , the Bob Baffert-trained Pleasant  is likely to be a decisive favorite in Saturday's six-furlong dirt race.

None of her rivals have won or hit the board above the grade 3 level in North America, though stablemate Richi  was twice a group 1 winner in Chile before she was imported to the United States. She ran second in the June 2 Desert Stormer Stakes in her lone North American race for owners Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings and Stud Vendaval and Baffert, a five-time Las Flores winner.

Besides the Breeders' Cup, Pleasant's only loss in five starts was a close second in an allowance optional claiming race in June 2023 to eventual graded stakes winner Clearly Unhinged .

As a non-stakes winner, Pleasant carries 120 pounds, four fewer than high-weighted Richi.

The chief threat to the Baffert duo is Repole Stable's Pushiness , who is 4-1-2 in eight starts and is twice a stakes winner in California-bred company for trainer Michael McCarthy.