Toupie Returns to Santa Anita for Las Cienegas Stakes

Multiple stakes winner Toupie  returns to the site of her finest victory to date when she lines up for the $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes (G3T) Jan. 12 at Santa Anita Park.

The newly turned 4-year-old had dazzled in her first outing over Santa Anita's unique downhill turf course, dashing to a 1 1/2-length gate-to-wire score under Flavien Prat, who has the mount again on the filly for Sunday's race.

Toupie followed up her 103 Equibase Speed Figure-earning tally with a better-than-it-looked fourth-place finish in the Nov. 8 Autumn Days Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack after swinging five wide turning for home. Trained by Graham Motion for breeders Wertheimer and Frere, the daughter of Uncle Mo should land a better trip when breaking from post 3 as the speed to the inside in the field of 10 older fillies and mares.

Locally based trainer Doug O'Neill will saddle three in the 6 1/2-furlong Las Cienegas, including two winners over the downhill turf course in Just Nails  and Miss Lizzy .

Miss Lizzy, a 5-year-old daughter of Classic Empire , became a stakes winner in the Mizdirection Stakes in May after settling for runner-up honors to Ag Bullet  over the course in the Monrovia Stakes (G3T). She has been winless in two starts since the Mizdirection, and exits a fourth-place effort in the Swingtime Stakes at Del Mar.

Button Stable and George Hicker's Just Nails ran within a second of the downhill turf course record when capturing a second-level allowance optional claiming contest in October.