Seismic Beauty Looks for Second Santa Margarita

It will be hard to top Randy and Jenny Boyd's first trip to Santa Anita Park, where they witnessed Splendora , a mare they co-own with Michael Talla, win the B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile Stakes (G1). But the Boyds have another chance at a Santa Anita graded stakes in the $200,000 Santa Margarita Stakes (G2) May 30 with Seismic Beauty , who they own outright in the name of their Boyd Racing.

"They're fun and they have a lot of energy," said Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who trains Seismic Beauty and Splendora for the Boyds. "They never thought they'd be in the horse business. They want to have mares and race. They love the horses."

This won't be 5-year-old Seismic Beauty's first attempt at the 1 1/8-mile Santa Margarita. She is the defending champion, having won it last year when owned by MyRacehorse and Peter Leidel. Baffert has trained Seismic Beauty throughout her career, and the trainer is going for his fourth consecutive win in the race. Prior to Seismic Beauty, Baffert-trained Adare Manor  won back-to-back editions in 2023 and 2024. Baffert also won the race in 2021 with As Time Goes By  and in 2017 with Vale Dori .

After the 2025 Santa Margarita, Seismic Beauty added the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) at Del Mar, earning an automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. A bobble at the start compromised her chances in that race, however, and she was eased at the wire. Two days later at Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale in Kentucky, bloodstock agency Killora/Linton bought Seismic Beauty for the Boyds for $2.5 million.

"I told (the Boyds), 'Look, if you're going to bring her back, she needs 90 days off,'" Baffert said. "They freshened her up, and she came back in and is better than ever."

Seismic Beauty, a Maryland-bred daughter of Uncle Mo, gets her regular pilot, Juan Hernandez, and drew post 3 against four others.

Those rivals include quick-returning California-bred champion Om N Joy , who ran seventh on the turf in the May 23 Fran's Valentine Stakes against California-bred and California-sired fillies and mares.

Discussing the return on a week's rest, "I thought this was a perfect opportunity to do it," trainer Aggie Ordonez said. "She's a big, strong filly, sound. And I like the way the race could potentially set up for her with a lot of speed."

A 4-year-old, Om N Joy has five lifetime victories, all on the dirt. Four of those wins came in stakes, including the 2025 Torrey Pines Stakes (G3) at Del Mar. Her stakes placings include a third behind Splendora in the Beholder. 

Trainer Michael McCarthy, who won the May 25 Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T) with Formidable Man , brings Simply Joking  to the Santa Margarita. The 4-year-old Pennsylvania-bred filly is coming off a 6 3/4-length win in the April 19 Santa Maria Stakes (G3). Prior to that, she ran fourth in the Beholder. A stakes winner at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in early 2025 before McCarthy began training her, Simply Joking has placed in three stakes, including a second in the 2025 Fantasy Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park.

Lemon Muffin , trained by Patrick Gallagher and the only Kentucky-bred in the field, ran third in the Santa Maria. The 5-year-old mare was one of the last horses trained by the late D. Wayne Lukas and won the 2024 Honeybee Stakes (G3) for him at Oaklawn. 

California-bred Lavender Love , trained by Richard Baltas, is making her stakes debut and rounds out the field.