Starlet to Test Pacific Heat

With champion-to-be Songbird out of the picture until 2016, a very tough field of nine freshman fillies will compete in the final grade I of the year in their division, the $300,000 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos Race Course Dec. 12. The Starlet, formerly run as the Hollywood Starlet at Hollywood Park, will test nine runners at  1 1/16 miles.

Pacific Heat, a California-bred by perennial Golden State leading sire Unusual Heat, has breezed in her two starts, winning her maiden by 13 1/2 lengths and the Golden State Juvenile Fillies by 5 1/4 lengths. She has won on the lead and from a stalking stance, but the water gets deeper in the Starlet.

Dual stakes winner Stays in Vegas has scored in four of her five starts, losing to eventual 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) winner Songbird in the Del Mar Debutante (gr. I). She is coming off victories in the Surfer Girl Stakes and the Pike Place Dancer, both at a mile, and has shown the ability to stalk and pounce.

Pretty N Cool is a multiple graded stakes winner, having taken the Sorrento (gr. II) at Del Mar and then the Matron (gr. II) at Belmont Park. She draws outside here, and non-believers will point to her fade in the Desi Arnaz Stakes last out, in which she finished behind several of her Starlet foes. Treasuring, from the rail here, can use her speed to grab the early advantage. She finished second in the Desi Arnaz after breaking her maiden by 7 1/4 lengths at Los Alamitos.

Street Fancy closed from far back to hit the wire a half-length behind Treasuring in the Arnaz and would benefit from a hot pace. Surfside Tiara checked in fourth in the Arnaz after having won the Anokia Stakes at Santa Anita Park. Mama's Sugar broke her maiden at first asking in sharp time going 6 1/2 furlongs and is aggressively placed here but clearly has talent.

Sutton's Smile has done most of her racing on turf and needs to prove she can handle the main track. Patriotic Diamond tries open company for the first time after winning two of four starts against Cal-breds.

Immediately preceding the Starlet, 2-year-old Cal-breds will go a flat mile in the $100,000 King Glorious Stakes. Found Money has been tough in this company and ran fourth in the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot (gr. III) last out. Glory Bound has shown speed and has run competitively in his last two at this distance. Xingontothebone will try to stretch out off an allowance optional claiming victory last out at 6 1/2 furlongs. Family Code has finished in the top three in five consecutive races and will try to stretch out his speed.