Fantastic Style Seeks Great Lady M. Repeat

Kaleem Shah's Fantastic Style took the 2015 edition of the Great Lady M. Stakes (gr. II) in commanding fashion and will look for a repeat performance April 23 in the race's renewal at Los Alamitos Race Course.

Trained by Bob Baffert, the daughter of Harlan's Holiday pulled away to win the 6 1/2 furlong event last July by 3 1/2 lengths, as a 3-year-old against older fillies and mares. She showed no signs of rust off a more than nine-month layoff in another clear score (four lengths) in the Las Flores (gr. III) March 20 at Santa Anita Park. She has earned $332,000 for her connections in seven starts and has yet to finish off the board, with a 5-1-1 record.

BALAN: Fantastic Style Dominant in Las Flores Score

Terry Lovingier's Lost Bus appears to be the main challenger and is riding a two-race winning streak. The California-bred daughter of Bring the Heat trained by Gary Sherlock broke through two starts back with a head victory in the Santa Monica (gr. II) at odds of 64-1 in January. She came back for another tight victory—a nose, this time—in an allowance March 11 at Santa Anita.

BALAN: Lost Bus Speeds to 64-1 Santa Monica Shocker

The only other graded stakes winner in the field is Doubledown Stables' Ben's Duchess, who took the L.A. Woman (gr. III) in October, but finished second to Fantastic Style in the Las Flores last time out and came in ninth behind Lost Bus in the Santa Monica.

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has entered a trio of stakes winners in Thirteen Arrows, Dr. Fager's Gal, and Minks Aprise, and each back story varies significantly.

Fox Hill Farms' Thirteen Arrows, a 5-year-old Indian Charlie mare, will be making her first start for Hollendorfer after stints with Chad Brown and Larry Jones. During that time, Thirteen Arrows ran to a 6-2-1 record from 11 starts at 10 different racetracks. She won the Pan Zareta Stakes at Fairgrounds Race Course & Slots and Zia Park Distaff at Zia Park—along with allowance scores at Keeneland and Monmouth Park—in 2015, and had victories at Delaware Park and Belmont Park in 2014.

Dr. Fager's Gal hasn't shown much in her last three attempts (all stakes), but arguably ran her best race at Los Alamitos in September of 2015, when the Wild Desert filly earned her lone stakes win by 3 3/4 lengths in the Beverly J. Lewis.

Minks Aprise hasn't raced at Los Alamitos in her eight-race career, but the Northern Afleet   filly defeated her stablemate Dr. Fager's Gal  (fourth) in the Camilla Urso Stakes last time out March 19 at Golden Gate Fields.

Finest City, second to Los Bus in the Santa Monica, completes the field.