Paradise Woods Steps Up for Santa Anita Oaks

In the days following four-time champion Beholder's departure from the barn of Richard Mandella, the Hall of Fame trainer was asked a simple question—what's next?

It didn't take long for Mandella to respond on the Santa Anita Park apron, where he was observing morning workouts.

"Well, we like this filly," Mandella said directly.

That's as ringing an endorsement as you'll ever get from Mandella on a filly who hadn't raced yet, but a few months and two starts later, Steven Sarkowsky and Martin and Pam Wygod's Paradise Woods has found her way into top-level competition in the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks (G1).

By Union Rags  , Paradise Woods ran well but didn't win her debut Jan. 26 at Santa Anita—as highly regarded Mandella prospects are wont to do (Beholder lost her debut as well)—then came back to win impressively March 11 in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race under jockey Flavien Prat.

Stakes competition, especially at the grade 1 level, is a serious step up for the Kentucky-bred filly, but with the absence of superstar Unique Bella, who will miss both the Santa Anita Oaks and Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) because of a shin injury, the prospects look a little better.

The April 8 Santa Anita Oaks has been a springboard to championships in recent years, with three of the last four winners—Beholder (2013), Stellar Wind (2015), and Songbird (2016)—all winning the 3-year-old filly year-end honor, and even without the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained Unique Bella, the field features ample quality.

While 2016 Starlet Stakes (G1) winner Abel Tasman might garner favoritism after challenging Unique Bella during the stretch in the Santa Ysabel (G3) and winding up second-best, Hollendorfer will counter with Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' It Tiz Well. The Arch filly shipped out of California to win her last start, the March 11 Honeybee (G3) at Oaklawn Park, and impressively won a seven-furlong allowance at Santa Anita Feb. 3 after running a far-back second to Unique Bella in the Jan. 8 Santa Ynez Stakes (G2).

SHEA: It Tiz Well Makes The Grade in Honeybee

Also returning home from an out-of-town win is Reddam Racing's Mopotism. Like others in the field, the Uncle Mo   filly finished second behind Unique Bella. Her runner-up effort to the talented Hollendorfer trainee was in the Feb. 5 Las Virgenes, before she shipped to Sunland Park to win the Island Fashion Stakes Feb. 26.

The only maiden in the Santa Anita Oaks field, Majestic Quality may be winless in eight starts but is coming off a quality second-place effort behind likely Kentucky Oaks favorite Farrell in the Feb. 25 Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots for trainer Keith Desormeaux.

Rounding out the field is 9 1/4-length maiden winner Bernina Star, who finished fourth on grass last time out in the China Doll Stakes, and recent allowance winner Princess Karen.

Santa Anita Oaks (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, April 08, 2017, Race 6

• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 3:04 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Mopotism (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	121	Doug F. O'Neill	6/1
2	2It Tiz Well (KY)	Corey S. Nakatani	121	Jerry Hollendorfer	5/2
3	3Paradise Woods (KY)	Flavien Prat	121	Richard E. Mandella	6/1
4	4Abel Tasman (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Bob Baffert	6/5
5	5Bernina Star (KY)	Santiago Gonzalez	121	James M. Cassidy	12/1
6	6Majestic Quality (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	121	J. Keith Desormeaux	10/1
7	7Princess Karen (KY)	Gary L. Stevens	121	Jeff Bonde	8/1