Baltas Sends Out Three for Santa Ana Stakes

Trainer Richard Baltas has all his bases covered in the $200,000 Santa Anita Stakes (G2T) March 18 at Santa Anita Park.

Want a frontrunner? He's got Robert J. Frankel (G3T) winner Midnight Crossing. Want a deep closer? You can go with grade 2 winner and multiple grade 1-placed Madam Dancealot. Looking for a big price off the pace? Lucy De is your gal.

And none of the three winning would truly be a surprise, because Baltas has made a habit of thriving with fillies and mares on the grass in Southern California. Of the five graded stakes he won in 2017, four have been with fillies or mares in turf races—Madam Dancealot in the San Clemente (G2T), Hillhouse High in the Royal Heroine (G2T), Goodyearforroses in the Santa Ana, and Midnight Crossing in the Frankel—not to mention the likes of Mokat, Kathy's Song, and Insta Erma, who all placed in graded grass events last year.

"I've got one up front, one in the middle, and one in the back," Baltas said. "And I've got more, too. These are just the ones that are ready to go right now."

To add another graded grass win to the list, however, Baltas may have to turn the tables on Agave Racing and Little Red Feather's Fault, who took the Buena Vista Stakes (G2T) in her first start for trainer Phil D'Amato Feb. 17, while Madam Dancealot, the 2-1 favorite, came in fifth.

BALAN: Fault Takes California Debut in Buena Vista

"The turf course was playing a little funny then and she really, really wants to come from dead last," Baltas said of Madam Dancealot. "She doesn't want to be used at all in the beginning and she'll tell you when she wants to go."

As of March 14, however, D'Amato was unsure whether the 4-year-old Blame  filly would go in the Santa Ana or the Santa Margarita Stakes (G1) March 17. The lure of a grade 1 win or a grade 1 placing on dirt for a future broodmare might be too much to pass up. But with Unique Bella passing on the race, what appeared to be a short field for the Santa Margarita turned into a 10-horse event, and an easy grade 1 placing for a filly who has done all of her best running on turf may not end up being so easy.

"Even with (Unique Bella) being in there, it would have made it a small field, and placing in a dirt grade 1 would add to her value," D'Amato said. "That was the plan. But now that (Unique Bella is) not in there, you have a lot of people shooting for a grade 1 win on the dirt."

Rounding out the Santa Ana field are grade 3 turf winners Evo Campo and How Unusual, multiple grade 1-placed Sassy Little Lila, multiple graded stakes-placed Laseen, and allowance winner Majestic Angel.

Entries: Santa Ana S. (G2T)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, March 18, 2018, Race 8

• Grade IIT
• 1 1/8m
• Turf
• $200,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 3:25 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Madam Dancealot (IRE)	Corey S. Nakatani	122	Richard Baltas	5/2
2	2Fault (KY)	Geovanni Franco	124	Philip D'Amato	3/1
3	3Laseen (IRE)	Kent J. Desormeaux	120	James M. Cassidy	8/1
4	4Majestic Angel (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	120	Eric R. Reed	20/1
5	5Evo Campo (IRE)	Rafael Bejarano	122	Patrick Gallagher	4/1
6	6Lucy De (CA)	Drayden Van Dyke	120	Richard Baltas	8/1
7	7How Unusual (CA)	Joel Rosario	122	Michael Pender	6/1
8	8Midnight Crossing (IRE)	Brice Blanc	122	Richard Baltas	9/2
9	9Sassy Little Lila (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Richard E. Mandella	7/2