Sophie P Dials Back for Wilshire Stakes

After she sprung a significant upset at odds of 14-1 in the May 26 Gamely Stakes (G1T), D P Racing's Sophie P could play the role of favorite June 24 in the $100,000 Wilshire Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park.

Her price in the Gamely certainly made sense on her short U.S. form. After a pair of handicap wins to end her 4-year-old campaign in England, the Bushranger mare moved to trainer Jim Cassidy in Southern California and finished an even sixth in the April 7 Royal Heroine Stakes (G2T).

But Cassidy felt she could improve with added distance—the Gamely was at 1 1/8 miles, while the Royal Heroine was a mile—and she rewarded her trainer with the slimmest of nose victories over Madam Dancealot.

BALAN: Sophie P Gets Her Nose Down for Gamely Score

"Before the (Gamely), I wasn't quite sure about her. Then I went back and looked at her form," Cassidy said. "(In the Royal Heroine) they went really fast, and she only got beat three lengths, and I thought, with the added distance, she'd be all right."

So will Sophie P be vulnerable at a shorter distance—the Wilshire is at a mile—with a shorter price? Cassidy doesn't think so.

"Cutting back in distance is always a good thing, in my opinion," the trainer said. "She ran several good (races at a mile) back in Europe. If she runs her race, she's going to be right there again."

Cassidy said future plans for Sophie P could include the Aug. 4 Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2T) and the Sept. 1 John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar. But with those races so far out, he wanted to get a race into the grade 1 winner.

The main challenger in the Wilshire—and maybe a deserving favorite in her own right at a mile, where she has never finished out of the top two in four starts at the distance—is Slam Dunk Racing and Medallion Racing's Beau Recall, the winner of the Royal Heroine.

LARUE: Beau Recall Earns Graded Victory in Royal Heroine

The Simon Callaghan-trained Sir Prancealot filly broke through for her first graded victory in the Royal Heroine but has consistently been competitive at the graded level in California since she moved to Callaghan's operation in 2017.

Another graded winner entered—although hers came in 2016—is Alpha Delta Stables' Ancient Secret, who finished second in the May 28 Monrovia Stakes (G2T) last time out in her third start for trainer Phil D'Amato.

Bella Luma and Cordiality also are compelling threats at higher prices coming off stakes wins at a lower level. Bella Luma won the May 12 Golden Poppy Stakes on the Golden Gate Fields turf after two straight wins on the track's synthetic surface, and Cordiality scored the Fran's Valentine Stakes for California-breds May 19 at Santa Anita.

Rounding out the field is multiple French stakes winner Miss Julia Star, who has underwhelmed in her first two U.S. starts; multiple grade 1-placed Sassy Little Lila; allowance winner Shehastheritestuff; and grade 3-placed Storm the Hill.

Entries: Wilshire S. (G3T)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, June 24, 2018, Race 9

• Grade IIIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:50 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Beau Recall (IRE)	Joseph Talamo	125	Simon Callaghan	7/2
2	2Sassy Little Lila (KY)	Mike E. Smith	121	Richard E. Mandella	6/1
3	3Shehastheritestuff (CA)	Geovanni Franco	121	Patrick Gallagher	30/1
4	4Miss Julia Star (FR)	Drayden Van Dyke	121	Neil D. Drysdale	8/1
5	5Sophie P (GB)	Kent J. Desormeaux	125	James M. Cassidy	3/1
6	6Cordiality (CA)	Tyler Baze	121	Mark Glatt	6/1
7	7Storm the Hill (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	121	Philip D'Amato	8/1
8	8Bella Luma (CA)	Gary L. Stevens	121	Ed Moger, Jr.	15/1
9	9Ancient Secret (NY)	Flavien Prat	121	Philip D'Amato	7/2