Stopshoppingdebbie Tries for 10th Straight

Undefeated Stopshoppingdebbie will face her sternest test to date when tries to run her winning streak to 10 in the $100,000 L.A. Woman Stakes (gr. III) going 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita Park Oct. 4.

Northwest Farms' 4-year-old Curlin   daughter has raced exclusively at Emerald Downs, where she broke her maiden at 2 and has run in eight stakes races since—four last season and four this year. Twice she has won at the L.A. Woman distance, but the water gets deeper against her foes here.

She returns to sprinting for trainer Tom Wenzel after stretching out to 1 1/8 miles in winning the Emerald Downs Distaff Handicap in gate-to-wire fashion Aug. 14. While she likes to run on the lead she has also proven tractable, coming from slightly off the pace in three of her stakes wins. That could work in her favor as the lineup boasts quite a bit of speed.

The L.A. Woman, race 4 at Santa Anita Sunday with a tentative 2:30 p.m. PDT post time, attracted a field of six fillies and mares to the main track.

Top Kisser, second to the talented Reneesgotzip last out in the CERF Stakes at Del Mar, won the California Governor’s Cup Handicap at Cal Expo two starts back. She also scored in the Spring Fever Stakes at Santa Anita last spring going six furlongs and has never been off the board in five dirt starts.

My Happy Face brings plenty of back class to this dance. She began her career on the East Coast, where she was good enough to run second, beaten a head, by Dreaming of Julia in the 2012 Frizette Stakes (gr. I) before winning the Tempted Stakes (gr. III). She has been facing tough fillies like Close Hatches, Kauai Katie, Princess of Sylmar, and Heir Kitty since, contributing to her having lost eight races in a row. She will be shortening up here and should be forwardly placed.

Tribal Gal is a speedy sort who is on a two-race winning streak, racing on the lead virtually every step of the way. She took the Orange County Stakes at Los Alamitos in her last start and defeated Top Kisser two back.

Maker Or Breaker was second in the Orange County and won a six-furlong allowance event at Santa Anita in May. She is an excellent 3-for-4 at Santa Anita and her stalking style could hep her here.

Uzziel also figures to be part of the pace scenario. She won at 6 1/2 furlongs in the Beverly Lewis Stakes at Los Alamitos on the front end, and last April took the Santa Paula at that distance by 2 1/4 lengths at odds of 42-1 at Santa Anita.