Sam's Sister Heads Seven for Santa Monica

Grade I winner Sam's Sister heads a field of seven older fillies and mares for the $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes (gr. II) Jan. 19 at Santa Anita Park.

 

The seven-furlong event goes as the fifth of nine races on the Martin Luther King holiday card. Approximate post time is 2:30 PST.

 

Fresh off a victory at 12-1 in the La Brea Stakes (gr. I) at the same distance Dec. 26, Sam's Sister was also entered in the Jan. 17 La Canada Stakes (gr. I), but the 4-year-old Brother Derek filly appears more likely to go as the probable favorite in the Santa Monica.

 

Owned by Mark Dedomenico, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, and George Todaro, Sam's Sister rallied late to take the La Brea Dec. 26, defeating Taris by a half length. She is a perfect two-for-two at seven furlongs and has earnings of $307,450.

 

Second, beaten a head by Sam's Sister in a seven-furlong allowance event Oct. 13, Pamela Ziebarth's homebred My Sweet Addiction would appear to rate a big chance. A 5-year-old Tiznow   mare, speedy My Sweet Addiction has been training forwardly at Los Alamitos Race Course and will try to improve upon an impressive overall mark of 2-2-2 from six starts. She has earnings of $104,656.

 

Trainer Mark Glatt's undefeated Dancinthenightaway has won all of her three career starts by a combined 8 1/4 lengths and will test stakes company for the first time.

 

Like My Sweet Addiction, Dancinthenightaway likes to run on the lead, and those two figure to ensure a lively pace. A 4-year-old by Indian Charlie, she is owned by her breeders, Al and Sandee Kirkwood.

 

Owner Kaleem Shah's Sweet Marini is on a roll as she'll seek her third consecutive win in the Santa Monica. Trained by Bob Baffert, the 5-year-old Marino Marini   mare was heavily favored in a pair of 5 1/2-furlong allowance scores at Los Alamitos in December, and though she was a winner of the seven-furlong Fleet Treat Stakes at Del Mar as a 3-year-old, she will be trying for her first graded-stakes win.

 

In addition to the Fleet Treat, Sweet Marini has one other seven-furlong race on her resume, a second-place finish in the Betty Grable Stakes at Del Mar three starts back Nov. 9. Favored in seven of her 12 lifetime starts, Sweet Marini has five wins and earnings of $371,418.

 

Trainer Steve Knapp's Harlington's Rose comes off an upset win in the 6 1/2- furlong Kalookan Queen Stakes Dec. 28 and could pose a late threat in the Santa Monica.