Sneaking Out Brings Hometown Edge in Summertime Oaks

For a short field, the May 26 Summertime Oaks (G2) at Santa Anita Park has a lot of angles. A rare shipper from the Midwest, a pair exiting high-end stakes efforts during Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) weekend, and a Cal-bred that looks like the one to beat make up the field of five.

KMN Racing's Sneaking Out, who finished first in the Angels Flight Stakes May 4 at Santa Anita but was disqualified and placed second, seems ready to stretch beyond seven furlongs in the 1 1/16-mile Oaks. The Indian Evening filly trained by Jerry Hollendorfer has the speed to dictate the tempo and has reached the wire first in four consecutive outings. In her Santa Anita bow April 6, she soundly defeated state-breds in the Evening Jewel Stakes. Drayden Van Dyke rides, and they will break from post 3.

Hollendorfer has three wins in the Summertime Oaks, most recently with Songbird in 2016.

On the outside is the well-bred Flor de La Mar, who challenged Bellafina in the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) the same day as the Evening Jewel. However, a trip to Kentucky for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) was a tough one as she finished 12th of 14 in the nine-furlong race. A daughter of Tiznow  bred by Don Alberto and owned by Godolphin, Flor de La Mar is out of the Pulpit mare Sacristy and was a $500,000 graduate of The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected yearling sale in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Trainer Bob Baffert has four wins in the race, including Faypien's score in 2017.

Also returning to action in Southern California is Reddam Racing's Bizwhacks, a $200,000 purchase from the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. After Bizwhacks broke her maiden at Santa Anita in early February, trainer Doug O'Neill took the daughter of Fed Biz  on the road. She was third in Oaklawn Park's Honeybee Stakes (G3), fourth in Keeneland's Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1), and fifth in Churchill Downs' Eight Belles Stakes Presented by Derby City Gaming (G2). This seems a softer spot.

Judy Hicks' My Majestic Rose, a maiden winner May 2 at Churchill, makes the trek westward for a shot at a grade 2 for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. A homebred by Majestic Warrior, the chestnut filly has the rail and Flavien Prat. Her past performances suggest she could use some pace.

That pace may come from Colonial Creed, Richard Baltas' Jimmy Creed  filly who makes her first dirt attempt. In seven turf tries she's placed in the one-mile Blue Norther Stakes and led late in the Providencia Stakes (G3T). She races for Baltas, breeder Doug Branham, and Jerry McClanahan. 

Entries: Summertime Oaks (G2)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, May 26, 2019, Race 6

• Grade II
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 3:33 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1My Majestic Rose (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Rodolphe Brisset	4/1
2	2Bizwhacks (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	120	Doug F. O'Neill	7/2
3	3Sneaking Out (CA)	Drayden Van Dyke	120	Jerry Hollendorfer	2/1
4	4Colonial Creed (KY)	Victor Espinoza	120	Richard Baltas	7/2
5	5Flor de La Mar (KY)	Mike E. Smith	120	Bob Baffert	5/2