La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita

Dave Bond | OTB Writer

Las Vegas, NV - The Grade 1 La Brea Stakes in on tap for this Wednesday, December 26 from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A nice purse of $300,000 will be on the line for three year old fillies willing to go seven furlongs on Santa Anita's main track.

A solid field of seven females has been confirmed for the La Brea. It is race 4 on Santa Anita's Wednesday schedule with a post time of 1:34 PM. Let's take a look at the credentials of all seven entries and what brought them to this Grade 1 race.

Horse Racing Rebates

2012 La Brea Stakes Race Favorites

My Miss Aurelia - is the reigning Eclipse Award winner for two year old females with wins in last year's Grade 1 Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes at Belmont Park and Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga last year. She has only three starts in 2012 because of a shin injury but she raced to a win in the Mandys Gold Stakes by three lengths at Saratoga on August 8 and followed that up with an impressive win in the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes over Questing at Parx September 22. Her only loss came last time out in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic where she finished a very good second behind Royal Delta. My Miss Aurelia is certainly on her way to another Eclipse Award and is definitely the class of the La Brea field despite trying seven furlongs for the first time.

Reneesgotzip - has eight starts this year with four wins and two second place finishes and a third - the most impressive result being a 7 3/4 length win at the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Stakes here in January. Since that time Reneesgotzip has finished in the money six more times. She is coming off a win last time out in the minor Skillful Joy Stakes December 1 to follow a decent third in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and a disappointing seventh three back in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint. Reneesgotzip is a contender every time she enters a race and off a win she is prime to be My Miss Aurelia's biggest challenge in the La Brea.

La Brea Stakes 2012 | Remaining Field Entries

Book Review - Chad Brown trained filly entered the Grade 1 Gazelle last time out on a nice streak of three wins in her last four starts - the minor Imperial Gesture Stakes at Belmont Park October 24, the Charles Town Oaks three back and an Allowance at Saratoga in July but finished fifth in the Gazelle. Her other graded stakes action came four back - a seventh in the competitive Grade 1 Test Stakes but based on recent results Book Review has to be in the conversation for the La Brea.

Mamma Kimbo - Bob Baffert trainee Mamma Kimbo has only four starts to her credit with two wins to start her career -an impressive win at the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park on April 11 and a Maiden Special Weight score February 18. Last time out was an OK second in an Allowance at Hollywood Park to follow a close fourth in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico in May.

La Brea Stakes betting at Santa Anita with OffTrackBetting.com

Nechez Dawn - Jeff Bonde filly will be making her graded stakes debut Wednesday after seven career starts yielded four wins and a second place finish. Last time out was a second to Reneesgotzip in the minor Skillful Joy to follow an Allowance score at Keeneland October 14. She has one stakes win in her career and has four wins in five starts on turf but the La Brea represents a huge step up in competition.

Candrea - Candrea is a Bob Baffert trained stakes winner - the Phil D. Shepherd Stakes at Fairplex Park in September 2011. She has also shown well at Santa Anita with a second by a half-length in the Grade 1 Oak Leaf Stakes in October 2011. She has been just OK in 2012 with an Allowance score last time out at Hollywood Park being by far her best result this year. In her other four starts this year she has just one other money finish and that was in another Allowance race in July.

Creditcardroulette - Tom Proctor filly will be making her stakes debut in the La Brea after seven career starts produced two wins and a third place finish - one of those wins coming last time out in an Allowance December 1 at Hollywood Park.


2012 La Brea Stakes Entries & Odds

Race 4 on Santa Anita's Wednesday card with a Post Time of 1:38 PM.

Post Horse Jockey Trainer ML Odds
1 Mamma Kimbo M. Smith B. Baffert
9-2
2 Nechez Dawn E. Maldonado J. Bonde
10-1
3 Reneesgotzip G. Gomez P. Miller
4-1
4 Creditcardroulette J. Rosario T. Proctor
20-1
5 My Miss Aurelia C. Nakatani S. Asmussen
4-5
6 Candrea M. Garcia B. Baffert
12-1
7 Book Review R. Bejarano B. Baffert
6-1