Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita Park

Dave Bond

Las Vegas, NV -- Three year old fillies will be featured in this Saturday's 30th running of the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes from beautiful Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. $250,000 is on the line for horses willing to go one mile on Santa Anita's main track. The Las Virgenes is just one of three Grade 1 stakes races on Saturday's packed Santa Anita schedule and acts as a major prep race for the Kentucky Oaks in May.

A strong field of eight horses, five of whom have either won or placed in graded stakes races, will contest Race 9 on Santa Anita's Saturday card with a post time of 4:33 PM PST.

Las Virgenes Stakes Race Favorites

Reneesgotzip - put her name on the map with an impressive win at the Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita and before that tallied a front-running maiden score by 2 1/4 lengths in her only other start Dec. 18 at Hollywood. Corey Nakatani will be in the saddle looking for his record fifth Las Virgenes Stakes and will guide Reneesgotzip around two turns for the first time.

Las Virgenes Stakes horse betting at Santa Anita Park with OffTrackBetting.com

Willa B Awesome - Willa B Awesome was awesome in winning the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes here on January 28thand before that finished second in the California Breeders Championship Stakes on December 26th. She is one of three horses that have a legitimate shot at victory on Saturday and enters as the most experienced of the three. Much is on the line for Willa B Awesome in this race - she could start in the Santa Anita Oaks with a good performance.

Killer Graces - Killer Graces was favored in the Santa Ysabel and finished second behind Willa B Awesome. Before that she recorded an upset win in the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet on December 10th. She ran a close second in the race prior to the Starlet at the Sharp Cat Stakes. This is her second start on Santa Anita's main track. Killer Graces has three wins and four seconds in nine career starts.

Remaining Field Entries

Eden's Moon - Bob Baffert trained Eden's Moon has two career starts with one win in a Maiden Special Weight race at Santa Anita on January 8th and a second to Reneesgotzip at a Maiden Special Weight at Hollywood Park in December.

Charm the Maker - Finished a disappointing fourth in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel. Finished second in the Hollywood Starlet and won the Sharp Cat Stakes. In Charm the Maker's last five races, she has won two, finished second twice and finished third in the Grade 3 Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita on October 2nd.

Made to Love Her - Made to Love Her has been consistently good over the past year finishing no worse than third in all but one of six races - finished second last time out in the Santa Ynez and a finished fifth in the Grade 3 Del Mar's Sorrento Stakes before that. Made to Love Her had won two straight races before the Santa Ynez - one coming at this same track in late October and the other in the $100, 000 Hollywood Park Stakes. Rafael Bejarano will be aboard Made to Love Her as he has been in the last four starts.

Your Special Day - has two wins in four career starts but most recently has disappointed - a sixth at the California Oaks on January 21st and a fourth at the Grade 3 Miesque Stakes at Hollywood Park in November.

Open Water - has won two straight races at Turfway Park - an Allowance Optional Claiming on February 4th and a Maiden Special Weight race on January 15th.


Las Virgenes Stakes Entries

Race 9 on Santa Anita's Saturday card with a Post Time of 4:33 PM PT.

Post Horse Jockey Trainer
1 Your Special Day M. Smith J. Cassidy
2 Charm the Maker J. Rosario R. McAnally
3 Willa B Awesome M. Pedroza W. Solis
4 Killer Graces J. Talamo J. Hollendorfer
5 Eden's Moon M. Garcia J. Kasparoff
6 Made to Love Her R. Bejarano J. Kasparoff
7 Reneesgotzip C. Nakatani P. Miller
8 Open Water V. Espinoza E. Guillot