2016 Vanity Mile Stakes Preview, Entries & Odds

Dave Bond | OTB Writer

OffTrackBetting.com - The Grade 1 Vanity Mile will be run this Saturday, June 4 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. A purse of $400,000 will be up for grabs for fillies and mares three years old and upward willing to go one mile on Santa Anita's dirt track.

Seven older females will give it a go in the Vanity Mile - race 7 on Santa Anita's stacked Saturday card. Post time is 5:00 PM. Let's take a glance into the past performances of all seven combatants for this Grade 1 stakes - two of which are Eclipse Award winners.

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2016 Vanity Mile Stakes Race Preview at Santa Anita Park

Beholder - three time Eclipse Award winner - 2015 Champion Older Mare, 2013 Champion 3 Year Old Filly and 2012 Champion 2 Year Old Filly and nine time Grade 1 victor has 21 career starts with 16 wins and three second place finishes - the only times she hasn't finished first or second came in her debut and a fourth place finish in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes just over two years ago. She enters on a terrific seven race win streak - the Grade 3 Adoration Stakes here May 8 after 7 1/2 months away, the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes (for the third straight year) on this track September 26, the Grade 1 Pacific Classic against the boys by 8 1/4 lengths August 22, the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes by an incredible seven lengths August 1, the 2015 Adoration Stakes, the minor Santa Lucia Stakes in April and the 2015 Zenyatta Stakes in September. She won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in 2012 and the Breeders' Cup Distaff in 2013 but has just nine starts since - eight wins. Beholder is a three-time Eclipse Award winner for a reason - she is mighty impressive and is the obvious one to catch Saturday. Gary Stevens will be in the saddle again from gate 2.

Stellar Wind - John Sadler Eclipse Award winner as 2015 Champion 3 Year Old Filly was last seen running a good second in the Breeders' Cup Distaff which followed a tidy two race win streak- the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar August 30 and the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita June 20. Before that was a troubled fourth at 3-1 odds in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks May 1, a terrific win in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks April 4 and an upset 2 3/4 length victory in the Santa Ysabel Stakes at 7-1 odds February 28. She now has five wins, a second and a third place finish in eight career starts - as competitive as they come when healthy. Victor Espinoza has been tabbed to ride from the rail in Stellar Wind's return after a six month layoff.

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Taris - Simon Callahan trained mare has placed in 12 of 13 career starts - eight wins, two seconds and two third place finishes. Last time out was a career best effort - a 3/4 length win in the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs May 7 after a second in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Stakes here March 19 and a win by 5 1/4 lengths in the Grade 2 La Canada Stakes on this track January 16. Before that was a good win by 2 1/2 lengths in the one mile Grade 3 Go for Wand Handicap at Aqueduct November 27 and consecutive thirds - in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and in the Grade 3 LA Woman Stakes at Santa Anita October 4. She also won the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Stakes August 16 and was second in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes last December. Taris has been terrific in her career against some top quality fields - hopes are that she continues that trend Saturday if she doesn't opt out in favor of the Grade 1 Triple Bend June 25. Flavien Prat may try to keep the impressive roll going from gate 4.

Finest City - has placed in seven of 10 career starts for trainer Ian Kruljac. Last time out was a career best effort - a win in the Grade 2 Great Lady M Stakes at Los Alamitos April 23 after a fourth in the Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes at Santa Anita March 20, a third in an Allowance Optional Claiming February 11, a runner-up finish behind Lost Bus in the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita January 23 and a somewhat disappointing sixth in her graded stakes debut - the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes December 26. She also had an Allowance Optional Claiming score on this very track December 3 and a win in a similar race at Del Mar October 31. Finest City has been decent so far in her career and chases her second straight stakes win from the outside post 7 Saturday. Tyler Baze has the mount in Finest City's two-turn debut.

Lost Bus - has four wins, two seconds and three third place finishes in 13 career starts for trainer Gary Sherlock and arrives off an OK third behind Finest City in the Grade 2 Great Lady M Stakes at Los Alamitos April 23. Before that was a nice two race win streak - an Allowance Optional Claiming at Santa Anita March 11 and an upset victory over Finest City at 64-1 odds in the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes January 23 - her graded stakes bow. She also had a third in the minor Kalookan Queen Stakes December 30, a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming December 13 and four straight off-the-board finishes. Lost Bus has placed in her last five starts overall and arrives in career-best form. Fernando Hernandez Perez gets the call from post 5.

All Star Bub - Jerry Hollendorfer trained filly has recorded three wins, a second and six third place finishes in 17 career starts. She has placed in four of her last five starts overall - an OK third in the Grade 3 Adoration Stakes here May 8 followed a fourth in an Allowance Optional Claiming on this track April 7, an Allowance Optional Claiming score here February 25 and consecutive third place finishes in similar races this past winter. She had a sixth in her only other stakes action to date - the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes on this track in October. All Star Bub has been OK the last six months and hopes for a first stakes score from gate 6. Rafael Bejarano will be in the reins.

Divina Comedia - French bred Simon Callaghan trained mare has three wins, four seconds and four third place finishes in 16 career starts. She makes her stakes/group debut Saturday off an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Los Alamitos April 24 which followed a fourth, a second and three straight off-the-board finishes in Allowance Optional Claiming races. Divina Comedia has been just OK against lesser competition and is expected to be in tough Saturday from post 3. Joe Talamo rides.


2016 Vanity Mile Stakes Entries & Odds

Race 7 on Santa Anita's Saturday card with a Post Time of 8:00 PM.

Entry Horse ML Odds Jockey Trainer
1 Stellar Wind 3-1 Victor Espinoza John Sadler
2 Beholder 1-5 Gary Stevens Richard Mandella
3 Divina Comedia (FR) 30-1 Joseph Talamo Simon Callaghan
4 Taris 5-1 Flavien Prat Simon Callaghan
5 Lost Bus 20-1 Fernando Perez Gary Sherlock
6 All Star Bub 30-1 Rafael Bejarano Jerry Hollendorfer
7 Finest City 15-1 Tyler Baze Ian Kruljac