2017 Buena Vista Stakes Preview, Entries & Odds

Horse Betting Online

Dave Bond | OTB Writer

OffTrackBetting.com - Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California will be the scene of the G2 Buena Vista Stakes on Saturday, February 18. Fillies and mares four years old and upward will take to Santa Anita's turf track and race one mile for the winner's portion of the $200,000 purse.

A wide open group of 11 older females have been confirmed for the Buena Vista Stakes - race 8 on Santa Anita's Saturday schedule. Post time is 4:00 PM. Let's take a glance into the past performances of all 11 combatants for this competitive G2 stakes.

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2017 Buena Vista Stakes Entries at Santa Anita Park

Mokat - has two wins, two seconds and two third place finishes in 12 career starts for trainer Richard Baltas. Last time out was a twelfth in the G1 America Oaks on this track December 31 after a fifth in the G1 QE II Challenge Cup at Keeneland October 15, a fourth in the G2 Del Mar Oaks August 20 and a career-defining 3 3/4 length win in the G2 San Clemente Handicap July 23. She also had a respectable second behind Songbird in the G1 Santa Anita Oak April 9 and consecutive third place finishes - the G3 Santa Ysabel Stakes March 5 and in an Allowance Optional Claiming February 5. Mokat has failed to place in four of her last five starts overall but has shown form in the past and will be after just her second win in 15 months when she departs from post 3 with Kent Desormeaux in the irons.

Prize Exhibit - British bred James Cassidy trained filly finished fourth in the 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and has certainly been up and down since. She posted two nice wins in 2015 the G3 Senorita Stakes in June and the G2 San Clemente Stakes at Del Mar in July. She went on to a respectable third in the G1 Del Mar Oaks in August of 2015 and a second in the 2015 Yellow Ribbon Stakes in September of that year. She didn't look after that before a nice win last time out in the G3 Megahertz Stakes here January 16. Before that win she placed in just one of her previous 10 starts. Two starts back was an eighth in the G1 Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar December 4 which followed a fifth in the G2 Goldikova Stakes at Santa Anita November 6, a fourth in the minor Swingtime Stakes here October 8, a tenth in the G2 John C. Mabee Stakes September 4, an OK second in the minor Osunitas Stakes in July, a seventh in the G2 Yellow Ribbon Stakes in July and a sixth in the G1 Just a Game Stakes at Belmont Park June 11. Prize Exhibit has shown form in the past and her win last time out may signal a return to that form. Mike Smith has the mount from post 5.

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Hillhouse High - Richard Baltas trained mare has placed in 14 of 20 career starts - here wins, six seconds and five third place finishes. She made her graded stakes last time out and finished an OK third in the G2 Goldikova Stakes on this track November 6 after an Allowance Optional Claiming score here October 6 and a second in a similar race at Del Mar in August. She has now placed in four of his last five starts overall and will be after a first stakes score Saturday from gate 6. Santiago Gonzalez will be in the irons.

Illuminant - Michael McCarthy trained mare has four wins, two seconds and a third place finish in 11 career starts. She was last seen back in May when she won the G1 Gamely Stakes on this track. That result followed an OK third in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland April 16, an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Santa Anita March 10 and consecutive fourths in graded stakes action - the G2 La Canada Stakes in January, 2016 and in the G2 Monrovia Stakes January 3 of that year. Those results followed a two race win streak - an Allowance Optional Claiming November 27, 2016 at Del Mar and a maiden score at Santa Anita October 10. Illuminant looks for her second straight graded stakes score Saturday in her first race in nine months. Brayan Pena has been scheduled to ride from the rail.

Wild At Heart - has placed in eight of 10 career starts for trainer Richard Mandella - two wins, four seconds and two third place finishes. She arrives off a fourth in the G2 La Canada Stakes here January 14 which followed a respectable runner-up finish behind Vale Dori in the G2 Bayakoa Handicap at Del Mar December 3, a career worst effort - an eighth in the G3 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes at Santa Anita November 5, a decent second in the G3 LA Woman Stakes on this track October 9 and an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Los Alamitos September 17. She also had a third behind the terrific Stellar Wind in the G1 Santa Anita Oaks April 4. Outside of one bad effort three starts back, Wild At Heart has been competitive every time out. Flavien Prat will try to get Wild At Heart her first stakes score from the outside post 11 Saturday.

Evo Campo - Irish bred Patrick Gallagher trained mare has placed in eight of 11 career starts - five wins, a second and two third place finishes. She enters this week on a two race win streak - the minor Possibly Perfect Stakes here way back in June and an Allowance Optional Claiming on this track in May. Before that was a fourth in an Allowance Optional Claiming in March and a third and a win respectively in Allowance Optional Claiming races to start 2016. Evo Camp steps into graded stakes company for the first time in career-best form and hopes to make it three straight wins from post 7 Saturday. Brice Blanc rides.

Do the Dance - Gary Sherlock trained filly has 20 career starts with four wins, three seconds and a third place finish. She enters this week off a disappointing fifth in the G3 Megahertz Stakes on this track January 16 after a gate-to-wire win in the restricted Kathryn Crosby Stakes at Del Mar November 11, an Allowance Optional Claiming score on this track October 21 and two off-the-board finishes in Allowance races. She has two previous graded stakes starts which resulted in a ninth in the G3 Providencia Stakes here in April and a twelfth in the 2015 G3 Jimmy Durante Stakes. Do the Dance shoots for a first ever graded stakes score and for a strong bounce back Saturday when she leaves from gate 4 with Tyler Baze aboard.

Jeremy's Legacy - Irish bred Doug O'Neill trained filly has just one win and three seconds in 12 career starts. She enters off a respectable second behind Prize Exhibit in the G3 Megahertz Stakes here January 16 which followed a tenth in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Del Mar December 4, six months away, an eighth in the G2 Honeymoon Stakes on this track back in June, a fourth in the G3 Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs May 6 and a respectable second in the G3 Providencia Stakes on this track April 9. Jeremy's Legacy hadn't been all that impressive before last time out and hopes to build on that effort from gate 8. Norberto Arroyo has been tabbed to ride.

Pretty Girl - Argentinean bred Paulo Lobo trained mare has placed in six of eight career starts - four wins, a second and a third place finish. She won her first three starts at home including a Group 1 in December, 2014 and a Group 3 two months before. She moved to France where she was OK posting a stakes win at Vichy July 26. Pretty Girl has two North American starts and has been OK again - last time out was a second in the minor Robert J. Frankel Stakes here December 31 after a seventh in the G1 Beverly D. Stakes at Arlington in August. She has been inconsistent so far and will be after a first Group/graded stakes win in two years Saturday - from gate 10 with Corey Nakatani guiding her.

Juno - Brazilian bred Neil Drysdale trained mare has five wins and a third place finish in her nine career starts - she won all five starts at home including a pair of Group 1 stakes, a Group 2 and a Group 3 - impressive. She hasn't kept up the momentum since shipping however - an eleventh last time out in the G3 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes here November 5 followed a pair of fifths - the G3 LA Woman Stakes on this track October 9 and the minor Osunitas Stakes at Del Mar in August. Her other North American start resulted on an OK third in the minor Desert Stormer II Stakes on this track in September, 2016. Juno has yet to show that she can hang in North American stakes company and hopes to change her luck around Saturday from post 9. Luis Contreras will be in the saddle.

Lily Pod - has 12 career starts for trainer Phil D'Amato with three wins, two seconds and two third place finishes. She makes her stakes debut Saturday off an Allowance Optional Claiming score here January 21 and off-the-board finishes in three more Allowance Optional Claiming races. Lily Pod hasn't been all that great but will be shooting for a second straight win overall from gate 2. Martin Garcia gets the call.


2017 Buena Vista Stakes Odds & Entries

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

Entry Horse ML Odds Jockey Trainer
1 Illuminant 3-1 Brayan Pena Michael McCarthy
2 Lily Pod 20-1 Martin Garcia Philip D'Amato
3 Mokat 6-1 Kent Desormeaux Richard Baltas
4 Do the Dance 12-1 Tyler Baze Gary Sherlock
5 Prize Exhibit (GB) 7-2 Mike Smith James Cassidy
6 Hillhouse High 6-1 Santiago Gonzalez Richard Baltas
7 Evo Campo (IRE) 12-1 Brice Blanc Patrick Gallagher
8 Jeremy's Legacy (IRE) 12-1 Norberto Arroyo, Jr. Doug O'Neill
9 Juno (BRZ) 12-1 Luis Contreras Neil Drysdale
10 Pretty Girl (ARG) 6-1 Corey Nakatani Paulo Lobo
11 Wild At Heart 12-1 Flavien Prat Richard Mandella