Race Previews Santa Anita Park Preview | Las Cienegas Stakes 2024 January 13, 2024 Wakanaka (Lauren King / Coglianese Photos) Race Previews Santa Anita Park Preview | Las Cienegas Stakes 2024 January 13, 2024 By: Press Release email Share: share on facebook share on twitter share on linkedin email this article In a race that lacks a clear-cut standout, trainer Neil Drysdale’s French-bred Nadette cuts back in distance and appears to have a big look among a field of 11 older fillies and mares going about 6 ½ furlongs down Santa Anita’s hillside turf course in Sunday’s Grade III, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes. First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. with admission gates opening at 10:30 a.m. Santa Anita Full Card Plays Available Now There’s a reason we’re the #1 trusted source for premium racing picks & info. Find Out Why A fast finishing third going a mile on turf in the restricted Kathryn Crosby Stakes Nov. 11 at Del Mar, Nadette, who hadn’t run since April 29 at Golden Gate Fields, should benefit from the recent outing and with an abundance of speed signed on Sunday, will hope to be rolling late with Hector Berrios back aboard. Although winless in six stateside starts for Drysdale dating back to Oct. 29, when she closed much ground to be second at a mile on grass in the Grade III Autumn Miss, Nadette has competed exclusively in stakes, four of them graded, finishing second twice and third in her most recent, the Crosby at Del Mar. A 5-year-old mare, Nadette, who is owned by Team Valor International, LLC, is 15-3-3-1 with earnings of $140,634. Also owned in-part by Team Valor, Irish-bred Wakanaka rates a big look in what will be her first start at Santa Anita. A Grade II winner she is easily the leading money earner in the field with $913,575 and will be reunited with Joel Rosario, who has ridden her seven times, winning an ungraded stakes at Keeneland in November, 2022. Trained by Bill Mott in all of her 13 previous North American starts, winning two of them, she’ll be making her first start for locally-based Michael McCarthy. Although campaigned primarily at middle distances on turf, she’s proven more than capable in turf sprints as well, as she rallied from far off the pace on Oct. 15 at Keeneland and was second, beaten a neck in the Grade II Ladies Turf Sprint going 6 ½ furlongs three races back at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 9. A 6-year-old mare owned jointly by Gary Barber and Team Valor, Wakanaka, who campaigned exclusively in Italy prior to making her U.S. debut at Gulfstream Park in January, 2022, is 22-8-6-2 overall. Phil D’Amato’s speedy Elm Drive, who has posted a win and a second from two tries down the hillside, cuts back in distance from a seventh place run going a mile on turf in the Grade I Matriarch at Del Mar Dec. 3 and although she’ll have other speed to contend with, should be extremely tough with Flavien Prat taking the call. A winner down the hill of the ungraded Misdirection Stakes six starts back on May 20, Elm Drive, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by Mohaymen, was second, beaten a head down the hill two races back in the ungraded Senator Ken Maddy on Nov. 3. Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, consistent Elm Drive is 15-5-1-3 with earnings of $516,640. THE GRADE III LAS CIENEGAS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER Race 7 of 9 | Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT Free and Humble—Santiago Gonzalez—120 Honey Pants—Kyle Frey—120 Nadette—Hector Berrios—122 Fast and Shiny—Drayden Van Dyke—122 Kissed by Fire—Mike Smith—120 Lexington Humor—Armando Ayuso—120 Wakanaka—Joel Rosario—124 Benedict Canyon—Antonio Fresu—120 Elm Drive—Flavien Prat—124 Anthonys Cleopatra—Frank Alvarado—122 Gracelund Gray—Juan Hernandez—122 (Also Eligible) Adaay In Asia—Kazushi Kimura—120 Join the Inner Circle Sign up for exclusive 10% discount on orders, plus be the first to access our daily free and premium horse racing picks, articles, podcasts, and more! Sign Up
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