Santa Anita Park Preview | Filly & Mare Turf Sprint Stakes 2024

Owner/breeder Nick Alexander is hoping Saturday’s $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint comes up roses as his homebreds Rose Maddox and Rose Dawson figure prominently among eight older fillies and mares going about 6 ½ furlongs down Santa Anita Park‘s one-of-a-kind hillside turf course.

The Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint, is part of the lucrative CTBA-sponsored Golden State Series, for registered California-bred or sired horses.

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. with admission gates opening at 10:30 a.m.

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When last the pair met, it was all Rose Maddox, as she rallied from well off the pace to take the Cal Cup Distaff down the hill, winning by two lengths while her stablemate checked in fourth, beaten 5 ¼ lengths.

Subsequently an even fourth, beaten 2 ¾ lengths down the hill versus open company in the Senator Ken Maddy on Nov. 3, Rose Maddox, who is trained by Steve Miyadi, gets a new rider in Flavien Prat.

A three-time stakes winner, Rose Maddox, a 5-year-old mare by Grazen out of the Unusual Heat mare Heat the Rocks, is one for three down the Santa Anita hill and 19-6-8-1 overall with earnings of $425,782.

Trained by Phil D’Amato, Rose Dawson, like her stablemate, is also a 5-year-old mare by Grazen. Most recently second as the 2-1 favorite in the statebred Betty Grable Stakes going seven furlongs on dirt at Del Mar Nov. 12, she’s out of the Bertrando mare Sudden Sunday and will be ridden for the fifth consecutive time by Juan Hernandez.

A winner in her second career start of the Cal Cup Oaks at a mile over the Santa Anita turf, Rose Dawson seeks her second career stakes victory. With one second place finish from three tries down the hill, she has three wins and as many seconds from 13 overall starts—good for earnings of $270,080.

Steve Specht’s Tam’s Little Angel, a troubled fourth at 36-1 in last year’s Turf Sprint, will be ridden for the first time by Joel Rosario and would appear to rate a big look on Saturday.

Owned and bred by Larry and Marianne Williams, Tam’s Little Angel drew off to a resounding 5 ¼ length second condition allowance win going one mile on synthetic Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields two starts back, earning a career-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure.

Most recently fourth, beaten 3 ¼ lengths going six furlongs versus statebreds in the Bear Fan Stakes at Golden Gate Dec. 9, Tam’s Little Angel could be on the move late if she gets a hot pace to run at. A 5-year-old mare by Tamarando out of the Lucky Pulpit mare Angel Diane, Tam’s Little Angel has banked $247,054 from and overall race record of 25-5-4-7.