A Grade 2 stakes winner in her second start at age two, Phil D'Amato's talented Elm Drive, idle since well beaten Sept. 24 at Pimlico Race Course, returns to Southern California and heads a field of five older fillies and mares going six furlongs in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Desert Stormer Stakes at Santa Anita.
A 4-year-old filly by Mohaymen out of the Indian Charlie mare Lets Dance Charlie, Elm Drive's last Southern California start was a third place performance in the G2 Great Lady M Stakes at Los Alamitos on July 4, 2022. Subsequently distanced in the G1 Test Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 6, she then showed early speed but checked in sixth, beaten 11 ½ lengths in an ungraded stakes going six furlongs at Pimlico on Sept. 24.
A galloping 2 ¼ length winner going seven furlongs here in the ungraded Angel's Flight Stakes four starts back on May 8, 2022, Elm Drive, who is owned by Little Red Feather Racing, will be ridden for the first time by Ramon Vazquez as she seeks her third stakes win and her fourth overall from nine starts.
The leading money earner in the field with $228,140, Elm Drive has six works on her tab at Los Alamitos and two here at Santa Anita, the most recent a five furlong main track drill in 1:00.40 on March 20.
Well beaten in a 6 ½ furlong hillside turf allowance Feb. 20, Mark Glatt's Grade 1 stakes placed Dance to the Music switches to dirt and will be making her second start off a nearly six month vacation in the Desert Stormer. A well beaten second in the G1 Del Mar Debutante in her second start at age two, Dance to the Music, a 4-year-old filly by Maclean's Music, sold for $575,000 at an Ocala 2-year-old in training sale and will be making her ninth career start on Saturday.
Owned by Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, Dance to the Music has two wins and as many seconds and will be ridden for the first time by Edwin Maldonado.
Stakes placed once on dirt and once on turf and raced exclusively on grass in her last 10 starts, trainer Keith Desormeaux's Stella Noir returns to the main track in search of her first career stakes victory in what will be her 18th start.
A first-out maiden 6 ½ furlong winner on dirt here two years ago on March 19, 2021, Stella Noir is 1-1-2 from seven tries on dirt and will likely hope for a stalking trip with Luis Contreras up for the first time. A 6 ½ furlong hillside turf allowance winner two starts back on Jan. 13, Stella Noir is a 5-year-old mare by Stay Thirsty out of the Cuvee mare Guadalupe High.
Owned and bred in Kentucky by Rose Hill Farm, Desormeaux, Wayne Detmar and Gene Voss, Stella Noir is 17-3-3-3 overall with earnings of $207,642.
THE GRADE 3, DESERT STORMER WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT
- Violent Runner – Edwin Maldonado –120
- Half Past Twelve – Tiago Pereira – 120
- Dance to the Music – Juan Hernandez – 120
- Elm Drive – RAmon Vazquez – 124
- Stella Noir—Luis Contreras—120
First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. with admission gates opening at 11 a.m.
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