Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will have three opportunities to win the Grade 1, $300,000 Starlet – the final Grade 1 of 2021 for 2-year-old fillies – for a fifth consecutive year Saturday at Los Alamitos.
The race at 1 1/16 miles is being offered locally for the eighth time after 33 renewals as the Hollywood Starlet (1981-2013) at Hollywood Park.
Post time is 12:30 p.m. The Starlet is the eighth of nine races and has an approximate post time of 3:58 p.m.
Baffert, whose streak of Starlet victories includes Dream Tree (2017), Chasing Yesterday (2018), Bast (2019) and Varda last year, entered Grace Adler, Eda, and Benedict Canyon in 2021.
Owned by Willow Grace Farm and Michael Lund Petersen, Grace Adler will be seeking the second Grade I success of her young career. The daughter of Curlin and the Newfoundland mare Our Khrysty dominated seven opponents by 11 ¼ lengths in the Del Mar Debutante Sept. 5.
The victory followed a debut win as the 2-5 favorite July 31. She has been idle since disappointing as the 9-10 choice in the Grade 2 Chandelier Oct. 1 at Santa Anita. She's banked $226,000.
Eda, a Munnings filly out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Show Me, is the most accomplished of the Baffert trio in terms of wins. She's 3-for-5 with a bankroll of $190,000.
Owned by Baoma Corporation, Eda enters off consecutive victories, taking the Anoakia Oct. 24 and the Desi Arnaz Nov. 13. The Starlet will mark her first start beyond seven furlongs.
Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Benedict Canyon has one win in three starts and was third in her two defeats. The daughter of Midnight Lute and the Medallist mare Bennie M defeated maidens Sept. 5 at Del Mar before finishing a distant third in the Anoakia. The earner of $59,880 has yet to try more than six furlongs.
Trained by Bob Hess, Jr. for David A. Bernsen LLC and Schroeder Farm LLC, Cairo Memories will be making her dirt debut after winning two of three on grass, including the Surfer Girl at one mile Oct. 3.
A Cairo Prince filly out of the Indian Charlie mare Incarnate Memories, Cairo Memories suffered her lone defeat when ninth of 14 in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Nov. 5. She has earned $172,000.
Runner-up behind Eda in the Arnaz, Tonito's will stretch out for the first time for Anderson Farms, E R J Racing LLC, Reddam Racing LLC, John Fielding and Ryan Lloyd and trainer Doug O'Neill.
A Blame filly out of the Street Cry mare Cry Value. Tonito's rallied from well off the pace to win her debut on turf Oct. 23 prior to the Arnaz. She's banked $56,600.
Trainer Phil D'Amato, who won the 2015 Starlet with Street Fancy, will be represented by Desert Dawn.
Owned by breeder H and E Ranch, Inc., the daughter of Cupid and the Honour and Glory mare Ashley's Glory is the only member of the cast with a two-turn win on dirt. The Arizona bred graduated by 4 ¼ lengths when stretched to eight furlongs in her second start Aug. 26.
She's 1-for-4 with earnings of $114,00. In her most recent appearance, Desert Dawn finished last of six in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 5.
From inside out, the field for the Starlet Stakes:
- Tonito's, Mario Gutierrez rides, 120 pounds
- Grace Adler, Flavien Prat, 120
- Benedict Canyon, Edwin Maldonado, 120
- Cairo Memories, Kent Desormeaux, 120
- Desert Dawn, Mike Smith, 120
- Eda, Juan Hernandez, 120
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