Four graded stakes winners, including the talented California bred Becca Taylor, are among 15 fillies and mares nominated to the Grade 2, $200,000-guaranteed Great Lady M. Stakes while Santa Anita Derby winner Taiba is among 10 3-year-olds nominated to the $125,000 Los Alamitos Derby.
The two races will be run for the ninth time at Los Alamitos. The Great Lady M., which is run at 6 ½ furlongs, will be offered Monday, July 4 while the Los Alamitos Derby, which goes at 1 1/8 miles, will be run Saturday, July 9.
Owned by breeder Nick Alexander and trained by Steve Miyadi – who combined to win the Bertrando Stakes with Desmond Doss for a second consecutive year June 25 – Becca Taylor has won eight of nine starts and banked $379,160.
A daughter of Old Topper and the General Meeting mare Lady Sax, Becca Taylor collected her first graded victory when taking the G3 Desert Stormer June 4 at Santa Anita. She prevailed by a head when 17-1 in her career debut Dec. 13, 2020 in her lone start at Los Alamitos.
The other graded winners among the Great Lady M. nominees are Ain't Easy, who won the G2 Chandelier as a 2-year-old in 2021, Elm Drive, who captured last year's G2 Sorrento at Del Mar six weeks after defeating maidens in her debut at Los Alamitos, and Lady Mystify, heroine of the G3 Remington Park Oaks last Sept. 26.
The remaining nominees are Allworthy, a three-time winner trained by Saffie Joseph, Brandon'smylawyer, Coruscation, Cover Version, Dance to the Music, Founder's Day, Midnight Memories, Quiet Secretary, Samurai Charm, who is 3-for-3 at Los Alamitos, Smoothlikebuttah and Super Game.
Owned by Zedan Racing Stables Inc. and trained by Tim Yakteen for his two most recent starts, Taiba has been away since finishing 12th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby May 7 at Churchill Downs.
Other nominees include two-time Grade 3 winner Newgrange, Slow Down Andy, who upset Messier in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity last Dec. 11, and Hopper, recent winner of the G3 Affirmed.
Completing the list are Armagnac, Doppelganger, Got Thunder, High Conenction, Irish Prophet and Win the Day.
Entries for the Great Lady M. will be taken Friday, July 1 while the Los Alamitos Derby will be drawn Wednesday, July 6.
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