Making just her second start in the last 16 months, Bob Baffert's Eda (Munnings) looks to keep her winning streak rolling in Tuesday's GII Great Lady M S. Los Alamitos Race Course plays host to the $550,000 OBS March grad who enters having won her last five straight dating back to Oct. 2021 for owner Baoma Corp. Already a Grade I winner over this track with her victory in 2021's GI Starlet S., Eda went to the sidelines off a gate-to-wire score in the GIII Santa Ysabel in her next start and did not return for 13 months. Again showing her trademark speed, she wired the allowance field at Santa Anita Apr. 28 in her first start off the layoff. Trainer Bob Baffert seeks his fifth Great Lady M win having taken four of the last seven including back-to-back editions with Marley's Freedom (Blame) in 2018 and 2019.
Lined up just to Eda's inside, Elm Drive (Mohaymen) also enters off a win, taking the Mizdirection S. at Santa Anita May 20 in her first attempt on the grass. Last year's third-place finisher in this race, the 4-year-old has her own win streak going and is undefeated since coming back to Phil D'Amato's barn for 2023 with a win in the off-the-turf GIII Monrovia Apr. 8. In her only prior start against Eda, Elm Drive came out the winner, just getting her head in front of her rival in second career start in the 2021 rendition of the GII Sorrento S.
Last year's winning connections of owner Nick Alexander and trainer Steven Miyadi, who took the 2022 Great Lady M with Becca Taylor (Old Topper) bring Rose Maddox (Grazen) to the gate in an attempt to take back-to-back renditions of the Great Lady M. The grey filly makes her graded-stakes debut Tuesday but enters off multiple stakes win in both open and state-bred company.
The only 3-year-olds in the field, Vegas Magic (Good Magic) and Chismosa (Clubhouse Ride) step up to face older rivals for the first time. Vegas Magic came out running with three-straight wins including a in the GII Sorrento S. last Aug. but hasn't been seen since a 10th to 2-year-old filly champion Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 4. Chismosa also debuted a winner in her first three and was a narrowly-beaten sixth in the GIII Senorita S. May 6.
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