La Brea Stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Private Mission Shortens Up, Will Attempt To Rebound In La Brea

Two-time graded stakes winner Private Mission cuts back in distance and heads a field of seven sophomore fillies going seven furlongs in Sunday's Grade 1, $300,000 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita. One of six graded stakes, three of them Grade 1's, the La Brea will no doubt command considerable attention on Santa Anita's Winter Spring Opening Day card, which is comprised of 11 races. With admission gates opening at 9 a.m., first post time on Sunday is at 11 a.m.

Although she showed good early speed, Private Mission tired badly to be distanced by 37 ¼ lengths at odds of 10-1 in her most recent start, the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at a mile and one eighth on Nov. 6. A two-time winner sprinting, Private Mission, who is trained by Bob Baffert, was on a three-game roll heading into the Breeders' Cup, having won the G2 Zenyatta Stakes here on Oct. 3 and the G3 Torrey Pines at Del Mar Aug. 21.

Buy red-hot sire Into Mischief, Private Mission is owned by Baoma Corporation and will be ridden for the fourth consecutive time by Flavien Prat. A first-out winner sprinting at two, Private Mission has four wins from six starts and has earnings of $256,800.

John Sadler's Livingmybestlife is a front-running sort who comes off a pair of ungraded stakes wins, her most recent the one mile Seashell Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 3. Owned by Hronis Racing, Livingmybestlife registered an 88 Beyer Speed Figure in taking the six furlong Lucky Spell Stakes at Los Alamitos two starts back on Sept. 24 and earned an 85 Beyer in winning the Seashell.

A Florida-bred by the Yes It's True stallion The Big Beast, Livingmybestlife was claimed by Sadler out of her first start, a second place finish for maiden $50,000 at Oaklawn Park on April 8. With three sprint wins to her credit, Livingmybestlife has four wins and a two seconds from seven overall starts as she tackles graded company for the first time with regular rider Juan Hernandez up.

In addition to Private Mission, Baffert will also send out Kalypso, a winner of the G2 Santa Ynez Stakes here in her first start of the year four starts back on Jan. 3. Idle since well beaten in the G2 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs April 30, this daughter of Brody's Cause will no doubt show good speed off the bench. Owned by David Bernsen, LLC and Gainesway Farm, Kalypso will be ridden for the first time by John Velazquez.

THE GRADE 1 LA BREA WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 11 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

Canoodling—Roimes Chirinos—120
Eddie's New Dream—Mario Gutierrez—120
Kalypso—John Velazquez—122
Private Mission—Flavien Prat—122
Missy P.—Mike Smith—120
Brilliant Cut—Jose Ortiz–120
Livingmybestlife—Juan Hernandez—120

First post time for an 11-race card on Opening Day, Sunday is at 11 a.m.

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Harty Out To Prove Fair Maiden’s La Brea Upset Was No Fluke

Fair Maiden, a consistent daughter of Street Boss owned and bred by Godolphin LLC in Kentucky, is out to prove her victory at 20-1 in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes last Dec. 26 was no fluke when she runs in Saturday's G2 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

The prestigious seven-furlong race for fillies and mares four and older will be decided at seven furlongs in this, its 64th running.

“Her victory in the La Brea wasn't much of a surprise in the sense that her form was good,” trainer Eoin Harty said, alluding to her 4-1-1 record from eight starts, with earnings of $321,278. Her lone disappointing effort came in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She finished 12th when rank, steadying and wide in the race at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, 2019.

Other than that, the 4-year-old chestnut filly has never been worse than fourth and has been working forwardly for the Santa Monica.

“She's doing well,” Harty said. 'She's trained well since the La Brea and we're looking forward to the race.”

Fair Maiden began her career at Arlington Park, had two races at Woodbine after that before starts at Santa Anita, Churchill Downs, Keeneland and at Santa Anita for the aforementioned La Brea.

“She's been with me since Day One,” Harty said. “She came out of her Breeders' Cup race with a problem, which explains her layoff (of some 10 months before winning a sprint at Churchill Downs last Sept. 19).

“Seven-eighths should be perfect for her.”

Harty, a 58-year-old native of Dublin, Ireland, enjoyed perhaps his greatest victory in 2009 when Well Armed captured the $6-million Dubai World Cup by 14 lengths under recently retired Aaron Gryder.

Harty was a top assistant to the late John Russell and Bob Baffert before becoming private trainer for Godolphin Racing in 2000.

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Fair Maiden Rallies In La Brea, Giving Jockey Ricky Gonzalez First Grade 1 Win

In a streak of Godolphin Blue, the Eoin Harty-trained Fair Maiden blew by her competition late to take Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 La Brea Stakes by 2 ¼ lengths under upstart Ricky Gonzalez. Fair Maiden, in her eighth career start, got seven furlongs in 1:22.69 on the Santa Anita main track in Arcadia, Calif.

Breaking from post position nine in a field of 10 sophomore fillies, Fair Maiden was mid-pack, about three lengths off the lead approaching the top of the lane while following the Bob Baffert-trained Golden Principal. From there, Fair Maiden, who was six-deep off the turn, easily reeled in Golden Principal for an impressive victory, which provided Gonzalez with his first-ever Grade 1 triumph.

“Eoin (Harty) said she was doing really really well, to just put her in the race,” Gonzalez said. “There were quite a few speeds. 'Just put her in the race get her clear and get her to the outside.' We hit the stretch and as soon as we hit the stretch she went on the outside and was just full of run.

On recording his first Grade 1 victory, Gonzalez said, “I was just so happy and excited, to just ride these kinds of horses, it feels great. I'm very thankful to Eoin and all the trainers for all the opportunities.”

Most recently fourth in an ungraded six furlong stakes at Keeneland Nov. 7, Fair Maiden was off at 20-1 and paid $43.20, $18.60 and $10.00.

Owned and bred by Godolphin, LLC in Kentucky, Fair Maiden is by Street Boss out of the Smart Strike mare Shieldmaiden. A minor stakes winner on turf in her third career start at Woodbine in August 2019, Fair Maiden collected her first graded stakes win on Saturday and improved her overall mark to 8-4-1-1. With the winner's share of $180,000, she increased her earnings to $321,278.

One of four Baffert trainees in the field, Golden Principal was off at 12-1 and paid $13.60 and $7.40 while finishing 1 ½ lengths in front of her stablemate Merneith.

Ridden by John Velazquez, Merneith was the second choice in the betting at 7-2 and paid $4.00 to show while finishing three quarters of length in front of post time favorite Finite, who is trained by Steve Asmussen.

Fractions on the race were 21.88, 44.59 and 1:09.92.

“It's just the way the things pan out when you get to that number two level. It's hard to find a race against really competitive company,” Harty said, when asked why he switched from synthetic surfaces and turf to dirt this year. “I didn't want to keep taking her up to Woodbine so I found a spot in Churchill (winning a six-furlong allowance race) and that was a big question mark as to whether she would handle it there and she did. She was super professional that day and gave me a lot of confidence in bringing her out here for this.

“I've been watching Ricky ride since he came down here, and I think he's the next superstar. He's brave and he puts his horse in a spot to win. I grab him in every time I can because I think he's a world-class rider, and today was his first Grade 1 win.”

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Harty Outdoes Former Boss in La Brea

For 14 years, Irishman Eoin Harty worked as the right-hand man to trainer Bob Baffert, helping oversee the careers of the dual Classic-winning duo of Silver Charm (1997) and Real Quiet (1998) among many other luminaries. For the last two decades, Harty has served as an American-based conditioner for Godolphin, having developed the likes of Street Cry (Ire), champion Tempera–whom he trained to a victory in the 2001 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies–and Dubai Escapade. Now 58 and a decade removed from his most recent Grade I success, Harty was back in the spotlight following a 20-1 upset by Fair Maiden (Street Boss) in Saturday’s GI La Brea S. at Santa Anita. Golden Principal (Constitution) and Merneith (American Pharoah) completed a 2-3 finish for the Baffert barn.

The La Brea field was caught in a nice line and Fair Maiden raced prominently early before drifting back to the latter half of the field as Biddy Duke (Bayern) poked through to take up the running down the backstretch. Ridden quietly by Northern California import Ricky Gonzalez, while racing three or four off the rail in the slipstream of the Chad Brown-trained Motivated Selller (Into Mischief) around the turn, Fair Maiden edged into the four path to follow the move of Golden Principal into the stretch. Pulled out into the clear to lay down her challenge shortly thereafter, Fair Maiden hit high gear at the furlong grounds and raced away to a convincing success. Favored Finite (Munnings) settled well back in the field and made mild late progress into fourth. It was a first Grade I winner for jockey Ricky Gonzalez, who shifted his tack from up north for the winter.

“Eoin [Harty] said she was doing really, really well, to just put her in the race,” he explained. “There were quite a few speeds. ‘Just put her in the race, get her clear and get her to the outside.’ We hit the stretch and as soon as we hit the stretch, she went on the outside and was just full of run.”

It was the first Grade I for Harty since Victor’s Cry, a son of the aforementioned Street Cry, took out the 2010 Shoemaker Mile.

An Arlington maiden romper at second asking last season, Fair Maiden won the grassy Catch a Glimpse S. at Woodbine and was a narrowly beaten third in the GI Natalma S. before finishing well-beaten behind Sharing (Speightstown) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The chestnut resumed to post a 2 1/4-length allowance when trying dirt for the first time in her career at Churchill Sept. 19 and was a troubled fourth to Merneith and Motivated Seller in the Qatar Fort Springs S. on Breeders’ Cup Saturday at Keeneland Nov. 7.

Pedigree Notes:

Fair Maiden is the seventh Group 1/Grade I winner for her sire and is one of two winners from three to race from her dam, an $875,000 graduate of the 2009 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale. Fair Maiden’s third dam won the 2000 GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Mother Goose S. before going on to produce MGISP Dunkirk (Unbridled’s Song). Shieldmaiden, the 10th daughter of the late Smart Strike to produce a top-level winner, was sold for $30,000 in foal to Animal Kingdom at Keeneland November in 2017 and produced colts by Passion For Action in each of the last two seasons before being covered by the same son of Speightstown last year.

Saturday, Santa Anita
LA BREA S.-GI, $302,500, Santa Anita, 12-26, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:22.69, ft.
1–FAIR MAIDEN, 120, f, 3, by Street Boss
1st Dam: Shieldmaiden, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Code Book, by Giant’s Causeway
3rd Dam: Secret Status, by A.P. Indy
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Godolphin
(KY); T-Eoin G. Harty; J-Ricardo Gonzalez. $180,000. Lifetime
Record: 8-4-1-1, $321,278. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Golden Principal, 120, f, 3, by Constitution
1st Dam: Gold D’ Medaglia, by Medaglia d’Oro
2nd Dam: Lemon Twist, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Danzig Island, by Danzig
($35,000 RNA Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $200,000 2yo ’19 OBSAPR).
O-Karl Watson, Michael E. Pegram & Paul Weitman; B-CESA
Farm (FL); T-Bob Baffert. $60,000.
3–Merneith, 120, f, 3, by American Pharoah
1st Dam: Flattermewithroses (SW), by Flatter
2nd Dam: Rosella, by Grindstone
3rd Dam: Fluttery Danseur, by Wavering Monarch
($350,000 Wlg ’17 FTKNOV; $600,000 2yo ’19 OBSMAR).
O-HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud; B-China Horse Club
(KY); T-Bob Baffert. $36,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 20.60, 12.80, 3.60.
Also Ran: Finite, Secret Keeper, Provocation, Himiko, Biddy Duke, Motivated Seller, Princess Mo. Scratched: Stellar Sound.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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