Charmaine’s Mia Takes Las Cienegas In Southern California Debut

Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, since mid-summer, Agave Racing Stable's Charmaine's Mia came to play on Saturday at Santa Anita, as she opened up around the far turn and was never challenged thereafter in registering an impressive 2 ½ length tally in the Grade 3, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes.  Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke and trained by Phil D'Amato, Charmaine's Mia got six furlongs in 1:07.81 on the Arcadia, Calif., track's turf course.

Breaking alertly from her number two post position out of Santa Anita's new turf chute, Charmaine's Mia was immediately head and head with Bohemian Bourbon to her inside, while Superstition tracked a close third while three-deep to the far turn.

From there, Charmaine's Mia put away Bohemian Bourbon and although even money favorite Jolie Olimpica kicked into gear from off the pace late, she never threatened the winner who won with her ears pinned.

“I've never been on her before, but Phil told me she was working lights-out,” said Van Dyke.  “She was sitting on a big race, that's all I knew about her.  He said 'Play the break wherever you are, and go from there.'  She was doing it so easy, she had her ears pricked up and she was enjoying herself, so I wasn't taking anything away from her.

“I knew she was going to show another gear at the top of the lane, if I had any competition behind me that was going to run me down, but I had too much horse for them to catch me.  She ran a hell of a race.”

Second in a six-turf furlong turf allowance at Woodbine on Oct. 24, Charmaine's Mia, who notched her first graded stakes win in her fourth try, was off at 16-1 in a field of six and paid $35.40, $9.80 and $6.00.

“I've learned with some of these horses coming in from Woodbine, that because they've got a deeper turf up there, this is their first chance to run over a firm turf and sometimes, they just float over it and she did just that,” said D'Amato, who's had good success with horses coming from Woodbine over the past several years.  “She had trained phenomenally well on the training track here.  I haven't had a horse get over this training track this well since (multiple Grade 1 winner) Obviously.”

A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by The Factor, out of the Bernstein mare Charming Vixen, Charmaine's Mia posted her fifth win from 26 starts and with the winner's share of $60,000, increased her earnings to $232,976.

Brazilian-bred Jolie Olimpica, who won last year's Las Cienegas and had been idle since July 11, didn't show her customary zip but rallied from fifth to be second by a half length over Lighthouse.  Ridden by Mike Smith, Jolie Olimpica paid $2.80 and $2.40.

Although she finished third, Lighthouse, who was ridden by Umberto Rispoli, was disqualified  for interference shortly before the horses came out of the chute, causing Oleksandra to clip heels, unseating Joel Rosario.  (Oleksandra finished the race in good order while rider-less and although he was forced to miss the last race on the card, Rosario was on his feet immediately and checked out okay at the track's First Aid station).

As a result of the disqualification, Superstition, who was ridden by Flavien Prat, became the official third place finisher and paid $3.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 21.58, 43.80 and 55.63.

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Jolie Olimpica, Oleksandra Renew Rivalry in Las Cienegas

Fox Hill Farms’ Jolie Olimpica (Brz) (Drosselmeyer) and Team Valor’s Oleksandra (Aus) (Animal Kingdom), first and a slow-starting second, respectively when hooking up for the first time in last year’s GII Monrovia S., are the marquee names for Saturday’s GIII Las Cienegas S. at Santa Anita, a race short on numbers, but high on quality.

An undefeated Group 1 winner at home, Jolie Olimpica launched the U.S. portion of her career with a handy tally in this event last year and reported home a half-length to the good in the Monrovia in May. The chestnut was a bold second to Eclipse Award candidate Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) in the GI Jenny Wiley S. at Coolmore July 11 and was to have resurfaced in the GI Matriarch S. at Del Mar last month, only to have that comeback attempt derailed by a foot bruise. Hall of Famer Mike Smith retains the mount for Richard Mandella.

Oleksandra has faced the boys in her two most recent visits to the races, defeating Kanthaka (Jimmy Creed) by a neck in the GI Jaipur S. at Belmont June 20 before hitting the sidelines. She was set a bold task making her return to action as a 13-2 chance in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland Nov. 7, but always raced well back and was left far too much to do late, finishing ninth and beaten five lengths. The new, flat six-figure configuration at Santa Anita could work in her favor.

LNJ Foxwoods’ Lighthouse (Mizzen Mast) will look to be the fly in the ointment of the favorites. She acquitted herself nicely against her peers in 2020, running the talented Laura’s Light (Constitution) to three-parts of a length in the GIII Sweet Life S. last Februrary before closing the season with an 11-1 upset of the valuable Music City S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 15. She was also a bang-up second against older fillies and mares in Del Mar’s Daisycutter H. in August.

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Jolie Olimpica, Oleksandra Prepare For Rematch In Las Cienegas

Separated by a half length when they last met in May, Brazilian-bred Jolie Olimpica and Australian-bred Oleksandra head a field of seven older fillies and mares going six furlongs on turf in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes at Santa Anita.

Originally run at about 6 ½ furlongs down the track's Camino Real Hillside Turf Course, the 47th edition of the Las Cienegas will be contested for the first time ever out of Santa Anita's all-new turf chute.

Idle since running a big second in the G1 Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland going a mile and one sixteenth on turf July 11, the Richard Mandella-trained Jolie Olimpica took last year's Las Cienegas at 5 ½ furlongs on turf in her U.S. debut four starts back on Jan. 11, 2020 and is a two-time graded stakes winner over the Santa Anita lawn.

A Group 1 winner in her native Brazil, Jolie Olimpica, in her third start for Mandella, held off a late surge from Oleksandra to prevail by a half length in the G2 Monrovia Stakes going 5 ½ furlongs on turf here May 25. Although Oleksandra had a full head of steam, she never got by Jolie Olimpica on the gallop-out in what was a very impressive win.

Trained by Neil Drysdale, Oleksandra was most recently ninth in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint versus males on Nov. 7 and returns to her home turf with the services of regular rider Joel Rosario. A winner of the G1 Jaipur Stakes going six furlongs on the Belmont Park turf two starts back, she rallied from far back to be second, beaten a half length by Jolie Olimpica in the Monrovia.

In what will be her first stakes assignment, veteran trainer Art Sherman's Acting Out will be bidding for her third consecutive win with regular rider Abel Cedillo up. Forwardly placed in all three of her wins to date, this 4-year-old Kentucky-bred filly by Blame seems to relish a fight and has won her last two allowance sprints by a combined 10 ¼ lengths. A maiden 5 ½ furlong turf winner here in her second start, Acting Out has three wins from five starts.

THE GRADE 3 LAS CIENEGAS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 10 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

  1. Bohemian Bourbon—Juan Hernandez—120
  2. Charmaine's Mia—Drayden Van Dyke—120
  3. Acting Out—Abel Cedillo—120
  4. Lighthouse—Umberto Rispoli—122
  5. Superstition—Flavien Prat—120
  6. Oleksandra—Joel Rosario—122
  7. Jolie Olimpica—Mike Smith—122

Early first post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 12 noon. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager at 1st.com/Bet.

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Oleksandra Works into Cup

Team Valor’s Oleksandra (Aus) (Animal Kingdom), who will be making her first start since winning the June 20 GI Jaipur S. when she goes postward in Saturday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, worked six furlongs in 1:14.04 (1/3) Sunday at Belmont Park.

“She’s doing very well,” said trainer Neil Drysdale. “She doesn’t need speed because she’s very fast. She worked in company behind another horse and started a half dozen lengths back and finished well.”

Oleksandra has worked six times on the Belmont main track this month, including a trio of half-mile breezes in close succession, ahead of a strong five-furlong effort in 1:01.58 last week.

“That was because of the layoff to get her fit,” Drysdale explained of the work pattern. “We gave her some small easy works and then we’ve only done two serious works–this one and the last one.”

Oleksandra won the GIII Buffalo Trace Franklin County S. over the Turf Sprint’s 5 1/2-furlong distance at Keeneland last October. The 6-year-old mare has made just two starts this term, finishing second in the May 25 GII Monrovia S. at Santa Anita before rallying from last to win the Jaipur last time out.

“She’s won down there [at Keeneland] and if it comes up a bit soft, she doesn’t mind,” said Drysdale.

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