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Not to be outdone by her stablemate, Under the Stars (Pioneerof the Nile) posted her own 3/4-length victory Jan. 8th in the GII Santa Ynez S. Though her recent efforts have all been sprinting, this half to Bodemeister has both the pedigree to cover the longer distance and the speed to overcome her far outside draw. Her speed figures have been on the rise since finishing a distant third to Eda in the Desi Arnaz S., including a career high 91 Beyer Speed Figure in her win in the Santa Ynez.

While she missed a planned start in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies due to surgery to remove a bone chip in her left ankle, 'TDN Rising Star' Ain't Easy (Into Mischief) certainly showed more than enough class as a 2-year-old to earn a place in this field. Though she's been working consistently, she'll be tested coming off a five-month layoff with her last race being a 4 3/4-length victory in the GII Chandelier S. back Oct. 1 where she defeated stablemate Desert Dawn (Cupid), who was six-lengths back in third and also runs here.

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Graduates from last year's March sale include Call Me Midnight (Midnight Lute), winner of the Jan. 22 GIII Lecomte S., and last year's GI Starlet S. winner Eda (Munnings).

OBS will again offer online bidding during the March sale. Buyers can register on the company's website. For complete information on registration and online bidding, visit obs-online-bidding.

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A homebred son of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist owned by J. Paul Reddam and trained by Doug O'Neill, Slow Down Andy surprised 1-2 favorite the Baffert-trained Messier Dec. 11, ending Baffert's streak of seven wins in a row in the Futurity.

In the Starlet, Eda, the 11-10 favorite, prevailed, continuing a run for Baffert that has seen him win the prestigious race for 2-year-old fillies five of the eight years it has been offered at Los Alamitos.

Baffert also won the meet's other graded race, capturing the $100,500 G3 Bayakoa with favored As Time Goes By for Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith.

The two other stakes were for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California. Professors' Pride went gate-to-wire in the $101,500 Soviet Problem for Larry and Carolyn Samovar's Academic Farms and trainer Eddie Truman while 2-1 second choice Straight Up G led throughout to take the $102,000 King Glorious for owner-breeder Jim Rome's Jungle Racing LLC and trainer Richard Baltas.

Sherman, 84, was honored Dec. 10 minutes after he saddled his last career starter – Chasing Alchemy, who finished seventh in a $50,000 maiden claimer for 2-year-olds. The popular trainer, who has been involved in racing for more than 65 years, finished his career with 2,261 wins. His most famous pupil was two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, who was based at Los Alamitos for most of his career.

Baffert topped the trainer standings with five victories, one more than Lorenzo Ruiz. It was the 13th meet he has either led or shared the title since daytime thoroughbred racing returned to Los Alamitos in 2014.

Baffert had the most wins (13) for the year at Los Alamitos, combining the Winter meet with the Summer Thoroughbred Festival (June 25-July 5) and the Los Angeles County Fair season (Sept. 10-26). Peter Miller and Steve Miyadi tied for second with 11.

A closing day triple-double enabled Abel Cedillo to win the jockey title, his second in a row locally after taking the LACF meet. The 32-year-old native of Guatemala finished with nine wins, three more than Tyler Baze, apprentices Ricardo Ramirez and Diego Herrera, and Kyle Frey.

For the year at Los Alamitos, Cedillo totaled 35 wins, 14 more than closest pursuer Juan Hernandez. Frey and Herrera shared third with 16.

All sources handle for the Winter meet was up 11% on a comparative basis over 2019, which was also a seven-day season.

Handle at California satellite locations declined 23%, but advance deposit wagering in Southern California increased 61%. “We're pleased with how things went for the days we raced, but disappointed we aren't able to run next week,'' said F. Jack Liebau, vice president of the Los Alamitos Racing Association.

Daytime thoroughbred racing will return to Los Alamitos in 2022. The first of three meets is scheduled to begin Friday, June 24, and will continue through Sunday, July 10.

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“She rated off well and you never known how they're going to do going long until you try,” Baffert said. “She relaxed well, but turning for home I wasn't sure. Juan [Hernandez] said she really dug in when she was challenged and didn't want to lose. Pretty exciting, but disappointed in Grace Adler [who finished last]. She got upset in the paddock and [jockey Flavien] Prat told Jimmy [Barnes] she just had no interest in running. [Eda] is getting better and better. Getting the Grade I for her is very important.”

“She relaxed nicely and we had a good position on the outside down the backside,” Hernandez said. “She responded when I asked her at the head of the stretch and when they came to her on the inside and outside she didn't want to let them by. She was very game.”

A $550,000 OBSMAR buy after breezing in :10 flat, Eda crossed the line a nose short in her Santa Anita unveiling June 19, but was promoted to first after the original winner was disqualified for interference. It was 13 1/2 lengths back to the third-place finisher that day. Missing by a head next out in the GII Sorrento S. at Del Mar Aug. 6, she was a well-beaten fifth to re-opposing stablemate Grace Adler in the Sept. 5 GI Del Mar Debutante S. Returning to winning ways in the Anoakia S. back in Arcadia Oct. 24, the bay defeated Tonito's by 4 1/4 lengths last time in Del Mar's Desi Arnaz S. Nov. 13.

Pedigree Notes:

Eda is the fifth Grade I winner for Munnings and third this year, along with Kimari and Jack Christopher. She is also the 23rd graded winner and one of 53 black-type scorers that Coolmore stallion. Eda is the 14th Grade I winner, 29th graded scorer and one of 80 black-type victors out of a daughter of Lemon Drop Kid. Nate McCauley purchased Eda's dam Show Me for $24,000 with the winner in utero at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton February Sale and resold her for $535,000 at the recent Fasig-Tipton November Sale back in foal to Munnings. A half to GSW Aegean (Northern Afleet) and SW Light Bringer (Northern Afleet), Show Me was bred to Bolt d'Oro for 2020, but did noot produce a foal and had a Karakontie (Jpn) filly Mar. 26 of this year.

Saturday, Los Alamitos
STARLET S.-GI, $300,500, Los Alamitos, 12-4, 2yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:44.51, ft.
1–EDA, 120, f, 2, by Munnings
1st Dam: Show Me, by Lemon Drop Kid
2nd Dam: Apt to Star, by Aptitude
3rd Dam: Sweeping, by End Sweep
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($240,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $550,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-Baoma Corporation; B-Nathan McCauley (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan J Hernandez. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 6-4-1-0, $370,000. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
2–Cairo Memories, 120, f, 2, by Cairo Prince
1st Dam: Incarnate Memories, by Indian Charlie
2nd Dam: Witness Post, by Gone West
3rd Dam: Most Likely, by Fappiano
'TDN Rising Star' 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($50,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-David A Bernsen LLC & Schroeder Farms LLC; B-Brereton C Jones (KY); T-Robert B Hess Jr. $60,000.
3–Tonito's, 120, f, 2, by Blame
1st Dam: Cry Value, by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Value Stream, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Storm Beauty, by Storm Cat
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($17,000 Ylg '20 FTKFEB; $28,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $90,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-Anderson Farms, ERJ Racing LLC, Reddam Racing LLC, John D Fielding & Ryan Lloyd; B-Ghost Hollow Farm LLC (KY); T-Doug F O'Neill. $36,000.
Margins: HF, NK, 3. Odds: 1.10, 3.70, 19.70.
Also Ran: Desert Dawn, Benedict Canyon, Grace Adler. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Bob Baffert also saddles Eda (Munnings), who seeks her first top-level score. Graduating via DQ in her Santa Anita unveiling in June, she missed by a head in the Aug. 6 GII Sorrento S. and was fifth in the Debutante. A decisive heroine of the Anoakia S. in Arcadia Oct. 24, the bay crossed the line 4 1/4 lengths clear of Tonito's (Blame) in the Desi Arnaz S. at Del Mar last time Nov. 13. Baffert has one other runner in this six-horse event in Benedict Canyon (Midnight Lute), who was third in the Anoakia.

Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince) tries dirt for the first time in this event. Opening her account with a pair of wins, including the Oct. 3 Surfer Girl S., the gray could only manage ninth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf S. Nov. 5.

Completing the sextet is Desert Dawn (Cupid) from the Phil D'Amato barn. Earning her diploma at second asking at Del Mar Aug. 26, the bay was third in the Chandelier and sixth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 5.

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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:

1. Tonito's, Mario Gutierrez rides, 120 pounds
2. Grace Adler, Flavien Prat, 120
3. Benedict Canyon, Edwin Maldonado, 120
4. Cairo Memories, Kent Desormeaux, 120
5. Desert Dawn, Mike Smith, 120
6. Eda, Juan Hernandez, 120

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Buoyed by an influx of more than 200 horses from Northern California – due to the current suspension of racing at Golden Gate Fields – the average field size for the season was nearly nine runners per race, compared to 6.97 for the 2019 Winter meet. There were 854 participants in 98 races during the season.

This led to a sizable boost in terms of business. The average daily handle on races run at Los Alamitos was up 36% over 2019 and average daily handle increased 20% on a comparable basis to last year's Winter season.

“This meet was an unprecedented one,'' said F. Jack Liebau, vice president of the Los Alamitos Racing Association. “In the midst of a surge in COVID-19 cases in California and elsewhere, racing was conducted safely thanks to the excellent compliance by all participants with the preventative measures in place.

“As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak at Golden Gate Fields, trainers and caregivers were not permitted to accompany their horses to Southern California. Los Alamitos management and the connections of those horses from Northern California are indebted to the local trainers who stepped up and assumed the training and care of those thoroughbreds.

“Without their help, the meet would not have been as successful and the owners of the shippers from Northern California wouldn't have had the opportunity to race.

“The Southern California Off-Site Stabling and Vanning Fund also helped mitigate this situation by covering the costs of transporting horses from Golden Gate to Southern California.  The efforts of many contributed to how well things went during these three weeks.''

A five-day Pick 6 carryover led to a record total Pick 6 pool – and payoff – Dec. 18. Chasing a carryover that had swelled to $423,178, bettors wagered $1,809,485 for a total pool of $2,232,663. The previous record of $1,558,329 was set Dec. 17, 2016.

There were six perfect tickets two days ago and each was worth $228,816, bettering the previous best of $110,732 Dec. 12, 2014.

Baffert's latest successes in the Starlet and Los Alamitos Futurity were provided by, respectively, 17-1 shot Varda and 19-10 second choice Spielberg. The nose victory by Spielberg over 33-1 shot The Great One was Baffert's seventh in a row in the Futurity and his 13th overall. He won it six times at Hollywood Park between 1997-2013.

The meet's other graded stakes – the Grade 3, $100,000 Bayakoa – was captured by Proud Emma for trainer Peter Miller and owners Gem Inc. and Tom Kagele.

The two other stakes were for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California. Sensible Cat won the $100,000 Soviet Problem for Irvin Racing Stable and trainer Carla Gaines while 13-1 shot Play Chicken won the $100,000 King Glorious for owner-breeder J. Paul Reddam's Reddam Racing LLC and trainer Doug O'Neill.

Baffert, O'Neill and Jonathan Wong shared the training title with five victories.

Baffert had the most wins (nine) for the year at Los Alamitos, combining the Winter meet with the Summer Thoroughbred Festival (June 27-July 5). O'Neill was second with eight and Steve Miyadi third with seven.

A closing day triple enabled Abel Cedillo to win the jockey title. He finished with 13 victories, one more than Juan Hernandez and two more than apprentice Jessica Pyfer.

For the year at Los Alamitos, Hernandez finished with 16 wins, one more than Cedillo. Edwin Maldonado was third with 13.

Daytime thoroughbred racing will return to Los Alamitos in 2021. The first of three meets is scheduled to begin Thursday, June 24 and continue through Sunday, July 4, followed by the Los Angeles County Fair season (Sept. 10-26) and the Winter meet (Dec. 2-12).

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A poster pony for in-training sales success, Varda (by Distorted Humor) was a star at the OBS sale held in June (not the OBS June sale that was held in July this crazy year). The progressive filly was an excellent example of her sire's best sort of prospect, with the strength and speed of a serious athlete. Varda flamed a quarter-mile in :20 4/5 for her under-tack work, and she sold like the star she has become.

Part of the Niall Brennan sales consignment, Varda brought $700,000 from Donato Lanni, agent for Baoma Corp. The dark bay filly has now won two of her three starts, is a Grade 1 winner and Grade 2-placed, and has earnings of more than a quarter-million.

Bred in New York by Masters 2013 LLC and Distorted Humor Syndicate, Varda was a $100,000 yearling at the New York select sale at Saratoga. Then brought to the in-training sales, this filly looked so good and worked so impressively that she generated one of the greatest markups of the resale market in Ocala this year.

In marked contrast, the Remsen winner Brooklyn Strong (Wicked Strong) was a $30,000 weanling at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall sale, then was a $42,000 RNA the following year at the same New York-bred select sale where Varda sold for six figures. Brought back to the sales ring two months later in Ocala for the OBS October yearling sale, Brooklyn Strong was an RNA for $6,000 this time. In his final brush with the sales, Brooklyn Strong sold for $5,000 at the OBS spring sale of 2-year-olds in training, held in June.

Coming out of the same massive sale, both Varda and Brooklyn Strong became graded stakes winners the same weekend on opposite coasts. The polar difference in their prices was significantly dependent on the appeal of their sires. Whereas Varda's sire Distorted Humor is the source of classic winners and champions, Wicked Strong (Hard Spun) bred 54 mares earlier this year, as his appeal to owners and buyers began to wane, and the horse was moved to Pin Oak Lane Farm in Pennsylvania in October for the 2021 season.

Brooklyn Strong is his sire's third stakes winner from two crops of racing age and the first graded stakes winner.

Despite the differences in price and sire power between the Starlet winner and the star of the Remsen, there are also some important similarities. Varda worked like a wonder, and Brooklyn Strong worked quite well, going a furlong in :10 2/5. In contrast to these quick workers, the winner of the Fifth Avenue, Laobanonaprayer, went relatively slow. That filly, by the sensational freshman sire Laoban (Uncle Mo), worked a quarter in :22 3/5, which is plenty quick for racing but not for a sales work. The sales price reflected that, and the big, scopy filly went through the ring for only $15,000 to owner-trainer Daniel Velazquez, who also trains Brooklyn Strong.

One of the reasons that I know so much about these sales horses is my work with DataTrack International, evaluating workouts, strides, efficiency, and athletic potential. One of the measures that DataTrack uses to evaluate horses is a proprietary item called BreezeFigs, which are essentially speed figures for workouts.

Using BreezeFigs, Varda scored a 70, Brooklyn Strong got a 68, and Laobanonaprayer had a 56. Several factors go into the computation of the BreezeFigs, aside from the raw time of the work. Rather than the high speed of the first two, Laobanonaprayer has the rather loping stride of a filly who should be even better going farther; that's how she won the Fifth Avenue, looping her rivals on the turn and loping past them, then keeping up those big, easy strides as she pulled away to win by eight lengths as the even-money favorite.

Another similarity of these quality racehorses is that each of them showed a stride length that was longer than 24 feet in their works. A really good racehorse has to cover the ground faster than its rivals. To do that, it either has to stride farther or to stride faster. The super-powered sprinters tend to throw in more strides, while the stayers tend to stretch out farther. The ones who can keep it up are the ones who end up in the winner's circle.

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Baffert, however, wasn't in a mood to immediately celebrate the success in the final Grade 1 of the year for 2-year-old fillies.

He was concerned about the well being of Princess Noor, the 3-5 favorite who was pulled up early in the stretch by jockey Victor Espinoza.

After tracking the early pace of stablemate Kalypso, the daughter of Not This Time, a $1.35 million purchase earlier this year for Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., had breezed to the lead at the head of the long stretch and looked primed to draw away from her four rivals.

However, Princess Noor was guided towards the outside rail by jockey Victor Espinoza and pulled up. She walked into the van under her own power and was taken back to the Baffert stable to be examined.

“(Espinoza) said he pulled her up right away,'' said Baffert. “He said it didn't look real bad. It was her left front. We're going to take her back to the barn and have her X-rayed to see what the deal is. I can't believe it. She was running so easy.

“(Varda) had been working really well and she looked like the kind of filly that the farther the better with her, so that's why we've been waiting and waiting with her. I'm so upset (about Princess Noor) it's hard to focus.''

About 30 minutes after the race, Baffert told Daily Racing Form's Steve Andersen X-rays revealed there were no fractures. “It's soft tissue,'' he said. I don't know if she hit herself. She'll be fine. She didn't break anything.''

A $700,000 purchase at the OBS April sale, Varda is owned by Baoma Corp., which also campaigned Bast.

A daughter of Distorted Humor and the Sky Mesa mare She'll Be Right, Varda trailed early while kept outside by Van Dyke, drew alongside Kalypso with about a sixteenth of a mile and pulled clear late to win by 1 ½ lengths.

The victory was the second in three starts for the New York-bred and pushed her earnings to $254,500. She paid $37.80, $8.40 and $5.80 as the second longest shot in the field. Kalypso, who had a 2 ½ length lead with an eighth of a mile to run after Princess Noor was pulled up, returned $7.80 and $7.40 while finishing four lengths clear of 25-1 shot Nasreddine. Astute, the 13-10 second choice, was fourth, her first loss after beginning her career with a pair of sprint wins for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella.

“She always tries hard,'' said Van Dyke of the winner. “She broke well and we just waited. She needed every bit of that long stretch.''

Van Dyke's previous three wins with Baffert in the Starlet had come with Dream Tree (2017), Chasing Yesterday (2018) and Bast (2019).

Racing resumes Sunday at Los Alamitos. Post time is 12:30 p.m.

The main event is the $100,000 Bayakoa, a Grade 3 for fillies and mares – 3-year-olds and  up – at 1 1/16 miles. The Bayakoa will go as the fifth race on the program with a scheduled post time of 2:28 p.m.

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