Richard Mandella's talented Soothsay, unbeaten in two starts, heads Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita. To be contested a mile and one sixteenth, the Summertime Oaks has attracted a field of five sophomore fillies.
Kenny McPeek-trained Grade 2 stakes winner Crazy Beautiful, who ships west from her Churchill Downs base, and Peter Eurton's sharp recent stakes winner Lady Aces, could both prove formidable in a race that doesn't appear to have an abundance of early pace.
Ridden by leading man Flavien Prat in both of her starts, Soothsay rallied from off the pace to win her six furlong debut by 1 ½ lengths on Feb. 26 and then had the look of something very special indeed when she dominated the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on April, winning by a half length at 1 1/16 miles.
By Distorted Humor out of the Bernardini mare Spellbound, Soothsay is owned by Claiborne Farm, Perry Bass, Ramona Bass and Adele Dilschneider. Unbeaten in her two starts, she earned a lofty 87 Beyer Speed figure in her most recent start and appears to have any kind of future.
Devoid of early foot, Crazy Beautiful rallied from off the pace to register an impressive 2 ¼ length win in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks two starts back on March 27. Subsequently 10th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks April 30, this Kentucky-bred daughter of Liam's Map will try to bounce back in her Southern California debut.
Owned by Phoenix Thoroughbred III, Crazy Beautiful, who took a seven furlong ungraded stakes at Ellis Park in her second start on Aug. 9, 2020, is 8-3-3-0 overall and is the leading money earner in the field with $400,865. Ridden by Jose Ortiz in her last two starts, Crazy Beautiful will get the first-time services of Mike Smith on Sunday.
Owned and bred in Maryland by C R K Stable, LLC, Lady Aces rallied for an emphatic 3 ½ length maiden score going six furlongs here on May 2 and may well employ front-running tactics as she stretches out for the first time in what will be her third start.
Out of the Pleasantly Perfect mare Economy of Motion, Lady Aces will be ridden for the first time by Umberto Rispoli, as Prat opts to stick with the top selection.
THE GRADE 2 SUMMERTIME OAKS WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT
- Lady Aces—Umberto Rispoli—120
- Crazy Beautiful—Mike Smith—124
- Plum Sexy—Abel Cedillo–120
- Soothsay—Flavien Prat—124
- Absolute Scenes—Trevor McCarthy–120
First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.
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