1/9/2021, Santa Anita, Race 8, The Grade 3 La Canada, F/M, 1 Mile and 1/16
Fighting Mad and Hard Not To Love meet for the 4th consecutive time in this division, as both mares make their first start since the Zenyatta Stakes in September. Five other five year old mares are set to take them on here.
- Proud Emma: She was about seven lengths behind the favorites in the Zenyatta three starts back. Since then, she ran a dud on the grass at Del Mar and took home the prize in the Grade 3 Bayakoa at Los Alamitos. She was gradually improving as a four year old, but it’s hard to see her gaining that much ground on the top pair, especially since neither of them ran their best race last time out.
- Hard Not To Love: She finished in front of Fighting Mad for the first time in the Zenyatta, but couldn’t get by Harvest Moon in the stretch to win that race. She runs her best races on this track, and she’s comfortable coming from off the pace, which may give her an edge as there are others that are likely to force this issue with Fighting Mad on the front end. It’s interesting to see Shirreffs take Mike Smith off this mare and replace him with Ricky Gonzalez, who continues to ride very well at this meet. I think she’ll run down her rival today and score.
- Fighting Mad: She’s one of two Baffert horses in this race, and she’s looking to rebound after faltering late in the Zenyatta at 2-5. She’s definitely the fastest gate horse in the field, but unlike some of her wins, I think she’s going to be pressured on the front end. I think she’ll put them away on the turn, but I’m not sure she’ll be able to hold off Hard Not To Love late. It should be a good stretch battle if they both show up.
- Message: She’s the other Baffert horse in the race, and she has some early foot too. However, she’s not as quick as her stablemate, so I’d expect her to sit just off her here. I don’t think she’s as talented, and her best races have been when she’s been allowed to set the tempo, which, barring a bad break from the favorite, doesn’t seem likely here.
- Sanenus: If anyone knocks off the top two, she’d be my pick to do it. She’s a Grade 1 winner in Chile and she’s improved with each of her three North American starts, most recently finishing second to Finite in the one turn Chilukki. The two turns might be out of her comfort zone, but she’s been well campaigned by McCarthy. It will be interesting to see where Rispoli puts her early, as she’s been up close to some quick tempos at one turn.
- Miss Stormy D: She’s the one most likely to put pressure on Fighting Mad in the early stages of the race. She showed some early zip in the Bayakoa last out before fading in what was her first start since February. She’s now second off the layoff and should be more fit for this effort. She’s a tough play for me though as she’s never won from off the pace and now she’s drawn outside of a faster and classier horse in Fighting Mad.
- Never Be Enough: She was a decent second in the Frankel two weeks ago on the grass, while going off at 32-1. She’s in good form, but she tries the dirt for the first time today. If she takes to the surface, she should have some pace to close into, so she’s not the craziest horse to use underneath in search of a little value here.
My Picks 2-3-5