BUENA VISTA H. (gr. II ), Santa Anita Park , February 18, 2013 , $150,000 Guaranteed , value of race $150,750 , 4 yo's & up , 1 mile , 1:33.50 Turf FM .

The queen of Santa Anita Park’s downhill turf course also is pretty good at a mile.

Mizdirection, who has won all five of her starts on the 61/2-furlong downhill course at Santa Anita including defeating males in last year’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT), proved too fast to catch in the one-mile Buena Vista Handicap (gr. IIT) Feb. 18 at Santa Anita.

The front-running 21/4-length score against seven other fillies and mares is the first two-turn graded stakes victory for Mizdirection. That is not to say the 5-year-old Mizzen Mast filly is not capable at two turns. In her three starts at one mile, she boasts a grade II victory, a win in the Sandy Blue Handicap at Del Mar, and a runner-up finish in the San Clemente Handicap (gr. IIT) at Del Mar.

Winning rider Mike Smith believes Mizdirection, owned by Jim Rome’s Jungle Racing, William Strauss, Daniel Grohs, Kevin Nish, Michael Kramek, and Boris Beljak, had something left in the tank in the Buena Vista.

“I thought if a horse was going to come to her, she would have dug back in,” Smith said. “I don’t know how much farther we want to go than this, but she can certainly get a mile.”

Mizdirection appears to be best at about the same range of distances as her sire Mizzen Mast, who closed his career with three straight stakes wins: the one-mile Bien Bien Handicap on the turf at Hollywood Park, before back-to-back main track wins at Santa Anita in the seven-furlong Malibu Stakes (gr. I) and the 11/8 mile Strub Stakes (gr. II).

Bred in Kentucky by Joseph J. Perrotta, Mizdirection is out of the Clever Trick mare Deceptive, who never won in 20 starts, although she did place second seven times and those efforts were at six furlongs and seven furlongs. She only tried racing beyond seven furlongs one time, finishing off the board at 11/16 miles. Deceptive also has produced stakes winner Hurricane Bernie, by Sea of Secrets, who did not win beyond 51/2 furlongs.

Sire of 30 stakes winners, Mizzen Mast already boasts two added-money winners in 2013: Mizdirection and Courcy, a stakes winner in France. Among his six stakes winners of 2012 were a pair of Breeders’ Cup victors (Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, gr. IT, winner Flotilla was the other) and Ultimate Eagle, who this season has placed second in the San Pasqual Stakes (gr. II). Mizzen Mast stands for $15,000 at Juddmonte Farms near Lexington.—F.A.

MONROVIA S. (gr. II ), Santa Anita Park , January 06, 2013 , $150,000 Guaranteed , value of race $150,000 , 4 yo's & up , About 6 1/2 furlongs , 1:11.94 Downhill turf FM .

Mizdirection, a finalist for 2012 champion female sprinter, took an important step toward another stellar season when she won the Monrovia Stakes (gr. IIT) at Santa Anita Park Jan. 6. Carrying high weight of 123 pounds, she scored by a half-length as the 9-10 favorite. Mizdirection won last year’s running (then a grade III event) as well as three other stakes including the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT) over males.

Mizdirection’s rivals for champion female sprinter are Contested and Groupie Doll. Contested’s major win came in the Test Stakes (gr. I). Groupie Doll’s biggest triumph came in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I).

Mizdirection, by Mizzen Mast, races for Jim Rome’s Jungle Racing, William Strauss, Daniel Grohs, Kevin Nish, Michael Kramek, and Boris Beljak. Bred in Kentucky by Joseph Perrotta, Mizdirection was purchased twice at auction before her racing career. She was bought by Litt Bloodstock for $85,000 at the 2009 Keeneland September yearling sale from Four Star Sales, agent for Perrotta. The following year at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale of 2-year-olds in training, she was purchased for $50,000 by Solis Bloodstock from Casse Sales, agent.

Mizdirection is the second stakes winner out of the Clever Trick mare Deceptive, whose first stakes winner, Hurricane Bernie, won the 2007 Canterbury Park Lassie Stakes.

Perrotta also bred Mizdirection’s first two dams, Deceptive and Subtle Wave. The latter, campaigned by Perrotta, won the Concord Stakes at Rockingham Park and the Candy Éclair Stakes at Monmouth Park.

Mizdirection’s newly turned 2-year-old half brother by Cowboy Cal fetched $75,000 at 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale. Consigned by Four Star Sales as agent for Perrotta, the colt was bought by Southern Chase Farm.

Perrotta boards Deceptive at the Greathouse family’s Glencrest Farm near Midway, Ky. Deceptive is carrying a full sibling to Mizdirection and is not yet booked for 2014.

Mizzen Mast has sired 29 stakes winners. His six added-money winners of 2012 included Flotilla, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT) and Ultimate Eagle (gr. II). The latter finished second in the San Pasqual Stakes (gr. II) Jan. 5. Mizzen Mast stands at Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms near Lexington. His 2013 fee is $15,000.—D.S.