After finishing second for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer in the La Brea Stakes (gr. I) over the Cushion Track at Santa Anita Dec. 29, 4-year-old Unspoken Word returns to turf and drops down in company, making her seasonal debut in the $100,000 Tuzla Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Santa Anita Jan. 19.
Run at a mile over Santa Anita’s downhill turf course, the Tuzla has drawn a total of nine entries, including the 6-year-old mares Live Life and Private Banking.
Unspoken Word, bred in Kentucky by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey and owned by Rancho San Miguel and Twin Creeks Farm, broke her maiden by eight lengths on dirt in March of 2007. The Catienus filly was never worse than fourth in nine subsequent starts, eight of which were on the turf. She won the seven furlong Wild Applause Stakes over the turf at Belmont Sept. 19 and has finished second twice since then.
Unspoken Word shares the high weight of 116 with the Todd Pletcher-trained Audacious Chloe, winner of Keeneland’s Appalachian Stakes last spring. Team Valor International and NeverTell Racing sent the filly to a fourth-place finish before being moved up to third via a disqualification behind Team Valor’s Alexandra Rose in the 6 1/2-furlong Monrovia Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Santa Anita Jan. 1. During her 2007 campaign, most of the More Than Ready filly’s best efforts came in one-mile and 1 1/16-mile events.
Third in the Monrovia but placed second due to a disqualification was Eric Guillot trainee Good Mood, winner of Churchill’s Regret Stakes (gr. IIIT) last summer. The Irish-bred Danehill Dancer filly, owned by Southern Equine Stable, has not won since the Regret but definitely improved in her Monrovia effort after an eighth-place finish in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (gr. IT) at Keeneland.
Political Web, Trick’s Pic, Shermeen, and I Can See, complete the field.
$100,000 Tuzla Handicap (gr. IIIT, race 5, approximate post 2:05 p.m. PST), one mile for fillies and mares 4-year-olds and upward, turf
PP., Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Good Mood, 115, Michael Baze
2. Political Web, 113, Martin Pedroza
3. Private Banking, 115, Alex Solis
4. Trick's Pic, 115, Corey Nakatani
5. Unspoken Word, 116, Rafael Bejarano
6. Shermeen, 114, Richard Migliore
7. I Can See, 113, Jon Kenton Court
8. Audacious Chloe, 116, Garrett Gomez
9. Live Life, 115, David Flores