Wild Fit Faces Tough Field in Season Debut

Wild Fit figures to be a solid choice in the $250,000 Las Virgenes (gr. I) for 3-year-old fillies, one of two grade I races on Santa Anita's Saturday program.

The one-mile Las Virgenes drew eight entrants including Wild Fit, who returns to action after running second to Folklore in the Alberto VO5 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) at Belmont Park Oct. 29.

Also on the card is the $250,000 Santa Maria Handicap (gr. I) for older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles.

After winning her first start and the Del Mar Debutante (gr. I) last summer in the space of three weeks, Wild Fit was the 1-2 choice when losing by three-quarters length to Diamond Omi in the Oak Leaf Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting, her prep for the Breeders' Cup. In the BC Juvenile Fillies, she was five wide and had to steady on the turn, but the gray filly closed strongly while falling 1 ¼ lengths short of Folklore at Belmont Park.

Wild Fit was purchased for $3 million at Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky November select sale and now runs for the Coolmore racing partnership of Magnier, Smith, and Tabor and is trained by Patrick Biancone.

Regular rider Alex Solis will be reunited with the Florida-bred daughter of Wild Wonder on Saturday. Wild Fit earned $432,600 from her four starts while competing for trainer Jeff Mullins.

Wild Fit faces some sharp fillies in the Las Virgenes including Bob and Beverly Lewis's Dance Daily, who upset champion 2-year-old filly and stablemate Folklore in the Santa Ynez (gr. II) at seven furlongs on June 16. Another Las Virgenes contender, the Bob Baffert-trained Tallulah Lula, lost by a nose to the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Dance Daily in the Santa Ynez.

Diplomat Lady's last start also resulted in a major upset when she toppled Balance by one-half length in Hollywood Park's Hollywood Starlet (gr. I) Dec. 18. It was the first loss in four starts for dual stakes winner Balance, trained by David Hofmans for Amerman Racing.

Itty Bitty Pretty also rates consideration in the Las Virgenes following a six-length victory in the Santa Ysabel Stakes (gr. II) Jan. 7.

$250,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (gr. I, Race 9, 4:30 p.m.), 3-year-old fillies, 1 mile
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Meetmeinthewoods (CA), 116, Corey Nakatani
2. Lake Como (KY), 116, Isaias Enriquez
3. Diplomat Lady (KY), 120, Tyler Baze
4. Balance (KY), 120, Victor Espinoza
5. Talullah Lula (KY), 116, Garrett Gomez
6. Itty Bitty Pretty (KY), 120, Patrick Valenzuela
7. Dance Daily (KY), 120, Javier Santiago
8. Wild Fit (FL), 120, Alex Solis