Grade I winners Stormy Lucy and Her Emmynency will meet in the $200,000 Buena Vista Stakes (gr. IIT), and despite the mile turf race's grade II label, they'll have to beat a field worthy of the top level to win Feb. 20 at Santa Anita Park. Santa Anita Park, Saturday, February 20, 2016, Race 8
Multiple graded stakes winners Prize Exhibit and Nashoba's Gold are also entered into the overflowing field of 12 (along with two on the also eligible list), along with last-out grade III winner Keri Belle, who nosed out Stormy Lucy in the Megahertz Stakes (gr. IIIT) Jan. 18 at Santa Anita.
LEWYN: Keri Belle Upsets Stormy Lucy in Megahertz
It was the second consecutive tight second-place finish for the Ed Moger Jr.-trained Stormy Atlantic mare since her 65-1 stunner in the mile Matriarch (gr. IT) Nov. 29 at Santa Anita. The Steve Moger-owned runner was also a neck back of Gender Agenda in the Robert J. Frankel (gr. IIIT) Dec. 27.
BALAN: Stormy Lucy Provides Matriarch Stunner
Ike and Dawn Thrash's Her Emmynency broke through last time out in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (gr. IT) at Keeneland in October for trainer Michael Stidham, but has since been under the care of trainer Kristin Mulhall.
NOVAK: Her Emmynency Upsets QEII for Grade I Score
A 4-year-old Successful Appeal filly, Her Emmynency has plenty of experience in Southern California. She finished second behind Sharla Rae in the Del Mar Oaks (gr. IT) in August and came in sixth behind winner Prize Exhibit in the July San Clemente Handicap (gr. IIT). She also earned her first stakes win in the 2014 Surfer Girl at Santa Anita, also at a mile.
Another graded winner with back class is Warren Williamson's Nashoba's Gold, who took the Providencia (gr. IIIT) and Honeymoon (gr. IIT) back-to-back in 2014, but hasn't finished better than fifth in four starts since, including a last-out fifth-place finish in the Nov. 7 Kathryn Crosby Stakes at Del Mar.
Also in the field are graded stakes-placed runners Smoove It, Lutine Belle, Glory, Paulina's Love, and Theatre Star. Allowance winners Stylish in Black and Chocolatier complete the dozen entrants. Moanin and Minks Aprise are also eligible.
Entries: Buena Vista S. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Keri Belle (KY) Alex O. Solis 120 John A. Shirreffs 5/1 2 2Stylish in Black (CA) Tiago Josue Pereira 120 Bobby Wayne Grayson 50/1 3 3Smoove It (CA) Mario Gutierrez 120 Doug F. O'Neill 20/1 4 4Nashoba's Gold (KY) Victor Espinoza 120 Carla Gaines 12/1 98 5Chocolatier (FR) SCRATCHED 0 UNKNOWN - 5 6Prize Exhibit (GB) Santiago Gonzalez 122 James M. Cassidy 4/1 6 7Lutine Belle (KY) Brice Blanc 120 Jerry Hollendorfer 30/1 7 8Glory (KY) Mike E. Smith 120 Jerry Hollendorfer 6/1 8 9Her Emmynency (KY) Joseph Talamo 124 Kristin Mulhall 6/1 9 10Stormy Lucy (KY) Kent J. Desormeaux 124 Ed Moger, Jr. 7/2 10 11Paulina's Love (LA) Gary L. Stevens 120 Richard Baltas 12/1 11 12Theatre Star (KY) Drayden Van Dyke 120 Thomas F. Proctor 6/1 12 13Moanin (FR) Flavien Prat 120 Neil D. Drysdale 15/1 98 14Minks Aprise (KY) SCRATCHED 0 UNKNOWN -
Stormy Lucy
Benoit Photo