Ike and Dawn Thrash's grade I winner Her Emmynency drew the rail for the first time in her career and appears to be the class of a short field in the $200,000 Santa Ana Stakes (gr. IIT) March 26 at Santa Anita Park.
The inside draw should work well for the typically off-the-pace running 4-year-old Successful Appeal filly, who will make her second start for trainer Kristin Mulhall and figures to improve in her second start off a more than four-month layoff. Her first 2016 try came in the Buena Vista (gr. IIT) Feb. 20, when she was wide through most of the trip and finished fourth.
A start prior, while under the care of trainer Michael Stidham, Her Emmynency broke through in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (gr. IT) Oct. 10 at Keeneland, which ended a short streak of tough-luck grade I seconds for the filly. Earlier in 2015, she was three-quarters of a length behind Sharla Rae in the Del Mar Oaks (gr. IT), and in 2014, she was a neck second to Sunset Glow in the Del Mar Debutante (gr. I).
NOVAK: Her Emmynency Upsets QEII for Grade I Score
The only other graded stakes winner in the six-horse field is Warren Williamson's homebred Nashoba's Gold, who was one spot behind Her Emmynency in the Buena Vista (3 1/4 lengths back) in her first start since November. Her graded scores came back-to-back in 2014—the Providencia (gr. IIIT) and the Honeymoon (gr. IIT), both at Santa Anita and both at the Santa Ana's 1 1/8-mile trip.
While others provide more back class, Nancy From Nairobi is the only entrant coming into the race off a win. Hronis Racing's English import took a couple of races to get her footing in Southern California with trainer John Sadler, but has won her last two allowance races by 1 1/4- and 2 1/2-length margins on the Santa Anita grass.
In the second, at one mile March 4, she defeated fellow Santa Ana entrant Glory, a speedy daughter of Tapit who was a neck back in third in the Robert J. Frankel (gr. IIIT) Dec. 27 but hasn't fired as well in two starts since.
The lone out-of-town shipper is Valor Ladies' Tuttipaesi, who finished third in her last start, the Marshua's River Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Park. Shipping shouldn't be a problem for the Irish-bred daughter of Clodovil who has won or placed at six different racetracks, including 2015 stakes wins in the South Beach at Gulfstream and the Suffolk Downs Distaff Turf for trainer Bill Mott.
Fresh Feline, a 2015 allowance winner who is winless in her last six starts, completes the field.
Santa Anita Park, Saturday, March 26, 2016, Race 5Entries: Santa Ana S. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Her Emmynency (KY) Joseph Talamo 123 Kristin Mulhall 2/1 2 2Nancy From Nairobi (GB) Abel Lezcano 118 John W. Sadler 5/2 3 3Nashoba's Gold (KY) Rafael Bejarano 118 Carla Gaines 10/1 4 4Fresh Feline (KY) Alex O. Solis 118 John A. Shirreffs 8/1 5 5Glory (KY) Mike E. Smith 118 Jerry Hollendorfer 7/2 6 6Tuttipaesi (IRE) Christopher P. DeCarlo 118 William I. Mott 3/1
