Finest City has a few options

ARCADIA, Calif. – Vale Dori and Finest City, the first two finishers in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita last Saturday, may have a rematch in early June.

Vale Dori will be pointed for the Grade 1 Beholder Mile, formerly the Vanity, at Santa Anita on June 3, trainer Bob Baffert said in a text message Wednesday. The $400,000 Beholder is one of three stakes that trainer Ian Kruljac is considering for Finest City, the champion female sprinter of 2016.

Finest City also could start in the $300,000 Humana Distaff at seven furlongs at Churchill Downs on May 6, Kentucky Derby Day, or the $300,000 Gamely Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita on May 27. Both are Grade 1 races.

Kruljac said the California races have greater appeal than the Humana Distaff.

“We’re not too keen on shipping, with the Breeders’ Cup the final goal,” he said.

Finest City won the BC Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita last November. The same race will be run at Del Mar on Nov. 4.

In the $401,035 Santa Margarita Stakes at 1 1/8 miles, Vale Dori led throughout to win by 1 1/2 lengths over Finest City, who was within a head of the lead for the first six furlongs. The Santa Margarita was the fourth consecutive stakes win for Vale Dori.

Kruljac said he would not hesitate to try Finest City at 1 1/8 miles again.

“She got the distance, but Vale Dori was better,” Kruljac said. “We can tip our hat and move on. She came out of the race in good shape.”

Owned by Tyler Seltzer, Finest City, a 5-year-old mare by City Zip, has won 5 of 16 starts and earned $1,125,594.

Dozen likely for San Luis Rey

The Grade 2 San Luis Rey Stakes at Santa Anita may be in the midst of a revival.

Saturday’s $200,000 San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf had 12 expected starters on Wednesday, a change from earlier in this decade, when the race drew fields of five in 2012 and 2014 and six in 2011.

Saturday’s race is expected to be led by Ashleyluvssugar, who won the 2015 running; Texas Ryano, who won the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup in December but was sixth in the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes here in February; and Itsinthepost and Flamboyant, who were second and third in the San Marcos.

Other expected runners are Buster Douglas, Inordinate, Liam the Charmer, Papacoolpapacool, Power Foot, Some in Tieme, Site Read, and Syntax.

If all 12 start, the San Luis Rey Stakes will have its biggest field since the same number ran in 1998. The 2016 race had 10 runners and was won by the outsider Generosidade.

41 stakes at Del Mar meet

Del Mar has scheduled 41 stakes for its summer meeting, which runs July 19 to Sept. 4, including several that serve as prep races for the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 3-4. Del Mar is hosting the Breeders’ Cup for the first time this year.

The summer stakes schedule is led by the $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 19, one of five races that offer an automatic berth for the winner to a Breeders’ Cup race. The winner of the Pacific Classic will receive a fees-paid berth to the $6 million BC Classic.

The Pacific Classic program will have two other graded stakes, both on turf – the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks for 3-year-old fillies and the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap for 3-year-olds and up. The winner of the $250,000 Del Mar Handicap will receive an automatic berth to the BC Turf.

The other races with automatic berths for the Breeders’ Cup are the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes on July 29 for the BC Sprint, the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes on July 30 for the BC Distaff, and the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes on Aug. 26 for the BC Dirt Mile.

In 2016, the track had 43 stakes during the summer meeting.

The track has cut two $75,000 overnight stakes from its summer calendar – the Sandy Blue Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf and the Pirate’s Bounty Stakes for sprinters on the main track. The purses for two stakes for California-bred 2-year-old sprinters – the I’m Smokin and Generous Portion stakes – have been cut by $50,000 each to $100,000.

The summer season will open on a Wednesday for the first time since 2013. The 2016 summer meeting opened on a Friday.

Champagne Room to race again

Champagne Room, the champion 2-yearold filly of 2016, will resume training this summer after a 90-day break to recover from recent surgery to remove a bone chip from an ankle.

Trainer Peter Eurton said on Wednesday that Champagne Room’s owners have opted to leave the filly in training after considering retiring and breeding her.

Champagne Room has won 2 of 6 starts and earned $1,310,600 for a group that includes Sharon Alesia, Joe Ciaglia, and Gulliver Racing. Champagne Room won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita last November and the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar last summer.

In her only start this year, Champagne Room was third in the Grade 2 Las Virgenes Stakes at a mile Feb. 5. The race was won by Unique Bella, who has emerged as the leading 3-year-old filly in the nation with three graded stakes wins.