Anisette in a morning gallop at Santa Anita. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Six Graded Stakes On 11-Race Card, Three Of Them Grade I’s With 1st post Time At 11 A.M.
Mike Willman/Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.—With solid year-end credentials in hand, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Anisette seeks the biggest win of her career as heads a field of seven sophomore fillies in Tuesday’s Grade I, $300,000 American Oaks at a mile and quarter over the Santa Anta turf.
Trained by Leonard Powell, English-bred Anisette’s only previous try at the Oaks distance came two starts back in Santa Anita’s Grade II Rodeo Drive on Oct. 7, a race in which she finished a close second. With regular rider Umberto Rispoli back aboard, she cut back in distance to one mile on grass Nov. 5, finishing second by 3 ¼ lengths in the Grade III Autumn Miss Stakes.
A dedicated deep closer, Anisette rallied for a come-from-behind win in her one mile turf U.S. debut May 29 and she followed that up with impressive scores in both the mile turf Grade II San Clemente July 22 and the mile and one eighth Grade I Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 19.
One for three in England, Anisette has three wins and a pair of seconds from her five stateside starts for Powell and will hope to be rolling late on Tuesday.
Irish-bred Be Your Best is another who would prefer to have a fast pace to exploit in Tuesday’s Oaks. In her first and only assignment versus male competition, she was last of 13 for most of the trip in the Grade II Twilight Derby at a mile and one eighth on turf here Nov. 4 and came rolling on the far outside to finish eighth, beaten just 1 ¾ lengths under Irad Ortiz, Jr., who rides her back.
A well beaten ninth in her only try at a mile and one quarter four starts back in the Belmont Oaks Invitational July 8, she shipped west to finish second, beaten 2 ¾ lengths by Anisette in the Grade I Del Mar Oaks Aug. 19.
Trained by Horacio De Paz and owned by Michael Ryan, Be Your Best is 10-2-2-1 overall with earnings of $284,250.
The Grade I American Oaks
Race 5 of 11 Approximate post time 1 p.m. PT1 Khinjani—Lanfranco Dettori—124
2 Anisette—Umberto Rispoli—124
3 Grace Period—Jose Lezcano—124
4 Elounda Queen—Juan Hernandez—124
5 Sakura Flavor—Antonio Fresu—124
6 Be Your Best—Irad Ortiz, Jr.—124
7 Musical Mischief—Flavien Prat—124
With six stakes, three of them Grade I’s and an 11-race card on tap for Santa Anita’s Classic Meet opener on Tuesday, first post is early at 11 a.m. Admission gates will open at 9 a.m.
