ARCADIA, Calif. – With an abundance of speed signed on, the John Shirreffs-trained England’s Rose will hope to be running late as she tries stakes competition for the first time in Saturday’s $70,000 Swingtime Stakes at Santa Anita. With a field of 10 fillies and mares three and up set to go a flat mile on turf, England’s Rose appears well positioned to mount a successful rally from behind under regular rider Victor Espinoza.
Owned by Mercedes Stables, LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, Scott Dilworth, Dorothy Ingordo, David Ingordo and Steve Mooney, England’s Rose will shorten up off 1 ¼ length allowance length win going 1 3/8 miles on turf Sept. 3 at Del Mar. A lightly raced 5-year-old mare by English Channel, England’s Rose finished second, beaten 2 ½ lengths by highly respected Luck in a 1 1/16 mile turf allowance on Aug. 7.
England’s Rose was subsequently flattered when Luck came back to run a solid second in the Grade I Rodeo Drive Stakes here on Saturday. In her most recent try at one mile on turf July 17, England’s Rose rallied furiously and just missed by a nose in what was only her second try at the distance. With two wins and as many seconds from six starts, she’ll be making her fifth start of the year in the Swingtime.
In what appears to be a completely wide-open affair, owner/trainer Ian Kruljac’s Quiet Secretary comes off a pair of solid efforts at Del Mar and rates a big chance as she seeks her second consecutive one mile turf win. A 4-year-old filly by Hard Spun, she has four wins from eight starts at the trip. Second to classy Going to Vegas, who won Santa Anita’s I Rodeo Drive Stakes on Saturday, in a second condition allowance going a mile and one eighth on turf two starts back July 16, Quiet Secretary seeks her first stakes win in what will be her 17th career start.
Owned by the Clarke M. Cooper Family Trust, Rockie Lynne Cooper, Kruljac, Rebekah Lawless and Henry Nunez, it’ll be up to Tyler Baze to negotiate what could be a hotly contested early pace.
Trainer Michael McCarthy’s Chilean-bred Brooke, a Group I winner in Chile, finished a close third in a pair of Grade III stakes at one mile over the Santa Anita turf on Jan. 18 and June 20 and will be seeking her first American stakes win in what will be her fifth stateside start. Most recently a well beaten eighth in Del Mar’s Grade II Yellow Ribbon Handicap Aug. 7, Brooke, who started only once at age four in Chile, could be coming to her best in what will be 13th career start at age five.
Owned by El Tata Stables, Brooke, who was a close second to rival Ippodamia’s Girl two starts back in the restricted Osunitas Stakes at one mile on turf two starts back on July 17, will be ridden for the second time in a row by Kyle Frey.
A winner of Santa Anita’s one mile turf Lady of Shamrock Stakes four races back on Dec. 26, the Richard Baltas-trained Nasty comes off three disappointing efforts but will get the first-time service of Juan Hernandez, who will try to ration her considerable early speed. Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, Nasty, who was a close third to multiple stakes winning Warren’s Showtime in the Grade III Autumn Miss Stakes at one mile on grass a year ago, has three wins from 11 overall starts.
If there is indeed a fast pace, the Baltas-conditioned Ippodamia’s Girl could certainly be a prime beneficiary. An impressive off the pace winner of the one-mile turf Osunitas two starts back on July 17, this 6-year-old mare by Stormy Atlantic has five wins from 11 tries at a mile on grass and will try to bounce back from an eighth-place finish in an ungraded stakes going a mile and three eighths on turf Aug. 14. Owned and bred in Kentucky by George and Martha Schwary, Ippodamia’s Girl is easily the leading money earner in the field with $261,572 from an overall mark of 18-5-2-2.
The Swingtime Stakes with jockeys & weights in post position order
Race 7 of 9, Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT
1. Global Brand—Drayden Van Dyke—122
2. Cowboys Daughter—Geovanni Franco—124
3. Avenue de France—Umberto Rispoli—126
4. Ippodamia’s Girl—Mario Gutierrez—126
5. Brooke—Kyle Frey—126
6. Ellie Arroway—Mike Smith—122
7. Norma Jean B.—Abel Cedillo—122
8. Nasty—Juan Hernandez—126
9. England’s Rose—Victor Espinoza—122
10. Quiet Secretary—Tyler Baze—124
First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.
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Mike Willman/Santa Anita Press Office
Photo: England’s Rose wins an AOC at Del Mar with Victor Espinoza up September 3, 2021. (Benoit Photos)
