ARCADIA, Calif.—A pair of talented 4-year-old fillies in top form, Richard Mandella’s Superstition and Phil D’Amato’s Leggs Galore, meet for the first time as six older fillies and mares meet in Saturday’s $75,000 Mizdirection Stakes at six furlongs over the Santa Anita turf. With favoritism likely to be hotly contested, Superstition, an $850,000 Keeneland September Yearling, has pedigree in her corner, while California-bred Leggs Galore, who seeks her sixth consecutive turf sprint win, may be from the wrong side of the tracks, but she’s been nothing short of brilliant in a pair of recent stakes wins versus statebred competition.
A Kentucky-bred daughter of Ghostzapper, out of the Distorted Humor mare Grand Glory, Superstition stalked a sizzling opening quarter mile of 20.60 and a half of 43 flat before taking command a furlong out in the restricted Wishing Well Stakes going 6 ½ furlongs here on Feb. 15. Ridden by Flavien Prat in all seven of her races, Superstition has won three out of her last four and it’s worth noting that in addition to holding well-backed Oleksandra safe by 1 ½ lengths in the Wishing Well, she remained totally dominant on the gallop out around the Club House turn.
Owned by Ramona and Perry Bass, Superstition, who was a well beaten fourth by rising star Charmaine’s Mia two starts back in the Grade III Las Cienegas Stakes, will need to be within striking distance of Leggs Galore heading into the far turn, or she may have too tall of an order when asked to close the gap through the lane. With an overall mark of 7-3-2-1, Superstition has earnings of $153,180.
Owned and bred in California by William Sims, Leggs Galore has simply been uncatchable of late. By 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern, Leggs Galore opened up four lengths in the first quarter mile en route to a dominating 2 ¼ length score going six furlongs on turf in the Cal-bred Irish O’Brien Stakes March 14, earning a career-top 93 Beyer Speed figure.
Distanced in a pair of main track sprints versus open maiden company in March and April of 2020 at Oaklawn Park, Leggs Galore, who is out of the Indian Charlie mare Cashing Tickets, prevailed by a head in an open allowance here three starts back will thus be facing open competition for the second time in Southern California on Saturday.
With Ricky Gonzalez back aboard for the fifth consecutive time, there’s little doubt that Leggs Galore will again blast off and try to maintain her advantage in gate to wire fashion as she seeks her sixth consecutive win and third stakes win in-a-row.
A graded turf stakes winner over the course, Doug O’Neill’s Biddy Duke has been facing top competition on dirt in her last four starts, three of them in graded stakes. A gate to wire winner of the Grade III Senator Ken Maddy Stakes going 5 ½ furlongs on grass five starts back on Oct. 24, Biddy Duke has the kind of speed that could prove hazardous to the likes of Leggs Galore.
Owned by Joseph Besecker, Biddy Duke, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Bayern, will be ridden for the first time by apprentice Alexis Centeno, who will no doubt let her roll early. With seven wins from 24 starts, Biddy Duke has earnings of $314,120.
A winner of the ungraded Desert Code Stakes going 5 ½ furlongs on turf here three starts back on June 6, Peter Miller’s She’s So Special has been idle since well beaten in an ungraded stakes going 6 ½ furlongs on turf at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 15. Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, She’s So Special was a close fourth in the Grade II San Clemente Stakes two starts back and certainly has the credentials to win off the bench on Saturday. With four wins from 11 starts, she has earnings of $170,580.
THE $75,000 MIZDIRECTION Race 5 of 9 Approximate post time 3 p.m. PT
1. Annangel—Abel Cedillo–122
2. Superstition—Flavien Prat—124
3. Constantia—Umberto Rispoli—120
4. Biddy Duke—Alexis Centeno—124
5. Leggs Galore—Ricardo Gonzalez—124
6. She’s So Special—Jose Valdivia, Jr.—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.
Santa Anita Press Release
Photo: Superstition (left) and Leggs Galore (Benoit)
