ARCADIA, Calif. – It is rare for a nongraded stakes with just four runners to offer both national significance and wagering value. An exception is the $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Sunday at Santa Anita.
The one-mile Las Virgenes landed three of the top four finishers in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies – winner Super Corredora, runner-up Explora, and fourth-place finisher Meaning. The outsider in the field is recent maiden winner Bank Shot.
Under the circumstances, it is a banner field. According to the graded stakes committee, the Las Virgenes is barely relevant. A Grade 1 as recently as 2015, the race was lowered to Grade 2 in 2016, lowered to Grade 3 in 2021, and this year stripped of graded status altogether.
Grade or no grade, the Las Virgenes this year shapes up as a compelling three-way showdown even if it is not the ultimate objective.
“The goal is obviously the Kentucky Oaks,” trainer John Sadler said.
:: Santa Anita Classic Meet! Get DRF Past Performances, Clocker Reports, and more.
His trainee, Super Corredora, makes her first start since wiring the BC Juvenile Fillies three months ago. Despite a rainy winter, the Gun Runner filly has dodged weather and not missed a beat in her morning works.
“She’s had plenty of works, and we have a three-race plan,” Sadler said.
Super Corredora will skip the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel on March 8 at Santa Anita, instead targeting either the Grade 2 Fantasy on March 27 at Oaklawn Park or the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on April 4 as a Kentucky Oaks prep.
Drawn outside on Sunday, versatile Super Corredora can press or set the pace. Sadler and jockey Hector Berrios are confident the 2-for-4 filly will fire in her first start in three months.
Berrios worked her a half-mile in 48 seconds last Sunday. Afterward, Berrios told Sadler that “his arms hurt.” Take it as a good sign. Super Corredora wanted to do more.
Super Corredora is the 3-2 second choice, while Explora is listed at 3-5. If the morning line holds, advantage Explora. Nine of the last 10 Las Virgenes winners were favorites at even money or less.
Bob Baffert trains Explora, the BC Juvenile Fillies favorite after she finished second in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante and won the Grade 2 Oak Leaf Stakes racing two turns in the fall at Santa Anita. Explora has speed, but in the Breeders’ Cup, she relinquished the lead to Super Corredora.
Explora “broke well, and [jockey Juan Hernandez] sort of grabbed her,” Baffert said.
:: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!
Explora chased Super Corredora throughout. Sunday at Santa Anita, Explora has a score to settle. She also has a recency edge, having won the seven-furlong Santa Ynez Stakes on Jan. 10.
“It’s going to be a good race with [Explora] and John’s filly [Super Corredora],” Baffert said. “They’re pretty close.”
Explora has three wins and two seconds from five starts.
However, the Las Virgenes is not a two-horse race. Lightly raced Meaning looms large at 7-2. Michael McCarthy trains the Gun Runner filly, who won her debut sprint and then jumped into the deep end for her second start. Meaning finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup, beaten less than four lengths.
Having raced only twice, Meaning has plenty of room to improve. The Grade 2 Starlet in December at Los Alamitos was considered for Meaning after the Breeders’ Cup, but McCarthy said she got sick and missed “10 or 12” days of training. On to 2026, with strong workouts for her return.
“Judging by what I’ve seen, she’s certainly fit enough to make some noise without being too well done,” McCarthy said. “This hopefully gets us on a path to a lot of big things this spring. That’s what you’re hoping for.”
Flavien Prat rides Meaning, who offers value at her morning line. Due to the small Las Virgenes field, Kentucky Oaks points are halved and will be awarded on a 10-5-3-2 basis.
The Las Virgenes is race 8 Sunday, while the $100,000 Clocker’s Corner Stakes for turf sprinters is race 7. First post is early Sunday, at 11 a.m. The final race is scheduled for 3 p.m., about a half-hour before Super Bowl kickoff.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.