ARCADIA, Calif. – It’s unfortunate only four fillies and mares from just two stables entered the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita. Small field aside, the seven-furlong sprint actually came up as an intriguing showdown between a pair of impressive stakes winners.
Kopion and Richi meet for the first time in the smallest Santa Monica field this century; both seek second straight stakes wins after strong comebacks. Richard Mandella trains Kopion, who crushed the Grade 1 La Brea by nearly three lengths. Richi, one of three Bob Baffert-trained entrants in the Santa Monica, won the Grade 3 Las Flores in a fast 1:09.05.
Baffert also entered Grade 3 winner Hope Road and La Brea runner-up Splendora.
“They’re all going to run,” the trainer said midweek.
Mandella is outnumbered 3 to 1 by Baffert, but one starter could be enough for Mandella. Kopion dazzled in the seven-furlong La Brea, winning by nearly three lengths with a career-high 97 Beyer Speed Figure. It was her first start in more than eight months. She has trained forwardly since.
“She looks great, there’s no sign of anything negative,” Mandella said.
When a comeback filly delivers a career-best performance in her first start following an extended layoff, one wonders if she can reproduce the performance second start back. Kopion acts like she can. A 4-year-old from the first crop by Mandella-trained Omaha Beach, Kopion has held her weight and worked well since the La Brea. Her front-running style means she controls her own destiny. One change Saturday is jockey – Antonio Fresu replaces injured Kazushi Kimura.
Kopion is 3 for 5 and trying to win both winter filly-mare sprint stakes before she stretches out. Five of the last 10 La Brea winners who ran in the Santa Monica won again. Kopion, owned by Spendthrift Farm, will go two turns next out.
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“As long as she runs well [Saturday], I’d like to run her in the [Beholder] Mile,” Mandella said.
The Grade 1 B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile on March 8 could be a rematch between Kopion and her three Santa Monica rivals trained by Baffert.
“This will set them all up for the Mile,” Baffert said.
Richi returned from a one-year layoff with a rail-skimming 97 Beyer victory in the six-furlong Las Flores. She benefits by the additional furlong Saturday; the inside post is no big deal based on her Las Flores victory. Hector Berrios rides Richi, a 7-for-11 Chilean Group 1 winner.
Splendora broke from the rail in the La Brea but had a clean trip inside finishing second to Kopion. From the outside post Saturday, Splendora and jockey Frankie Dettori could pressure Kopion.
The Santa Monica upset candidate is Hope Road. Her fourth in the La Brea was not great.
“She ran flat,” Baffert acknowledged. “She’d been turned out for a little bit after Del Mar, and she was a little flat. She’ll move forward” Saturday, he said.
Hope Road worked a bullet half-mile last weekend in 46.40 seconds. Juan Hernandez rides the two-time Grade 3 winner. The race 3 Santa Monica is the first of four graded stakes on Saturday.
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