SWITCH POSITIONED TO ADD SUNDAY’S GRADE I SANTA MONICA TO DOMINANT SCORE IN GRADE I LA BREA

ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 27, 2011) – After knocking heads last year with some of the country’s most brilliant fillies, including Zenyatta, the John Sadler-conditioned Switch is poised to further elevate her status by annexing her second consecutive Grade I victory in Sunday’s 54th running of the $250,000 Santa Monica Handicap at seven furlongs.

Switch started the winter/spring meeting off with a bang on opening day, Dec. 26, with a dominant victory in the Grade I La Brea Stakes, which was also contested at seven furlongs.

Joel Rosario will be back aboard the 4-year-old Quiet American filly, who is owned by Lee and Susan Searing’s C R K Stable. An effort even approaching her display in the La Brea ought to be good enough among eight entrants in the Santa Monica.

Switch completed her 3-year-old season by winning the La Brea by four lengths over Malibu Pier as the 6-5 favorite. “She won easy,” Rosario said afterward. “She’s a nice filly. She can run short, she can run long. Nice horses like that, they can do whatever.”

She will break from the outside post and carry high weight of 123 pounds while attempting to add $150,000 to her earnings of $632,600 after being purchased for $150,000 as a yearling. Switch’s record is 4-3-2 in 11 starts.

Prior to the La Brea, she ran second to Dubai Majesty in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5 after coming within a half-length of upsetting Zenyatta in Oak Tree’s Grade I Lady’s Secret at Hollywood Park on Oct. 2.

Switch’s stiffest opposition on Sunday may be provided by streaking stablemate Mona de Momma, a comebacker whom Sadler trains for Michael Talla. The 5-year-old mare is riding the crest of two graded stakes victories including Churchill Downs’ Grade I Humana Distaff in her last start on May 10 and Santa Anita’s Grade III Las Flores Handicap prior to that. Rosario, who was in the saddle for both those wins, will be replaced by Alonso Quinonez in the Santa Monica. The stretch-running Mona de Momma has earned $377,619 while winning 5 of 11 career starts.

The field includes only two other graded stakes winners, Pica Slew and Sweet August Moon.

A 4-year-old Florida-bred daughter of the speedy Pico Central, Pica Slew will be making her first start for trainer John Shirreffs after having faded badly as the 7-2 favorite in Saratoga’s Grade I Test Stakes last Aug. 7.

Owned by Terra Di Sienna Stables, Pica Slew has been training forwardly at Hollywood Park since joining the care of the ex-Marine who gained international renown as the trainer of 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta. Prior to the Test, Pica Slew captured the Grade III Azalea at Calder Racecourse where she had broken her maiden by 10 ¼ lengths while going 5 ½ furlongs. Joe Talamo rides the bay filly who has earned $161,737 from 3 wins in 5 starts.

Sweet August Moon, trained by Brian Koriner for Legacy Ranch and Team MacPherson, took the Grade II A Gleam Stakes at Hollywood Park last summer while going seven furlongs. The 6-year-old mare won the Las Flores Handicap in April of 2009.

But Sweet August Moon, who will be ridden by Garrett Gomez, could make little impression on Switch in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint while finishing fifth, 6 ¼ lengths behind the filly bound to be favored in the Santa Monica. Sweet August Moon has compiled a career record of 7-1-2 in 20 starts for earnings of $462,396.

The complete field for the Santa Monica Stakes, with jockeys and weights in post position order: Pinkarella, Patrick Valenzuela, 118; Mother Ruth, Mike Smith, 118; Pica Slew, Joseph Talamo, 118; Sweet August Moon, Garrett Gomez, 118; Mona de Momma, Alonso Quinonez, 120; Quisisana, David Flores, 118; Gilded Gem, Rafael Bejarano, 118, and Switch, Joel Rosario, 123.

Nine fillies and mares, headed by the hard-hitting Reba Is Tops, were entered in a secondary feature, the $70,000 Wishing Well Stakes, named for the dam of 1989 Horse of the Year, Sunday Silence. The Wishing Well will be contested at 6 ½ furlongs over Santa Anita’s downhill turf course.

Reba Is Tops, who won over the course last week, has taken 3 of her last 4 starts with the exception being a third in Santa Anita’s Grade III Monrovia Stakes. The 7-year-old mare, conditioned by Mark Glatt, has compiled a record of 13-6-4 in 28 starts for earnings of $408,629.

Among her challengers is French-bred import Givine, a 4-year-old gray filly who will be making her stateside debut for trainer Julio Canani with Rosario set to ride. Givine won 5 of her 8 races in France while banking $101,082.

The complete field for the Wishing Well Stakes, with jockeys and weights in post position order: Bab At The Bowster, Brice Blanc, 117; Well Deserved, Valenzuela, 117; West Hope, Omar Berrio, 117; Givine, Rosario, 118; Reba Is Tops, Talamo, 120; Catchy Tune, Flores, 120; Hallelujah Trail, Bejarano, 117; Subsidized, Martin Garcia, 117, and Southern Fireball, Martin Pedroza, 117.

The Santa Monica will be slotted as the seventh race on a nine-race program with the Wishing Well to follow as the eighth. First post at 12:30 p.m.

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