Santa Anita Stable Notes Saturday, March 7, 2026

STABLE NOTES BY VICTOR RYAN

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2026

• GIII SANTA YSABEL: 3-YEAR-OLD FILLIES TAKE SPOTLIGHT • CHINA DOLL: YOUR SINCERELY, HIMIKA LEAD COMPACT FIELD • $69K DOUBLE CARRYOVER IN $1 SUNSET PICK 6 SATURDAY • JOHN SHIRREFFS CELEBRATION OF LIFE SET FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 15

GIII SANTA YSABEL: 3-YEAR-OLD FILLIES TAKE SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY

The Grade III Santa Ysabel Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Sunday features last year’s juvenile filly champion Super Corredora and a pair of promising prospects, Forced Entry and French Blue, who’ll make their stakes debut for trainer Bob Baffert.

Super Corredora will be looking to bounce-back for trainer John Sadler after a disappointing 3-year-old debut in the Las Virgenes Stakes on Feb. 8 at Santa Anita. In the Las Virgenes going one mile, Super Corredora raced up on a hot pace before weakening to finish last in a field of four. She was beaten 6 ¾ lengths by winner Meaning.

Since the Las Virgenes, Super Corredora has come back with a pair of solid works including a five-furlong drill in 59.6 seconds on Sunday. The Gun Runner filly is installed as the even-money favorite for the Santa Ysabel Regular rider Hector Berrios will be in the irons. Forced Entry is the 4-1 second choice on the morning line. French Blue is 5-1. Both are exiting impressive maiden wins.

“I think these are fillies you’re going to see in the Oaks,” Baffert said.

Forced Entry, by Charlatan, was switched to dirt and stretched out to a mile for her second start on Feb. 1. She promptly aired by 7 ¼ lengths and earned an 81 Beyer Speed Figure, which trails only Super Corredora’s 84 Beyer she earned winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. “She looked really impressive that day. I like her quite a bit,” Baffert said.

Forced Entry was a $375,000 auction buy as a yearling. She is owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. The “Three Amigos,” as they are known, are also the owners of 3-year-old filly Explora. Last Sunday, Explora won the GIII Honeybee at Oaklawn to earn her third stakes victory in seven starts.

French Blue exits a debut win sprinting six furlongs on Jan. 8 at Santa Anita. A homebred for Three Chimneys Farm, French Blue is by Gun Runner out of graded stakes winner Twenty Carat, a daughter Into Mischief. In her debut, French Blue raced up on a moderate pace while three wide, then kicked clear in the stretch under a hand ride to win by 2 ¼ lengths. “Stretching out for the first time, you don’t know what they’re going to do, but she looks like she wants two turns,” Baffert said.

Jockey Juan Hernandez rode both French Blue and Forced Entry in their maiden wins. In the Santa Ysabel, Hernandez sticks with Forced Entry and Florent Geroux takes over on French Blue.

First post Sunday is 1 p.m. PT for a nine-race card. The Santa Ysabel goes as the eighth race at 4:39 p.m. The field in post position order: Cee Drew, Armando Ayuso (5-1); Bank Shot, Adrian Escobedo (12-1); French Blue, Florent Geroux (9-2); Piney Woods, Ricky Gonzalez (15-1); Forced Entry, Juan Hernandez (4-1); Super Corredora, Hector Berrios (1-1); My Love Caroline, Mirco Demuro (10-1).

CHINA DOLL: YOURS SINCERELY, HIMIKA LEAD COMPACT FIELD

Kicking off the stakes action Sunday is the China Doll for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turf. Looming large in a compact field are Grade III-placed Your Sincerely (7-2) and Himika, the 4-5 program favorite.

Yours Sincerely returns to the stakes ranks and stretches back out in distance after winning an allowance going six furlongs on turf Jan. 11 at Santa Anita. Trained by Phil D’Amato, the Irish-bred filly last year was third in the GIII Jimmy Durante going one mile on turf at Del Mar and was fourth in both the GIII Surfer Girl at Santa Anita and Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, both also going a mile. In the China Doll, Yours Sincerely will be ridden by Florent Geroux for the first time.

Himika, a multiple stakes winner on dirt, will be making her second start on turf for trainer Bob Baffert. On Feb. 7, Himika tested the hillside turf course in the Sweet Life Stakes going about 6 ½ furlongs. She raced near the back of the field descending the hill before mounting a rally to finish second, beaten 2 ¾ lengths by winner Light Won Up.

Counterbalance and Peanutbutterbombe are also worthy of consideration. Peanutbutterbombe, also trained by D’Amato, finished third in the Blue Norther at a mile on turf on Dec. 29, then came back to be third as the favorite in an allowance at a mile on turf Feb. 6. The daughter of Collected will have Antonio Fresu aboard for the first time.

Counterbalance exits a promising maiden win sprinting 6 ½ furlongs on turf Jan. 31. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Counterbalance pressed the pace and kicked clear to win comfortably by 1 ¼ lengths. The daughter of Caravaggio earned a field-high 76 Beyer Speed Figure in the victory. Kazushi Kimura, who was aboard for the win, will ride back in the China Doll.

Rounding out the field is Hypergamy (6-1), an American Pharoah filly trained by Doug O’Neill. Hypergamy finished fourth in both the Sweet Life and Blue Norther.

The China Doll goes as the second race at 1:33 p.m. The field in post position order: Yours Sincerely, Florent Geroux (7-2); Counterbalance, Kazushi Kimura (5-1); Himika, Juan Hernandez (4-5); Peanutbutterbombe, Antonio Fresu (9-2); Hypergamy, Emisael Jaramillo (6-1).

$69K DOUBLE CARRYOVER IN $1 SUNSET PICK 6 SATURDAY

There is a double carryover of $69,988 in Saturday’s $1 Sunset Pick Six, which links the final three races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park. The wager starts at 2:23 p.m. PT with the 10th race from Gulfstream.

The Sunset Pick Six features a low 15 percent takeout and is open to retail players only. Unlike a traditional Pick Six, it has no consolation payout provision, which means the entire pool minus takeout is carried over to the next day the wager is offered.

The Santa Anita races in Saturday’s Sunset Pick Six are the GII Frank E. Kilroe Mile (ninth race), GI Santa Anita Handicap (10th) and an allowance-optional claimer at one mile on turf that closes out the program.

JOHN SHIRREFFS CELEBRATION OF LIFE SET FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 15

Santa Anita Park welcomes friends of John Shirreffs to join in a Celebration of Life for the longtime trainer on Sunday, March 15 in the Chandelier Room from 1-3 p.m. The gathering is open to all who knew the trainer during his tenure as a fixture on the Southern California racing circuit, including his many years at Santa Anita Park.

Shirreffs passed away unexpectedly at age 80 on Feb. 12 in his Arcadia, CA home after a brief illness.

FINISH LINES: The $2 Pick Six Friday paid $35,585 for six winning tickets. Saturday’s Pick Six starts at 2:36 p.m. with the sixth race…The $1 Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 Saturday starts at 1:34 p.m. with the seventh race from Gulfstream Park…Nominations close Sunday for the GIII San Luis Rey Stakes, Irish O’Brien Stakes and Sensational Star Stakes. The San Luis Rey at 1 ½ miles on turf and Irish O’Brien, which is for California-bred fillies and mares on the hillside turf course, will both be run on Sunday, March 21. The Sensational Star on Sunday, March 22 is for California-breds at about 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course…