Yanta Snez Stakes
With the new year we have a new crop of three-year-olds taking the scene for the upcoming racing season. This time we head to the west coast and turn our eyes to the fillies whose connections may have early visions of Bluegrass Oaks dreams for their young contenders. The Yanta Snez Stakes (G2) will run in California over seven furlongs. The race, open only to fillies, will be offering a total purse of $375,000. To be run over a fast track this year, the race has attracted eleven fillies. Let’s take a glance through the contenders of this year’s running.
- Books Of Do Nots – corky – J. Nabbs – 9/1
Making her fourth lifetime start this weekend, the filly will also be making her graded stakes debut. The daughter of Mckenzie is out of the graded placed broodmare Book Of Capote, who has produced one other listed stakes winner. The most recent start for the bay filly came in New York during a listed stakes race at six furlongs this past November. Off the pace at ninth early on, the filly would rally late but would miss the board with a fifth-place finish. The filly set a speed figure of eighty-five for the race. Her only win so far in her career was in October during a maiden special weight at six furlongs. Off the pace here early as well, the filly started to challenge other contenders early on in sprint and would win the race by three-quarters of a length.
2. Airthis – fdlodgeb – J. Dawg – 10/1
With eight lifetime starts, the bay filly is out of the graded placed broodmare Airliner, and will be returning to graded stakes company with this start. The most recent race for the bay filly was overseas in Denmark this past November during a listed stakes race over seven furlongs. Out of the gate and settlng into a third-place stalking position, the filly wouldn’t make much headway in the race and would cross the wire in third while setting a speed figure of eighty-one. Prior to this the filly would see her most recent victory which would occur stateside in Nebraska against allowance company at six and a half furlongs. Once again stalking from third, the filly took over control of the pace midway through the race to win by two and three-quarter lengths. Her lone graded appearance came in the Red Fish Blue Fish Stakes (G2) at six and a half furlongs in July when the filly would fade to a ninth place finish at the wire.
3. Lightening Verse – snoopthedogg9 – R. Hansen – 9/1
Makng her seventh career start on the first weekend of the new year, the daughter of Flashpoint most recently started in late September during the Frickazee Stakes (G1) over a mile in New York. Sent out of the gate to stalk the pace early in second, the light grey filly took over the pace towards the latter half o the race but got shuffled back to fourth at the wire while setting a speed figure of eighty-eight. Prior to this the filly would win in July’s The Schoolerville (G3), also in New York in a gate to wire finish.
4. Possibly Tomorrow – allalong – F. Gossett – 9/2
To be making her graded stakes debut with the new year, the brown filly is sired by Not This Time and is out of a Grade III winning dam in Special Attraction. The most recent start for the filly came in November during a listed stakes race in Oklahoma over a distance of seven and a half furlongs. Stalking the pace early in second, the filly took over the lead midway through the race and went on to win by a head while posting a speed figure of ninety-four, which was a lifetime best for the filly. Her prior race also ended in a win. That race was here in California against allowance company at seven furlongs. She ran in similar fashion, though slightly farther off the pace, settling into fourth out of the gate.
5. Coagulate Ripper – cjt0 – J. Fraser – 18/1
Debuting in a claimer in her early career, the brown filly by Sound The Alarm has made four career starts. The most recent start for the three-year-old was in the Golden Red Stakes (G2) in Kentucky at a mile and one-sixteenth. Breaking near the back of the field in twelfth, the filly would cross the wire where she started with a speed figure of eighty-three. Earlier in September she had another off the board finish against graded company in the Frickazee Stakes (G1) over a mile in New York. Her most recent win was in her second career start after breaking her maiden. This race was against allowance company and against the boys in Iowa at eight and a quarter furlongs. Stalking the pace early, she made a late charge for the front and would win by five and a quarter lengths. She will be the longshot of Saturday’s race.
6. Goonies Never Die – bargainbabies – J. Kewmwa – 10/1
The most inexperienced horse in the field for Saturday, this filly has only made two career starts, but she has won both of these races and will be making her graded stakes debut with the race this weekend. Her most recent race was at the end of last month right here in California in the form of a listed stakes race over eight and a half furlongs. The filly took the field from gate to wire in her stakes debut, winning by two and a half lengths. Prior to this she’d won her only other start, which was an allowance race over seven furlongs in Indiana which was also won in gate to wire fashion a few weeks earlier in the same month. Aside from the step up in class to graded company, the biggest obstacle for the filly may be the quick turn around of these three races. She will possibly be a pacesetter on Saturday if she gets her way, though that could place her in an early speed duel with fellow contender That Old Three Two.
7. Croc It – crocadillo2 – Ki Murray – 5/1
Returning to graded company after a step down in class recently, this daughter of top sire Tapit will be making her eighth career start. Her most recent start was a winning one and came in late November during an allowance race at seven furlongs overseas in Italy. Sent out of the gate stalking the pace early in third, the filly started moving up midway through the race and going on to win by a length with a speed figure of ninety-two. Her only other graded start took place this past August during the Getaway Stakes (G1) in New York over the same distance on a sloppy track. Further off the pace at the start of the race in sixth, the filly would only advance to fifth by the time the field reached the wire.
8. That Old Three Two – northerndancer – M. Staples – 6/1
Off the board only once in her career, the light grey filly is out of the newer sire Arabian Knight. Returning to graded company after a brief step down in class this weekend, the filly most recently started in a listed stakes race this past November in Maryland over a mile. Sent out of the gate straight to the front, the filly held on until the final furlongs where she would drop back to a second place finish, off the pace by two and a half lengths, and setting a speed figure of eighty-nine. Her only graded start to date was in late September during the Margarine Stakes (G3) at a mile and one-sixteenth in Ontario over a track rated as good. Sent out straight to the lead here as well, she would fade to fifth late in the race. Her most recent win would come in her prior start during an allowance race at seven furlongs in which she took the field from gate to wire and won impressively by seven lengths. Loving to get the lead out of the gate, expect this filly to be Saturday’s pacesetter.
9. Burner Phones – teamasr17 – L. Radzinski – 10/1
With just four starts to her name, this filly is making her second start against graded company this Saturday. Sired by Mitole, the bay filly most recently started in late October during her first graded start which took place in The Adam’s Apple (G3) at a mile in New York. Off the pace at the start, the filly was back in tenth at the break and didn’t show any inclination to challenge the rest of the field until they went into the stretch. The filly would show an impressive turn of foot in the later stages of the race and would come home across the wire in fourth, setting a speed figure of eighty-eight. She achieved stakes placement in her prior start with a second-place finish in a seven furlong listed stakes before going back to her most recent win, which was also in New York this past August against allowance company. She stalked the pace early in this race, second out of the gate, before taking the lead midway through the race and going on to win by three lengths.
10. El Exspiravit – amirnew3 – K. Murray – 8/1
Returning to graded company in the new year, this Kentucky-bred daughter of Ghostzapper has finished off the board just once in her career to date. The bay filly most recently started on the other coast during a listed stakes race over six and a half furlongs in Virginia. Last out of the gate in the six-horse field, the filly wasn’t urged to challenge the other contenders until late in the sprint, but she would do so with conviction as she came home to win the race by one and three-quarter lengths and set a lifetime best speed figure of ninety. In her prior start that past September, the filly did run against graded company in the Walnut Tree Stakes (G1) at a mile and one-sixteenth here in California. One of the last out of the gate again, the filly hung back in thirteenth. While picking up some position early in the race, she never seemed to find her stride in the tougher company and would cross the wire in tenth, though prior to this she did finish second in the Hoserhead Juvenile Fillies (G2) at six and a half furlongs
11. Start Out – tenpoint – V. Jef – 6/1
Coming back for his second graded start of her career, the brown filly is a listed stakes winner and sired by Upstart. The most recent start for the brown filly was across the country in Virginia during an allowance race over seven and a half furlongs. Sent out of the gate to stalk the pace in second; the filly never went on to contend to the lead but would cross the wire in second, back by just three-quarters of a length, with a speed figure of ninety-three, which was also a lifetime best for the filly. Her most recent win came in late September during a listed stakes race over the same distance overseas in Thailand. She would take the field from gate to wire in this race, winning by a margin of a quarter length. Prior to this weekend, the fillies only start against graded company came in the Red Fish Blue Fish Stakes (G2) at six and a half furlongs this past July.
Flrancho’s Picks:
Win: Possibly Tomorrow
Place: Croc It
Show: Goonies Never Die