Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s stakes winning Seduire heads a lightly raced group of a half dozen 2-year-old fillies in Sunday’s $75,000, six furlong Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita. With two wins and a second from four starts, Seduire rates a considerable seasoning edge on her competition. Hollendorfer will also be represented by first-out maiden winner Light the City.
Breaking from the rail in the Grade I, seven furlong Del Mar Debutante Aug. 30, Seduire made the early lead, but tired to finish fifth, beaten 6 ½ lengths. A first-out maiden special weight winner at Santa Anita May 22, Seduire was then second in the 5 ½ furlong Landaluce Stakes and in her third start, was a prompt 1 ¼ length winner of Santa Rosa’s six furlong Wine Country Debutante on Aug. 8 at odds of 1-5.
An Ontario, Canadian-bred filly by Elusive Quality, Seduire is owned by Regis Farms and will be reunited with Corey Nakatani, who rode her in her first two races. The change is significant, as this will be the first time Hollendorfer has used Nakatani since the formidable tandem parted company early this past summer.
A handy 2 ¾ length maiden special weight winner going six furlongs on Aug. 24, Light the City provides Hollendorfer with a solid one-two punch and will break from the outside with Elvis Trujillo again engaged to ride. A Kentucky-bred filly by Street Sense had a bullet six furlong drill of 1:11 flat on Oct 6 at Santa Anita, and her most recent drill was a half mile in 49 flat on Oct. 8. Owned by Cheyenne Stables, LLC, she figures to show plenty of speed from post six.
Peachtree Stable’s Starlet O’Hara, trained by Bob Baffert and idle since finishing last at 8-1 in the Del Mar Debutante, will be making her fourth start and could likely be the second choice in the race with Martin Garcia up. A handy 2 ¾ length maiden winner two starts back on July 27 at Del Mar, she’ll break from the rail and would appear to be the late threat in the race.
An impressive 4 ½ length first-out maiden special weight winner going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos Sept. 6, trainer Peter Miller’s Xoxo would appear to have a lot of “upside” and has been in training since the maiden score at San Luis Rey Downs. Owned by STD Racing Stable, Miller, A. Venneri Racing, Inc., and partners, Xoxo could pose an elusive target under Edwin Maldonado.
Trainer Jim Cassidy’s Moons Over Me broke her maiden by 1 ¼ lengths going six furlongs on Sept. 28 and has the advantage of retaining the services of Mike Smith. Third, beaten 4 ½ lengths in her 5 ½ furlong debut at Del Mar Aug. 30, the Majesticperfection filly is owned by the Braly Family Trust and could likely be in a stalking position early.
Although undefeated in two starts, Holiday Maker will likely be the biggest price in the Anoakia as she’ll step out of the claiming ranks for the first time. Owned by Harry Arslanian, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Harlan’s Holiday will be ridden for the first time by apprentice Drayden Van Dyke, as regular pilot Edwin Maldonado has opted to stick with Xoxo.
The complete field for the Anoakia Stakes, to be run as the third race on a nine-race program Sunday, with jockeys and weights in post position order: Starlet O’Hara, Martin Garcia, 119; Holiday Maker, Drayden Van Dyke, 117; Xoxo, Edwin Maldonado, 119; Moons Over Me, Mike Smith, 119; Seduire, Corey Nakatani, 119, and Light the City, Elvis Trujillo, 119.
Source: Santa Anita Park
