Two dazzling last-out front-running winners square off in the $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) Feb. 4 at Santa Anita Park. With 20 Road to the Kentucky Oaks points up for grabs, the one-mile contest for 3-year-old fillies promises to be one fast and furious race to the wire.
Victorious in her last three starts, 2023 Starlet Stakes (G2) heroine Nothing Like You makes her sophomore debut in the Las Virgenes for owners Georgia Antley Hunt, Jeff Giglio, and John Rogitz. The Bob Baffert pupil has already twice conquered distances over a mile, giving her an advantage over her lightly raced counterpart, Kopion . A 6 1/2-length winner going a mile at Santa Anita Park in her fourth start, the Malibu Moon filly added the 1 1/16-mile Starlet to her C.V. two starts later by an emphatic 5 1/4 lengths.
International riding star Frankie Dettori has the call on Nothing Like You.
Baffert will also saddle Michael Lund Petersen’s impressive debut victress Kinza .
Breaking from the far outside post in the field of six, it will be interesting to see if Spendthrift Farm’s Kopion makes a play for the lead or takes back off Nothing Like You, who breaks from the inner 2 post.
Kopion has been nothing short of jaw-dropping in her two starts, winning by a combined 9 1/2 lengths. The Richard Mandella-trained filly picked up 10 Kentucky Oaks (G1) points in her tour de force in the Santa Ynez Stakes (G3) Jan. 7.
Entries: Las Virgenes S. (G3)
Santa Anita Park, Sunday, February 04, 2024, Race 7
- Grade III
- 1m
- Dirt
- $100,000
- 3 yo Fillies
- 3:30 PM (local)
