Race Preview: Sweet Life Stakes - Santa Anita, February 16, 2013
Jubilant Girl is bred to love the lawn and she has made two starts with two wins on the grass. In fact, both of those wins were down the hillside turf course at Santa Anita. The daughter of Henrythenavigator has come back off her win with two sharp works highlighted by a bullet spin a week ago. Of course where is the fun in betting the favorites?
Heir Kitty returns to her favorite surface, turf, and gets back to what she does best, sprinting. She was no match for the winner in her last race, the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel on the main track, but is dropped back into a non-graded stakes for the money run. Two back she was much the best in a similar race.
Trainer Simon Callaghan took his filly Judy In Disguise up north to Golden Gate for her stateside debut and she won with plenty left in the tank. She is 7-2 on the morning line and gets jockey Rafael Bejarano in the irons. While she won that race gate to wire, the feeling is she stalks the early pace on Saturday. She will need to be able to out kick the favorite and hold off the late charge of Heir Kitty.
Escape Act and Doinghardtimeagain are the long shot plays.
Post time for the Sweet Life on Saturday is 7:24 ET and is the second leg of the late pick-4.