Five G and Her Laugh Head West in Bid for La Brea Stakes Glory

The Grade I contest for 3-year-old fillies promises a high-voltage showdown on the opening day of Santa Anita’s classic meet

Five G crosses the country in pursuit of her first Grade I victory / ADAM COGLIANESE

ARCADIA, California (Special to Turf Diario)— Opening day of Santa Anita Park’s winter championship meet will feature one of its most compelling highlights in the La Brea Stakes (G1, $300,000), a seven-furlong test for 3-year-old fillies that has drawn a deep and highly competitive field. Originally scheduled for Friday, the race was moved to Sunday due to a series of storms forecast for the region.

Two proven contenders ship in from the East Coast with lofty ambitions: Five G and Her Laugh, both stakes winners in Florida, now seeking their first breakthrough at the Grade I level against a strong cast of local and visiting rivals.

Much of the focus centers on Five G, trained by George Weaver. The daughter of Vekoma has not been seen since March, when she delivered an authoritative victory in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) over 1700 meters, confirming a career very much on the rise. Earlier in January, she had captured the Cash Run Stakes (one mile), also at Gulfstream Park. Owned by Gatsas Stables, she brings a record of six starts with three wins and two seconds, good for $393,740 in earnings.

The La Brea presents a different kind of challenge for Five G, who will be cutting back to sprinting for the first time since her debut at Saratoga Race Course. She will be partnered by Irad Ortiz Jr., a combination that commands instant respect anywhere.

Also making the journey west is Her Laugh, trained by Riley Mott and bred and owned by Grantley Acres. The Practical Joke filly returned from nearly eight months on the sidelines to finish second in a second-level allowance going 1300 meters at Churchill Downs on Nov. 14. That outing—her first under Mott after transferring from the Whit Beckman barn—earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 85, marking her as a legitimate contender in her second start off the layoff. She will be ridden by Jose Ortiz.

The local contingent brings considerable depth. Silent Law, trained by Bob Baffert, was second across the wire in the Chillingworth (G3) but was elevated to first following the disqualification of Tamara (Bolt d’Oro). The Tiz the Law filly, campaigned by CSLR Racing Partners, is already a stakes winner over the Santa Anita surface and will have Joel Rosario aboard for the first time.

Another intriguing runner is Formula Rossa, conditioned by Mark Glatt. The Vekoma filly won her first two starts by a combined 10 1/2 lengths before finishing second in the Rancho Bernardo (G3) at Del Mar, after pressing a demanding pace against Sweet Azteca (Sharp Azteca). Racing for Muir Hut Stables, she will be guided by Hall of Famer Mike Smith.

Also deserving of consideration is Simply Joking (Practical Joke), now trained by Michael McCarthy. Winner of the Silverbulletday Stakes earlier this year at Fair Grounds Race Course, she exits a runner-up finish in the Bayakoa (G3) at one mile and returns to a one-turn configuration with Kazushi Kimura in the irons.

Rounding out the field is Magnificat, trained by Richard Mandella. The Omaha Beach filly, bred by Spendthrift Farm, will make her stakes debut after an allowance victory at Del Mar, again with Mirco Demuro aboard.

So There She Was (Munnings), Artisma (Munnings), Usha (Tiz the Law), Brilliantly (Uncle Mo) and Schilflied(Mendelssohn) complete the lineup.

The La Brea Stakes is one of six graded events on an 11-race program at The Great Race Place, which also features the Malibu (G1), American Oaks (G1), along with the Laffit Pincay Jr. (G2), Mathis Mile (G2) and San Gabriel (G3). A Sunday loaded with quality, where the division’s fastest fillies will take center stage.