Ooty Aims to Emulate the Mighty Miss Terrible in the Las Flores Stakes

The Dabster filly will look to make history this Sunday at Santa Anita Park, bidding to become just the second Argentine-bred mare to capture the Las Flores Stakes

Ooty after winning the Jorge de Atucha at Palermo / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

ARCADIA, California (Special to Turf Diario).— Only one Argentine mare has ever managed to win the Las Flores Stakes (G3, 1200m, dirt, $100,000) at Santa Anita Park: the unforgettable champion Miss Terrible, back in 2005. This Sunday, Ooty will try to give Argentina a second victory in the race when she takes on four rivals in what shapes up as a tricky assignment.

With Chilean filly Richi (Practical Joke) the most recent winner of the event, the Las Flores will mark Ooty’s return to action. The daughter of Dabster has been sidelined since Sept. 1, when she failed to fire in the Tranquility Lake Stakes (L), following a promising local debut that saw her finish second in an allowance—both starts coming at Del Mar.

The chestnut, who will be ridden by Juan Hernandez, is the 2024 Gran Premio Jorge de Atucha (G1) heroine at Palermo and is trained by Bob Baffert, the most successful conditioner in the history of the Las Flores, with six prior wins. Baffert will also saddle another strong contender in Nafisa (Quality Road), to be handled by Japanese rider Kazushi Kimura.

Ooty comes into the race off a steady series of workouts, including a kilometer in 1:01.20, 1:00.40 and 1:00.80, and a recent 1200-meter drill in 1:12.20, suggesting she is fit for her comeback.

Owned by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Ooty will face several credible rivals, among them Magnificat (Omaha Beach), from the barn of Richard Mandella, who steps into graded company after winning two of her three starts at the allowance level.

Both Nafisa and Margarita Girl (Twirling Candy) are coming off maiden-breaking victories, while Thermal (Nyquist) brings more seasoning to the table. Trained by John Sadler, she owns two wins and a solid third-place finish in the Zadracarta Stakes (L) at Woodbine, with Chilean rider Hector Berrios taking the call.

For a G3, the race presents an appealing opportunity for Ooty, who looks to rewrite her U.S. story in the sprint ranks. The Las Flores Stakes could prove an ideal place to start.