Ooty and Violeta M share the starting gate this Sunday at Santa Anita

The Argentine mares take a step back and drop down to the allowance ranks in search of regaining their form; it will be over 1300 meters on the dirt

Ooty drops in class in pursuit of her first victory in the USA / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

ARCADIA, California—It will be a Sunday to pay close attention to the action at Santa Anita Park from Argentina. As previously reported, Queen Sienna (Fortify) will be in the starting gate for the Santa Ana Stakes (G3) looking to continue her growth in the north, but in addition, two other national representatives will take part in the sixth race of the day, an allowance optional claiming with an US$ 80,000 purse to be contested over 1300 meters on the main dirt track.

Ooty (Dabster) and Violeta M (John F. Kennedy) are the two in question, appearing as outsiders in the morning-line within a small but high-quality field of just five confirmed runners.

A winner of the Gran Premio Jorge de Atucha (G1) at Palermo a couple of seasons ago, Ooty is trained by Bob Baffert and, with the Frenchman Florent Geroux in the irons, will attempt to find her first victory on local soil. She made up a lot of ground when finishing third in the Las Flores Stakes (G3) upon her return, but subsequently failed to respond in the La Canada Stakes (G3). The distance may help her, although she will likely find it difficult to maintain the pace in the opening meters.

Violeta M, for her part—representing Las Monjitas, just like Queen Sienna—is under the care of the Chilean Marcelo Polanco and will carry the experienced hand of the Mexican Victor Espinoza. In an effort to improve, she moves from the turf to the dirt, a surface on which she has always struggled to stand out. After a promising local debut, she failed in each of her subsequent attempts—all in stakes company—and will once again rely on her late rally.

The main reference in the morning-line is Thermal (Nyquist), who already finished behind Ooty when placing fourth in the aforementioned Las Flores Stakes, and now returns with expectations.

Bob Baffert will also have CashCall (McKinzie) on the track with Juan Hernandez. Last season, she triumphed in the Summertime Oaks (G3) before signing off with a fifth-place finish in the Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga in August. Such credentials make her a serious contender.

Finally, Richard Mandella sends out Magnificat (Omaha Beach), who won twice in a row before finishing fifth in the Las Flores, also behind Ooty.