How to bet the 2024 Las Cienegas Stakes

An overflow field of 12 fillies and mares will go about 6 1/2 furlongs down the Hillside Turf Course in Sunday’s $100,000 Las Cienegas S. (G3) at Santa Anita. Trainer Phil D’Amato is responsible for a quartet of the contenders in the extremely competitive contest, and I will give a slight nod to one of his entrants in the grassy dash. 

Las Cienegas Wagers

• $12 win and place: #9 Elm Drive ($24)
• $4 exacta key box: 9 with 3,5,7 ($24)
• $.50-cent trifecta: 9 with 3,5,7 with all ($13.50) 

Grade 3 heroine #9 Elm Drive was beaten by three lengths in the one-mile Matriarch (G1) at Del Mar last time out and will cut back to a more favorable voyage on this occasion. Bred in the Bluegrass State, the Little Red Feather color bearer has put in a pair of fine efforts from as many starts going down the hill in her career, led by a measured victory in the 2023 Mizdirection S. 

The five-year-old daughter of Mohaymen missed by a head in her latest local offering, and I expect the bay mare to thrive moving back to a sprint in the affair with Flavien Prat taking the reins. Elm Drive will be tracking the pace with intent from the opening bell.

#7 Wakanaka has been a horse that I have always liked, and the Irish-bred is intriguing while making her first run on this unique course in her first assignment since being transferred to Mike McCarthy. The Power mare was never involved in the recent Matriarch, but the six-year-old put in a trio of solid runs in turf sprints in advance of that one, and her best performance will put her squarely in the mix late on Sunday. The late runner will be paired with Joel Rosario.

#5 Kissed by Fire has finished first or second in each of her handful of races since moving to the green, with a trio of wins in succession leading up to her turf stakes debut. Trained by Peter Eurton, the Maryland-bred filly has led throughout in each of three recent victories and will get a class test in the affair. The $350,000 daughter of Friesan Fire will be the early leader in the heat with Mike Smith in the stirrups, and she will be very dangerous late if allowed to dictate things without pressure early on.

The Neil Drysdale-trained #3 Nadette has displayed a stout turn of foot when running long and could prosper on the cutback in distance against this cast. The French-bred daughter of Outstrip has run long in each of her six stateside assignments to date, and the five-year-old will be a major exotics contender if the pace is swift and contested in the tilt. Strong turf pilot Hector Berrios will be in the irons.