Exotics Plays for the Wishing Well Stakes

A compact field of six fillies and mares will run six panels on the Santa Anita lawn in Saturday’s $100,000 Wishing Well S. #1 Queen Maxima looks to be the one to beat while in razor-sharp form currently for conditioner Jeff Mullins. The chestnut four-year-old was a debut winner at Del Mar in the summer and has gone on to finish first or second in each of her five turf sprints to date, while compiling a fine 3-2-1-0 mark on the local lawn. 

Wishing Well Exotics

• $20 exacta 1 with 5 ($20)
• $10 exacta 1 with 2 ($10)
• $5 trifecta key 1 with 2,5 ($10)

Queen Maxima has been especially impressive in her last two attempts, both of which resulted in victories. She rallied through traffic from well off the early pace to beat allowance foes at this trip two back, prior to pressing the action before drawing off with ease in another allowance coup in her latest venture. The Florida-bred daughter of Bucchero shows improving Brisnet Speed numbers, the four-year-old possesses versatility in her running style, and she also faces a cast with question marks surrounding each of them. Juan Hernandez will retain the ride and have the filly prominent throughout. 

I have been a fan of #5 Stay and Scam for some time, and while the California-bred has lost her winning touch, she has to be considered a most logical player in the vertical exotics on this occasion, nonetheless. The Doug O’Neill pupil dons a 11-3-4-3 mark on the local green and comes off a solid stakes effort here off the bench on January 18. The five-year-old daughter of Square Eddie has good early foot in a field lacking pace, and the mare will take advantage early and likely set the tempo from the opening stages of the dash with Frankie Dettori in the stirrups. 

Group 3 victress #2 Laulne has yet to run a flat six furlongs on this sod after three consecutive tries going down the hill, and the Phil D’Amato pupil might appreciate the distance in her second appearance since May. The expensive daughter of Starspangledbanner didn’t show much in the Las Cienegas S. (G3) off the pine most recently, but she faces a more realistic group today and will be arriving late on the scene with Flavien Prat taking the reins.