Los Alamitos: Searching for Value in the 2022 Starlet Stakes

A total of seven juvenile fillies will go postward in the $300,000 Starlet S. (G1) at Los Alamitos. The feature on the Saturday card features some fine young prospects in what looks to be a very competitive race on paper.

Starlet Selections

• #6 Pride of the Nile
• #3 Faiza
• #1 Doinitthehardway

Starlet Wagers

• $25 win: #6 Pride of the Nile ($25)
• $3 superfecta: 3, 6 with 3, 6 with 1 with all ($24)
• $2 superfecta: 3, 6 with 3, 6 with all with 1 ($16)

Trainer Bob Baffert has saddled the winner of the affair on eight separate occasions, including the last five in succession, but I will aim to end his streak with another good-looking contender in the field.

#6 Pride of the Nile (9-2) has never run on the dirt but has shown very good progression from a trio of races on the lawn this campaign. By Pioneerof the Nile, she was a stakes fourth on debut prior to beating maiden and allowance foes most recently, and she has always trained forwardly on the main oval in advance of her debut at Los Alamitos.

The $140,000 yearling purchase is out of a two-time graded stakes placed juvenile, and her pedigree suggests that she will have no trouble negotiating the 1 1/16-mile voyage on Saturday. If she keeps in touch in the early going of her graded bow, then I expect her to be in a fine spot at the top of the stretch. Juan Hernandez takes the reins once again.

#3 Faiza (7-5) was a sharp debut winner at Del Mar for Baffert and has the look of an excellent prospect to me. Purchased for $725,000 in the spring, the daughter of good young sire Girvin showed early foot in her six-furlong unveiling, prior to hitting another gear in the lane en route to a professional tally under Flavien Prat.

Faiza shows a pair of maintenance morning drills in the interim, and the morning-line choice might be good enough to capture a Grade 1 race in just her second career assignment.

I believe that Baffert’s #1 Doinitthehardway (7-2) will thrive going the distance on this course and grab a share under Ramon Vazquez. The dark bay daughter of Street Sense is still a maiden following three career tries to date, but she put forth her best effort this campaign when a clear second in the special weight ranks at Del Mar last time out. She will always be in contention while saving ground throughout.