Santa Anita: How to bet the 2022 La Brea Stakes

A field of eight three-year-old fillies will travel seven-eighths on the Santa Anita main strip in Monday’s $300,000 La Brea S. (G1). The affair features a quartet of lasses from the shedrow of Bob Baffert, and it seems likely to me that the silver-haired conditioner will saddle a ninth winner in the event.

#3 Ganadora (4-1) is unbeaten from a pair of one-turn tilts in her lightly raced career, both of which occurred on the oval, and I will take my chances with the daughter of Quality Road. Purchased for $1 million at Keeneland as a yearling, the Kentucky-bred impressed in each of her initial two races to commence 2022. prior to finishing off the board in the Summertime Oaks (G2) when running long in June. Most recently, the bay filly led in gate-to-wire fashion while decimating her foes in the Dark Mirage S. at Los Alamitos.

The top selection has ample early speed but has proven to be capable of rallying from behind horses with equal effectiveness, and that versatility will come in handy while facing this well-matched crew. She has fired a pair of bullets locally in advance of Monday, and with her top showing in this endeavor, the talented miss will be awfully tough to fend off in the stretch under the guidance of Johnny V.

#4 Midnight Memories (5-2), another Baffert pupil, is 4-for-5 and is an obvious contender in the cast with Ramon Vazquez taking the reins. The dark bay sophomore has aced her pair of graded stakes races to date, with tallies in both the Zenyatta S. (G2) and Torrey Pines S. (G3) this campaign, and she has trained in swift fashion in the interim. Mastery filly will stalk the early pace prior to moving into contention approaching the turn for home.

Baffert’s #6 Fun to Dream (5-1) has registered triple-digit Brisnet Late Pace figures in her last two and rates as the leading late threat in the group. Arrogate homebred is sterling from two outings at Santa Anita and showed some heart when getting up late to annex the Betty Grable S. at Del Mar last time out. If the pace backs up late, then the gray filly will be dangerous inside the final furlong Juan Hernandez. 

La Brea Selections

• Ganadora
• Midnight Memories
• Fun to Dream

La Brea Wagers

• $20 win and place #3 Ganadora ($40)
• $2 trifecta 3 with 4,6 with all ($24)