Santa Anita Stakes Selections for Jan. 28

A pair of graded stakes events will highlight the Saturday action at The Great Race Place.

Race 2 – Las Virgenes S. (G3)

A six-pack of sophomore fillies will travel one-mile on the dirt featuring some superb prospects. Bob Baffert’s #1 Faiza (8-5) showed a lot of heart in coming out on top in the Starlet S. (G1) at Los Alamitos in her second career run. The $725,000 daughter of Girvin passed her two-turn test with aplomb and has posted a trio of fine morning drills in the interim. She is the likely one to catch turning for home, and I expect her to improve off of her latest affair. Ramon Vazquez picks up the mount atop the ultra-talented filly

Stakes heroine #6 Justique (9-5) has looked special in two of her trio of career assignments for conditioner John Shirreffs. By Justify, the late-running filly went last-to-first in an eye-catching score in the Desi Arnaz S. last time out, and the move to eight panels should be well within her scope. Victor Espinoza retains the mount.

Race 8 – San Pasqual S. (G2)

Nine will go postward in this completely wide-open, nine-furlong event. #8 Breakfast Ride (8-1) has shown marked improvement since moving to two turns and comes off a fourth-place result in the San Antonio S. (G2) here while facing much better, most recently. The four-year-old son of Distorted Humor had won three of four prior to that, and even though each of those tallies came at Del Mar, the colt is proven on this surface with a win and two placings to his credit. The tactical homebred shows a pair of bullet morning drills in succession, and he could sit a very good trip just off the early tempo for Luis Contreras.

John Shirreffs’ #3 Parnelli (10-1) dominated a pair of allowance fields on the surface earlier this season and would be a contender with something resembling those showings. The five-year-old son of Quality Road is not the most consistent horse in training, but he runs well locally and has also proven to be capable of running well while fresh. The bay can track the pace and kick for home for Victor Espinoza.