May Day Rose preps for La Brea with bullet work

Multiple graded stakes winner May Day Rose put in a nice work for trainer Bob Baffert this morning at Santa Anita in preparation for the $300,000 La Brea Stakes on Dec. 31. With Martin Garcia up, May Day Rose went six furlongs in 1:11.4 – the fastest of eight works at the distance.

Winner of the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita and Grade 3 Railbird Stakes at Hollywood Park this year, May Day Rose exits a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5. The 3-year-old Rockport Harbor filly, owned by Kaleem Shah, is seeking her first Grade 1 victory in the La Brea.

“I’m very happy with the way she is coming into the race,” said Baffert. “When she works that well, she really runs a big race.”

La Brea Stakes has a Rich History

Today’s Grade 1 La Brea Stakes kicks off the La Canada Series at Santa Anita for newly turning 4-year-old fillies. The 7-furlong La Brea is followed by the El Encino Stakes at 1-1/16 miles on Jan. 18, and the La Canada Stakes at 1-1/8 miles on Feb. 15. The series, run at increasing distances, is the female counterpart of Santa Anita’s Strub Series that began on opening day with the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes.

The series has been run since 1974-75, and only three fillies have ever won all three races: Taisez Vous (1978), Mitterand (1985) and Got Koko (2003).

The La Brea is named for Rancho La Brea, an area in the heart of Los Angeles County noted for the La Brea Tar Pits, the word word "brea" being Spanish for tar. Rancho La Brea is one of the world’s most famous fossil localities and is recognized as having the largest and most diverse assemblage of extinct Ice Age plants and animals in the world.

Greg Gilchrist Ships Indyanne in for Saturday's La Brea Stakes

Trainer Greg Gilchrist clocks a worker at Golden Gate Fields.

One of my favorite trainers is bringing one of my favorite runners to Santa Anita on opening weekend. Leading West Coast conditioner Greg Gilchrist ships his good 3-year-old filly Indyanne down from Golden Gate for the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes on Saturday -- the filly version of opening day's Malibu Stakes. I had a chance to see Indyanne walking in the shedrow at Gilchrist's barn last weekend when I visited Golden Gate, and she looked absolutely gorgeous!

Indyanne, owned by John Sikura, has won 5 of 7 starts and has never finished worse than second. Her stakes victories include the Azalea at Calder and the TCA at Keeneland. She is one of two daughters of Indian Charlie in the La Brea, the other being multiple Grade 1 winner Indian Blessing, trained by Bob Baffert.