Saturday, July 05, 2008

California shipper Santa Teresita looking for answers in Delawar

Some questions should be answered about California shipper Santa Teresita when she runs in the $1 million Grade II Delaware Handicap on July 13. For the first time, the mile and a quarter classic for fillies and mares has been designated as a "Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup Challenge race with the winner automatically qualifying for the Ladies' Breeders' Cup Classic on October 24.

Santa Teresita has raced exclusively in California on artificial surfaces and she has never been further then a mile and a sixteenth. The 4-year-old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid has a career record of three wins, three seconds and a third from eight starts with earnings of $183,130. In her last effort, the Kentucky-bred trained by Eric Guillot finished second beaten 2 ½-lengths against Zenyatta in the mile and a sixteenth $175,000 Grade II Milady Handicap at Hollywood. Previously, she ran second beaten ¾-lengths to Tough Tiz's Sis in the mile and a sixteenth $100,000 Grade III Hawthorne Handicap at Hollywood.


"The reason why I am coming is because of the distance and there are not many opportunities for older fillies and handicap mares to run for a million dollar purse," said trainer Eric Guillot. "We have some unanswered questions about her. She has never shipped. She has never run on the dirt. She has never been a mile and a quarter. So we are going to find out a lot about her?"

California shippers have had success in the Delaware Handicap. Urbane, ridden by Alex Solis and trained by Randy Bradshaw, notched a 3 ¼-length victory in 1996 and Summer Wind Dancer, ridden by Victor Espinoza and conditioned by Jeff Mullins, posted a 1 ¼-length score in 2004.

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