Baffert V. Hollendorfer in Santa Ysabel

Bob Baffert has sent out a record five winners of the GIII Santa Ysabel S. and three from the last four. Two of those, May Day Rose (Rockport Harbor) and Awesome Baby (Awesome Again), have come for owner Kaleem Shah, and that owner’s familiar red-white-and-blue silks feature prominently again this afternoon aboard TDN Rising Star Enchanting Lady (Tale of the Cat). 

Outsprinted at every call to drop a 1 1/2-length decision to this year’s GII Santa Ynez S. victress Seduire (Elusive Quality) in their respective racetrack debuts going 4 1/2 furlongs over this track last May 22, the $650,000 OBS March graduate reversed form in no uncertain terms with that one, streaking away to score by 6 1/4 lengths in the Landaluce S. when last seen June 22. She’ll stretch out to two turns first time off the lengthy layoff, but her unraced dam 
A.P. Baby (A.P. Indy) is closely related to two-time route GSW Olmodavor (A.P. Indy). 

By contrast, Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer has never been represented by a winner of the Santa Ysabel, but has three chances to right that wrong today. None of his trio stands a better chance than Cheyenne Stables’ Light the City (Street Sense) as she makes her second start at a distance of ground. Fifth to her stablemate Seduire in the Santa Ynez Jan. 3, she gave an excellent account of herself when rallying to be a close second to the Baffert-trained Callback (Street Sense) in the one-mile GI Las Virgenes S. Jan. 31, with barnmate Achiever’s Legacy (City Zip) 3 1/2 lengths further back in third. Light the City will be making some late noise and can pick up the pieces if the chalk fails to see out the trip. 

Eighth in the Santa Ynez, Rattataptap (Tapit) wired a field of maidens to graduate by 4 3/4 lengths going six panels Jan. 29 and will fuel the pace here, if nothing else.