Canada’s Queen Seeks La Canada Success

Gary Barber’s Ontario native Lexie Lou (Sligo Bay {Ire}) seeks her second U.S. score and first ever on the dirt in today’s GII La Canada S. going 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita. Defeating the boys in the Queens Plate going 1 1/4 miles over the Woodbine synthetic July 6, the Mark Casse pupil followed up with a victory in the state-bred Wonder Again S. on the turf there Aug. 10 and turned in a head scratcher when 10th as the favorite in the grassy GII Canadian S. Sept. 14. Getting back on track with a win in the GIII Autumn Miss S. on the Santa Anita lawn Oct. 25, the bay was last seen finishing second to dual Classic winner California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) in the GI Hollywood Derby going 1 1/8 miles over the Del Mar turf course Nov. 29. This is Lexie Lou’s first start on conventional dirt, but she has been training well on this surface so far, most recently breezing five panels in 1:00 1/5 Jan. 7. 

Sam’s Sister (Brother Derek), trained and owned by Jerry Hollendorfer in partnership with Mark Dedomenico and George Todaro, looks to be the first horse to complete the GI La Brea S./La Canada exacta since Got Koko (Signal Tap) did it in 2003. The lightly raced chestnut opened her account with a pair of wins sprinting over the Del Mar synthetic July 25 and Aug. 30, respectively. Victorious once again in a seven-panel test in Arcadia Oct. 13, the only blemish to her record came in a turf sprint at Del Mar Nov. 21, where she finished eighth. Overlooked at 12-1 in this venue’s La Brea 
Dec. 26, Sam’s Sister rallied four-wide to score a half-length victory over GII Raven Run S. romper Taris (Flatter), who exited the race with an injury. 

Zayat Stables and WinStar Farm’s Jojo Warrior (Pioneerof the Nile) looks to get back on track here after a disappointing eighth-place finish in the La Brea. Winner of the track-and-trip GII Summer Oaks June 21, the Bob Baffert trainee scored again next out in the GIII Torrey Pines S. over the Del Mar synthetic Aug. 31. The bay was a respectable third behind multiple Grade I winners Untapable (Tapit) and Sweet Reason (Street Sense) in Parx’s GI Cotillion S. Sept. 20 prior to the La Brea. Jojo Warrior displays the speedy worktab typical of a Baffert trainee, most recently firing a five-panel bullet in :59 3/5 here Jan. 12.