After an impressive 2025 season, multiple graded stakes winner Queen Maxima is set to kick off her 5-year-old campaign as the favorite in the $100,000 graded Las Cienegas Stakes for older fillies and mares this Sunday at Santa Anita. This race covers roughly 6 1/2 furlongs on Santa Anita’s distinctive hillside turf course.
In her victorious 2025 run, Queen Maxima claimed five wins out of seven starts, earning $457,360 for trainer Jeff Mullins along with co-owners Dutch Girl Holdings LLC and Irving Ventures LLC. Her notable victories included the G3 Unbridled Sydney at Churchill Downs and the G3 Monrovia at Santa Anita. The seasons for Santa Anita’s Wishing Well and Del Mar’s Sen. Ken Maddy are set to conclude on Oct. 31.
Queen Maxima boasts a strong record of 4 wins and 1 third place in 5 starts on the hillside turf track. The daughter of Buccello, originally from Florida, will be ridden by her usual jockey Juan Hernandez.
A new contender, Rosie Zeeks, a five-year-old filly by World of Trouble, returns after a hiatus since winning the 5 1/2 furlong Goodwood Stakes at Monmouth Park last June. Trained by Chad Brown and co-owned by Team Hunley and Thirty Year Farm, Rosie Zeeks was sold at the Kentucky Racing Age Horse Sale the following month for $300,000 to Nervik International. She will now race in California under trainer Neil Drysdale with jockey Armando Ayuso making his hometown debut aboard her.
Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale also brings Egyptian Mau, owned by Team Valor International. Imported from South Africa, the 6-year-old filly recently overcame an early stumble to win a second-level downhill turf race in October. Mike Smith remains the jockey for Egyptian Mau.
Princess Moche, imported from Peru last summer, is flourishing under trainer Doug O’Neill. Following a second-level win in a one-mile turf event at Del Mar on November 8, the plan is to focus on a stalking strategy closer to the pace. Mirco DeMuro, who rode her in previous victories, will continue as her jockey.
Spicy Bug has dropped a class to align better with trainer Michael McCarthy and owner Mike G. Rutherford. The 6-year-old filly by Speightstown struggled in a deep one-mile turf G1 Matriacci race but has previously secured a rating handicap win on the hillside turf. Ricky Gonzalez, her regular rider, will take the reins again.
Alongside the Las Cienegas, Sunday’s card also features the G3 Las Flores Stakes, a six-furlong race for fillies and mares that was originally scheduled for last Sunday.
G3 Las Cienegas jockeys and weights by post position (Approx. post time 3:30 PM PT):
1. Queen Máxima – Juan Hernandez – 124 lbs
2. Egyptian Mau – Mike Smith – 124 lbs
3. Princess Moche – Mirco DeMuro – 122 lbs
4. Spicy Bug – Ricky Gonzalez – 120 lbs
5. Omnipontet – Kazushi Kimura – 124 lbs
6. Miss Lizzie – Emisael Jaramillo – 122 lbs
7. Rosie Zeeks – Armando Ayuso – 122 lbs
8. Ney V. Bell – Umberto Rispoli – 120 lbs
9. Antiphona – Tiago Pereira – 122 lbs
The first post is at 12 PM PT on Sunday, with entry gates opening at 10 AM.
Fan Take: This upcoming Las Cienegas Stakes promises to be an exciting showcase of talent, with seasoned champions and promising newcomers mixing it up on Santa Anita’s challenging hillside turf. For fans, it highlights the depth and unpredictability of turf racing, which keeps the sport vibrant and thrilling.
