Last year’s champion 2-year-old filly, Super Corredora, who has been out of action since early March, is set to compete against six other fillies and mares in the Grade 2, $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita Park this Sunday. This race, covering 1 1/16 miles and part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series, grants the winner an all-expenses-paid entry to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff on October 31 at Keeneland.
Under the guidance of trainer John Sadler, Super Corredora aims to return to Breeders’ Cup glory. Last year, this Gun Runner filly made waves by winning her first race at Santa Anita’s Autumn Meet before capturing the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies title and earning the Eclipse Award as the top juvenile filly in North America.
Super Corredora had two starts earlier this year before being sidelined, finishing fourth in the Las Virgenes at one mile on February 8 after a fast-paced duel, and then placing sixth in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel at 1 1/16 miles on March 8. For the Zenyatta Stakes, she will have a new jockey, Hall of Famer Joel Rosario. Owned by Spartan Equine Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, Robert C. Gardiner, and Michael W. Olszewski, Super Corredora’s record stands at 6 starts with 2 wins and 1 second, amassing earnings of $1,100,100.
Om N Joy returns to Santa Anita after securing her biggest win at the track in May with a victory in the Grade 2 Santa Margarita over 1 1/8 miles. Trained by Aggie Ordonez, she made two subsequent starts at Del Mar: a close second by just half a length in the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch, followed by a respectable fourth-place finish against males in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic over 1 ¼ miles. The 4-year-old filly by Om is owned by breeders Jerry and Connie Baker along with Scanlan Racing and Michael Golovko, with Kent Desormeaux set to ride.
Magnificat, trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, enters off a strong win in the restricted Tranquility Lake Stakes, her first attempt at two turns over a mile. She previously triumphed in the six-furlong Desert Stormer at Santa Anita and finished a solid second behind Sweet Azteca in the Grade 2 Great Lady M at Los Alamitos. Owned by Spendthrift Farm and bred from Omaha Beach out of graded stakes winner Holy Helena, Magnificat holds a 9-start record with 5 wins, 2 seconds, and total earnings of $299,200. Mike Smith, another Hall of Fame jockey, will replace previous riders Joel Rosario and Antonio Fresu in the saddle.
Rabeeba boasts a flawless 3-for-3 record for trainer Bob Baffert and owner Michael Lund Petersen. After a June maiden win at Los Alamitos and a one-mile allowance victory at Del Mar in July, she captured the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes on August 30 by 2 ¼ lengths as the favorite. By Curlin out of Chatham, a stakes-placed daughter of Maria’s Mon, Rabeeba was acquired for $750,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September yearling sale. Jockey Juan Hernandez, aboard for her last victory, will ride again.
Zenyatta Stakes (Grade 2) with Jockeys & Weights by Post Position
Race 8 of 9 – Approximate Post Time: 4:30 p.m. PT
- Majestic Oops — Umberto Rispoli — 124 lbs
- She’s No Quant — Hector Berrios — 118 lbs
- Super Corredora — Joel Rosario — 120 lbs
- Om N Joy — Kent Desormeaux — 126 lbs
- Howin — Emisael Jaramillo — 122 lbs
- Rabeeba — Juan Hernandez — 120 lbs
- Magnificat — Mike Smith — 122 lbs
Sunday’s first post is at 1 p.m. PT.
Fan Take:
This showdown is a thrilling opportunity for fans to witness rising stars and established talents vying not just for prize money but a coveted Breeders’ Cup spot, which adds extra drama and stakes to the race. The Zenyatta Stakes highlights the depth of female thoroughbred talent and helps maintain excitement and momentum in horse racing’s fall season, a crucial period for the sport’s visibility and fan engagement.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
