The Landaluce Stakes for two-year-old fillies was originally held at the now defunct Hollywood Park. First carded in 1945 as the Hollywood Lassie Stakes, the name was changed to honor the Champion Filly Landaluce, who tragically died from a virus before the end of her two-year-old season in 1982.
Over the years, the former Grade 2 contest has been held at 5 ½ furlongs and 6 furlongs. Landaluce’s record for six furlongs in 1:08 still stands as the stakes record at that distance. She devastated her foes by 21 lengths. Currently, the Landaluce is tried at 5 ½ furlongs.
The Landaluce Stakes is typically won by precocious sprinters who don’t always develop past their two-year-old season. In the last five years, two winners of the Landaluce finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies – Executiveprivilege in 2012 and She’s a Tiger in 2013.
A short, but contentious field of seven fillies will enter the Santa Anita starting gate for the 2016 Landaluce Stakes. All except Tap It All and Demigoddess are entering off of a maiden score.
The Favorites
CHALON (Dialed In – Fall Fantasy, by Menifee) won her 5-furlong debut by 1 ½ lengths 16 days ago. She’s a member of Florida Derby hero Dialed In’s first crop. Chalon is the final foal out of Fall Fantasy. The mare bore 8 foals, all started, two raced only once, and failed to hit the board, but the rest were winners. Not much blacktype in the first two generations of Chalon’s distaff line, although her dam is a half-sister to Boston Park, who was third in the Sapling Stakes (G3). So why is Chalon a favorite? She won her debut in 57.56, getting her last eighth in 11.80. Plus, trainer Peter Miller is noted for sending out fast juveniles.
THEONEWEWAITEDFOR (Creative Cause – Yolo Lady, by Eastern Echo) won her 4 ½ furlong debut in :51.97. The pretty gray filly dueled in second place behind the pace setter, went widest of all around the turn, then edged clear of her foe by ½ length. It was a good learning experience. Theonewewaitedfor is a daughter of first crop sire Creative Cause. He was a precocious baby himself, and captured the Norfolk Stakes (G1).
Theonewewaitedfor is a half-sister to Willard L. Proctor Memorial hero Alpenfest (Hennessy). Their dam Yolo Lady placed in Grade 1 and Grade 2 contests at 1 1/16 miles and 1 1/8 miles. She’s the only stakes winner in two generations. Theonewewaitedfor hasn’t raced since May, but has a series of steady breezes under her girth. Trainer Mike Harrington is 21% with the maiden to listed stakes winner angle.
MISS SOUTHERN MISS (More Than Ready – Miss Atlantic City, by Stormy Atlantic) was very professional in her debut. She sat behind three bickering leaders, one of whom was Miss Tapit All. Miss Southern Miss was in tight, but didn’t hesitate to split horses and run away from her competitors by 3 ¼ lengths under a hand ride, getting 5 furlongs in :57.86 and her final eighth in 12.20. Miss Southern Miss’ dam Miss Atlantic City was a multiple stakes winning miler conditioned by Keith Desormeaux, who also handles Miss Southern Miss. Desormeaux owns the only blacktype in two generations, but the second dam Fat City is a half-sister to Acorn Stakes (G1) heroine Cotton Blossom. The third dam For Dixie is also a stakes winner.
Worth a Second Look
LOVE A HONEYBADGER (Bushwacker – Angela’s Love, by Not For Love) showed her namesake’s disposition down the lane in her debut. She grabbed the lead early, then dug in and repelled the challenge of My California. That one came back to beat state-bred maidens by 9 ¼ lengths, getting 5 furlongs in a decent :58 flat. Love a Honeybadger is the seventh foal out of the G3 winner Angela’s Love. None of the siblings own blacktype. Angela’s Love and her dam Goldgorians Alden own the only blacktype in two generations of the distaff family. Love a Honeybadger has put together a string of quick works, including a second – to -last bullet breeze. Tyler Baze was aboard for the initial victory, but decamps to ride Chalon. Victor Espinoza gains the mount, and the journeyman jock is a positive change.
CIOPPINO PASADINO (Time to Get Even – Clawpuccino, by Forest Wildcat) outclassed state-bred maidens by 4 ½ lengths, getting 4 ½ furlongs in :52.29. She breezed a bullet three furlongs in her first post-race work, which is always a good sign. A bad sign is that trainer Gary Sherlock is 0-17 with the maiden to listed stakes winner angle. Cioppino Pasadino’s dam Clawpuccino was unraced and that ones dam La Crema was also unraced, yet bore only two foals. Cioppino Pasadino has some back class. Her third dam Hard Copy is a half-sister to the multiple G1 winner and sire Behrens and a couple of her half-sisters bore multiple graded stakes winners.
Maybe Next Time
TAP IT ALL (Tapizar – Yawkey Way, by Grand Slam) is the most experienced filly in the field. She’s raced three times, yet is still a maiden. It was close last time out, she only missed by a head. The daughter of first-crop sire Tapizar was a pricy $800,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton March 2YO in Training auction after breezing a furlong in :10.1. She’s the first foal out of a restricted stakes winner. Not much in the way of blacktype in her first few generations. Tap It All has gone to the post as the favorite in each of her races. She was out-gamed by Miss Southern Miss two starts back. Tap it All is turning around in only eight days for trainer Doug O’Neil. Go-to jock Mario Gutierrez is off and Santiago Gonzalez takes over. Note that this trainer/jock combo is 0-7 in the last 3 months. The extra distance could help, Tap It All, but the quick turn-around after a tough beat might be too much for her to overcome.
DEMIGODDESS (First Dude – La Chica Sensual, by Lightnin N Thunder) finished a zip code behind Chalon in her debut. She returned eight days later to finish four lengths behind Tap It All. Eight days have passed and here she is again. Demigoddess, the second foal out of her dam, has a pedigree that requests longer sprints to two turns. Her second-crop sire First Dude has one stakes winner and one stakes placed runner from 72 starters. A late bloomer, First Dude finished third in four Grade 1 stakes at three and won the 1 ¼ mile Hollywood Gold Cup in his finale as a four-year-old. Demigoddess’ dam La Chica Sensual captured two legs of the Florida Stallion Series for juvenile fillies. Her first foal, Bootleggers Wife, is a multiple stakes winner. She’s the only blacktype earner out of her unraced dam Lerma, a daughter of Unbridled.
Selections
Four of the seven entrants have won on the lead, which is typical of a baby sprint race. So what is more impressive, a horse that wins by a half-length while battling foes or the one who earned their victory by open lengths? I’ll take the filly with an attitude, the kind who looks them in the eye and says, “oh no you don’t.” I’ll also take the filly who overcame trouble and did it in style.
Theonewewaitedfor and Chalon appear most closely matched time and speed figure-wise. Chalon was pressured a bit early on, then drew off. Theonewewaitedfor sat behind horses on the rail, fought in traffic and prevailed by ½ length. She refused to let the second place finisher pass, even in the gallop out. Miss Southern Miss also fits the profile of a filly who can sit of the lead and win if things get to hot on the pace. Gotta Love a Honeybager. Talk about attitude. No way, no how was she going to let that second place filly by. What do we do with Tap It All? Turning her around so quickly appears to be a desperate move to get a victory and a stakes win to justify her designer price tag.
#6 THEONEWEWAITEDFOR (7-2)
#7 CHALON (2-1)
#3 MISS SOUTHERN MISS (5-2)
#1 LOVE A HONEYBADGER (8-1)