SHOW STEALER, FAITHFULLY & SPEEDY COPPA HEAD FIELD IN SANTA LUCIA STAKES ON SUNDAY AT SANTA ANITA

By Mike Willman —-

CLASSY SHOW STEALER, CONSISTENT FAITHFULLY & SPEEDY COPPA HEAD FIELD AT 1 1/16 MILES IN $70,000 SANTA LUCIA STAKES ON SUNDAY AT SANTA ANITA

ARCADIA, Calif. (June 1, 2017)—

George Krikorian’s homebred Show Stealer, faced with the unenviable assignment of facing rising superstar Vale Dori in her last four starts, takes a huge drop in class as she heads a field of five fillies and mares three and up in Sunday’s $70,000 Santa Lucia Stakes, to be run at a mile and a sixteenth on Santa Anita’s main track.

Trained by Art Sherman, Show Stealer’s primary opposition would appear to be Bob Baffert’s Faithfully, who tries stakes company for the first time and Phil D’Amato’s speedy Coppa, a Grade III winner in New York who will try two turns for the first time on Sunday.

SHOW STEALER: Although distanced by Vale Dori in the Grade I, 1 1/8 miles Santa Margarita Stakes on March 18, this 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by Eskendereya was second to Vale Dori in both the Grade II Santa Maria on Feb. 11 and the Grade II La Canada on Jan. 14. Headquartered at Los Alamitos, she enters the Santa Lucia fresh and has a bullet five furlong work of 59.80, on May 26, to her credit. Winless in her last five starts, Show Stealer will hope to get a stalking trip. With earnings of $257,525, she has an overall mark of 22-3-4-3.

FAITHFULLY: Most recently second, beaten a length and a quarter in a one mile, second condition allowance here on April 14, she’s been favored in five out of her seven starts and has shown good tactical speed in six routes. A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred filly by Smart Strike, she looms a very dangerous commodity going a distance that she’s won two of three starts at. Owned by John Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. and Bruce Lunsford, Faithfully is 7-2-4-0 with earnings of $114,660.

COPPA: Winless in three starts since taking Belmont Park’s Grade III, 6 ½ furlong Victory Ride Stakes in July of last year, this 4-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Yesbyjimminy will likely try gate to wire tactics under Joe Talamo, who’s been aboard in all six of her races. Well beaten coming down the hillside turf at 6 ½ furlongs on April 22, she returns to the main track and tries a route of ground for the first time in what will be her second start of 2017. Owned by Anthony Fanticola and Joseph Scardino, Coppa has three wins and earnings of $154,890.

THE $70,000 SANTA LUCIA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

1. Faithfully—Rafael Bejarano—122
2. Show Stealer—Gary Stevens—122
3. Plastered—Evin Roman—124
4. Coppa—Joe Talamo—126
5. Street Surrender—Mike Smith–126

First post time for a nine-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m. Admission gates open at 11 a.m.

About Us
Santa Anita Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is North America’s premier supplier of virtual online horseracing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.