By Jarrod Horak
The road to Kentucky Oaks 2024 continues at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, March 9, and I have included Santa Ysabel Stakes 2024 picks below. The Grade 3 event for 3-year-old fillies has a $100,000 purse and the eight entrants will be journeying 1 1/16 miles on the main track. The Santa Ysabel is the 6th race on March 9 and the top five finishers will earn Kentucky Oaks points (50-25-15-10-5). Morning line favorite Kinza is trained by Bob Baffert, and horses from his barn are ineligible to earn Oaks points. Â
Santa Ysabel Stakes 2024 Picks & Final Time Ratings
Ultimate Authority ran a quality race last time. She stalked fast fractions from the outside post and scored by a half-length in her local flat mile maiden win on Feb. 2, and runner-up Where’s My Ring was 17 3/4 lengths in front of the show finisher. Tim Yakteen’s Practical Joke filly should be forwardly placed from the inside post under her winning rider Flavien Prat.Â
Kinza pressed and scored by 7 1/2 lengths in her local sprint bow at 5-1 odds late last year. She stretched out and controlled the pace in a two-length victory as the even money favorite in the Las Virgenes (G3) at one mile on Feb. 10. Juan Hernandez sticks with Bob Baffert’s $350k daughter of Carpe Diem, and she might be the one to catch again.Â
Nay V Belle was solid in her local sprint bow on Feb. 18. She chased slow splits while racing wide and edged away from a pair of highly regarded Bob Baffert runners to score by two lengths under Frankie Dettori. Mark Glatt’s $200k Midshipman filly is bred to handle the added ground of this race and might give the favorites a run for their money.
Where’s My Ring is still a maiden after six starts. She added blinkers and lasix on Feb. 2, and set the pace and was miles clear of the show. Aggressive tactics worked for her last time and Victor Espinoza will probably put her in the race early.
The Santa Ysabel field also includes Shiloh’s Mistress, Pacific Rose, Las Virgenes (G3) show finisher She’s a Tempest, and Ifuaintfirsturlast.
Santa Ysabel Stakes 2024 Picks
The Santa Ysabel is my 23rd video on the road to Kentucky Oaks 2024, and my top choices have five wins, seven runner-up finishes, and five show finishes. I will cover each points race on the Kentucky Oaks trail. Check out my Santa Ysabel Stakes 2024 picks video below.