Las Cienegas

Branch, Branch, Konecny et al's ELUSIVE DIVA (Elusive Quality) raced along

the inside during Sunday's $111,100

Las Cienegas H. (G3), moved up the

fence going into the stretch and easily drew off under Pat Valenzuela to record

a four-length victory. Giving trainer Mark Glatt his first graded win at Santa

Anita, the four-year-old miss was sent off the 6-5 favorite in the nine-horse

field and paid $4.40, $2.80 and $2.40 while starting the $6.50 exacta ($1),

$26.50 trifecta ($1) and $68.10 superfecta (8-7-3-2) ($1).

Quero Quero (Royal Academy) launched his bid along the outside but could

never reach the winner, paying out $3.40 and $2.80 at near 7-2 odds. Winendynme

(Dynaformer) was another half-length back in third at 6-1 and returned $3.20.

Chasethegold (Touch Gold) just missed third by a nose and was followed by

Irgunette (Aus) (Irgun), Allswellthatnswell (Perfect Mandate), Very Vegas (Storm

Boot), Gypsy Dot (Proud and True) and Megec Blis (Ire) (Soviet Star).

Elusive Diva scored in her 2005 bow, the Wishing Well H., before finishing

third in the Buena Vista H. (G3) prior to Sunday's race. Her other stakes win

came in last year's Railbird S. (G3) and she's also placed in the La Brea S.

(G1) and Hollywood Breeders' Cup Oaks (G2). The bay miss now owns a record of

12-5-1-3 with $354,730 in lifetime earnings.

Bred in Kentucky by John William Konecny & Doris Konecny, Elusive Diva is out

of stakes winner Taj Aire (Taj Alriyadh), who is also the dam of stakes winners

R. Baggio (Chimes Band) and Handyman Bill (Skywalker), as well as an unnamed

yearling filly by Broken Vow and an unnamed 2005 colt by Belong to Me.