Seismic Beauty rocks Santa Margarita

For the third straight year, Bob Baffert won the Santa Margarita (G2) with a big, front-running daughter of Uncle Mo.

Adare Manor romped in 2023 and 2024, and in Sunday’s $200,000 renewal at Santa Anita, Seismic Beauty dominated in her stakes debut. Only time will tell if she can pick up the mantle of that now-retired $2 million-earner Adare Manor, but her similar take-no-prisoners style hints that Seismic Beauty could be a worthy successor.

A 10-length allowance winner when stretching out to one mile on April 18, Seismic Beauty was stepping up in both class and distance here. Her hitherto regular rider, Juan Hernandez, opted to stick with stablemate Splendora, a more proven commodity as the runner-up in both the La Brea (G1) and Santa Maria (G2). 

Bettors took the cue, dispatching Splendora as the 4-5 favorite and Seismic Beauty as the 1.70-1 second choice. The apparent pecking order would be reversed within a few strides out of the gate. 

Although Splendora outbroke her, Seismic Beauty hustled past before they crossed the wire the first time, and she was already 2 1/2 lengths clear through an opening quarter in :23.05. New pilot Antonio Fresu just kept her happy as she rattled off honest fractions of :46.25 and 1:09.84, and the progressive four-year-old did the rest.

Widening her margin of victory to five lengths, Seismic Beauty completed 1 1/8 miles in a brisk 1:48.30. Her time was considerably faster than Adare Manor’s clockings; indeed, you have to go back to the 2012 Santa Margarita, when Include Me Out posted 1:47.26, to find a better time in recent years. 

“That time, whoa,” Baffert told track publicity. “That’s serious racehorse time.”

“When she got to the lead, Fresu said, “she was comfortable and was traveling good. She’s a strong type – you can see her physically, she is so big. And so classy. Warming up with the pony, it was like she had done it a hundred times. She was professional with everything. She was just a step slow from the gate, she’s so big, but once she got into a good rhythm, I was always comfortable.”

Splendora, second at every call, was best of the rest by 2 1/2 lengths from Princess of Time. Alpha Bella was distanced in fourth, and Liberal Lady was eased home after trailing throughout. 

Where’s My Ring was scratched after cross-entering in Monday’s Gamely (G1) and Saturday’s Shawnee (G3) at Churchill Downs. According to Santa Anita’s stable notes, trainer Peter Miller planned to withdraw from the Gamely, so the Shawnee may be the preferred spot.

Baffert is now a five-time Santa Margarita winner, with Vale Dori (2017) and As Time Goes By (2021) preceding Adare Manor’s double. The Hall of Fame trainer is looking forward to the next port of call for Seismic Beauty, whose scorecard now stands at 6-3-2-1, $236,840.

“It’s going to be something big,” Baffert said. “She’s ready for something big.”

Seismic Beauty and Splendora delivered a Maryland-bred exacta. Bred by 2500 Determined Stud in the Old Line State, Seismic Beauty was pinhooked for $400,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November weanling. Glen Hill Farm resold her as a yearling for $550,000 at Keeneland September, where Kerri Radcliffe purchased her as agent for her current owners, MyRacehorse and Peter Leidel.

Seismic Beauty’s dam, the stakes-placed Medaglia d’Oro mare Knarsdale, is a relative of Grade 2 vixen Payton d’Oro. Other notable family members include Alpine Princess, Another Miracle, Passion for Action, and American Sailor.