Streaming seeks to keep record perfect in Las Virgenes

Streaming has yet to be defeated in two races and on Saturday will try to

make it three when heading a field of eight in the Grade 1, $300,000

Las

Virgenes at Santa Anita Park.

While a steppingstone on the road to the Grade 1, $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks,

the one-mile race for three-year-old fillies is prestigious in its own right and

will award points toward a starting berth in the May 2 Kentucky Oaks at

Churchill Downs.

Streaming was favored at 1-2 to win her maiden debut at Hollywood Park on

November 15, getting the job done by 1 1/2 lengths, but was sent off at 10-1

when stretching out to 1 1/16 miles in the Hollywood Starlet last out. The Bob

Baffert trainee easily scored on that day in early December to take her stakes

debut under Martin Garcia, who will be back aboard Saturday as the bay miss

breaks from the far outside post.

Streaming appears heads and tails above her competition based on those two

races, but the Smart Strike filly will be trying dirt for the first time on

Saturday against fillies with prior winning experience over the track. Among

those are Taste Like Candy and Fashion Plate.

The former was a 6 1/2-length debut winner at Santa Anita last October, and

closed out her juvenile campaign when second behind Streaming in the Starlet.

Taste Like Candy returned on January 4 to post a half-length second in the 6

1/2-furlong Santa Ynez and could relish the extra distance on Saturday with

regular rider Rafael Bejarano aboard for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

Fashion Plate took three tries to break her maiden, dropping her initial two

starts over synthetic tracks at Del Mar and Hollywood before breaking through

with a 6 1/2-length wire job on December 29 at Santa Anita. Conditioned by Simon

Callaghan, the dark bay daughter of Old Fashioned earned a field-best 97 BRIS

Speed rating for that effort and would be tough to run down with a repeat of

that form. Gary Stevens in the saddle only adds to her appeal.

Arethusa ran fifth in the Starlet last out, but before that was a 8

1/4-length winner of the Sharp Cat in mid-November. The Eoin Harty-trained

chestnut placed in both of her races at Santa Anita and could use that

experience for a winning rally on Saturday. Also in with a chance is Artemis, a

track-and-distance maiden scorer on January 3, and English import Earthflight, a

romping winner in her past two starts at Wolverhampton.

Saintly Joan, third in the Sharp Cat two back, and recent Blue Norther

victress Sushi Empire complete the Las Virgenes field.

Sharing the card with the Las Virgenes is the Grade 2, $200,000

Arcadia

sending a competitive group of 10 a mile on the Santa Anita turf.

Suggestive Boy will be returning in this spot following a more than 11-month

layoff. The Ron McAnally charge was last seen taking the Frank E. Kilroe Mile on

March 2, and prior to that was a 2 1/2-length winner of this same race. The

Easing Along six-year-old has been ready for action off long breaks in the past,

and will keep Joe Talamo aboard for Saturday's contest.

Vagabond Shoes will also be coming off a vacation, though not as long as

Suggestive Boy. The Irish-bred son of Beat Hollow was a well-beaten ninth in

last year's Arcadia but really came on during the spring and concluded his

six-year-old campaign with a win in the Del Mar Handicap and placings in the

Eddie Read and John Henry Turf Championship.

The John Sadler pupil just missed in the Breeders' Cup Turf last out by 2 1/4

lengths after being just a head behind the leader in the stretch and could enjoy

the cutback in distance here with Victor Espinoza returning to the irons.

Others of note in the Arcadia include stakes scorer Procurement, a head

second in the Sir Beaufort most recently; multiple Grade 3 hero Unbridled's

Note; and multiple Group 1-winning Winning Prize, who is exiting a close third

in the Citation Handicap in late November.

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