Under the Stars

Santa Anita Park will launch its annual winter/spring live racing season on Monday with a 11-race card featuring six stakes races, highlighted by the $300,000 GI Runhappy Malibu S., $300,000 GI American Oaks, and $300,000 GI La Brea S., the last three Grade Is of the year in the U.S. Dubbed this season for the first time as the Classic Meet, racing at Santa Anita will be conducted on a Thursday-through-Sunday schedule through Apr. 9, the exceptions being Monday, Jan. 2 for the New Year's Day holiday, Monday, Jan. 16...

Gayla Rankin's Happy Soul (Runhappy), a well-beaten sixth last time out in Keeneland's 8 1/2-furlong GI Ashland S. Apr. 8, has already proven her talent sprinting and will attempt to get back on track in Friday's GIII Miss Preakness S. at Pimlico. A runaway winner in two of three starts at two, including Belmont's Astoria S. last June, she was shelved for the rest of the season before resurfacing with a three-length win in Oaklawn's six-panel Dixie Belle S. Feb. 19. In her latest work, she posted a bullet five...

Bob Baffert brings a strong hand into Sunday's local prep for the GI Kentucky Oaks in Santa Anita's GIII Santa Ysabel S. Leading the charge is Eda (Munnings), last out winner of the GI Starlet S. Dec.4 where she defeated fellow Santa Ysabel contender Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince) by a gamhalf-length. She'll be looking for her fourth stakes victory in a row after also decisively winning both the Desi Arnaz S. and the Anoakia S. last fall. Not to be outdone by her stablemate, Under the Stars (Pioneerof the Nile) posted...

Sent off the 9-10 chalk to build on a three-length maiden victory at Los Alamitos when last seen Dec. 11, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Under the Stars (Pioneerof the Nile) was made to work for it, but managed to tough out a narrow victory in Saturday's GIII Santa Ynez S. at Santa Anita. Away alertly enough from the inside stall, the bay--bred on a similar cross to the one that produced Triple Crown winner American Pharoah--held her spot at the fence while being shaded three wide...

Coolmore's royally bred Under the Stars (Pioneerof the Nile) looks to become the third black-type winner for her impressive dam Untouched Talent (Storm Cat) as the morning-line favorite in the GII Santa Ynez S. at Santa Anita Saturday. A half-brother to Classic-winning sire Bodemeister (Empire Maker), the Bob Baffert pupil was third on debut behind the re-opposing Awake At Midnyte (Nyquist) in Arcadia Oct. 31. She filled the same spot behind stablemate and eventual GI Starlet S. winner Eda (Munnings) in Del Mar's Desi Arnaz S. Nov. 13 and broke...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency RACHEL'S VALENTINA FILLY DEBUTS IN NY 4th-BEL, $90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 2:11 p.m. Todd Pletcher unveils the latest foal out of Grade I winner Rachel's Valentina (Bernardini) named AMBASSADOR KELLY (Pioneerof the Nile). The second and final foal out of Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra, whose accomplishments speak for themselves, Rachel's Valentina followed up a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy debut with a win in Saratoga's GI Spinaway S. She finished second in both the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and the GI Central Bank Ashland...