Eastern-based Toupie Returns for Grade 3 Las Cienegas

Eastern-based Toupie, who shipped west for trainer Graham Motion and took down the Unzip Me Stakes in September 2024, returns seeking another stakes win on Santa Anita Park's unique hillside turf course in the Grade 3, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes for fillies and mares going about 6 ½ furlongs at Santa Anita Park on Sunday, January 19.

Toupie won the Unzip Me for 3-year-old fillies going gate-to-wire under Flavien Prat in her first and only start on the hillside turf. She next ran at Aqueduct on Nov. 8 against older horses and checked in fourth in the Autumn Days Stakes going six furlongs on turf. Prat again has the call in the Las Cienegas.

By Uncle Mo, Toupie races as a homebred for Wertheimer and Frere. She is 10: 4-2-1 with $311,775 in earnings.

Laulne returns from an eight-month layoff for trainer Phil D'Amato. Prior to being sidelined, Laulne won the Angles Flight sprinting on the hillside turf course in April and was third in the GIII Senorita over the same layout in May. Both starts came under Antonio Fresu, who will again be in the saddle.

A 4-year-old filly by Starspangledbanner, Laulne was bred in France where she was Group II-placed. She is campaigned domestically by Madaket Stables, Panic Stables, Gerard Augustin-Normand et al. Laulne has a record of 9: 4-1-3 with $192,772 in earnings.

Just Nails seeks a breakthrough stakes win for trainer Doug O'Neill. During the Del Mar fall meet, Just Nails was beaten just a neck in the Senator Ken Maddy Stakes then was a close-up fourth in the Stormy Liberal, both sprinting five furlongs on turf. She will be reunited Sunday with jockey Edwin Maldonado, who piloted Just Nails to a dominant allowance win sprinting down the hill in October.

A 6-year-old Twirling Candy mare, Just Nails is 14: 3-7-0 with $256,220 in earnings for owners Button Stable and George Hicker.

Miss Lizzy returns to the hillside turf course where she is 5: 2-2-1, which includes a win in the Mizdirection Stakes in May. Also trained by O'Neill, Miss Lizzy most recently finished off the board in a pair of restricted stakes going a mile on turf, the Osunitas at Del Mar in July and the Swingtime at Santa Anita in October.

A 5-year-old mare by Classic Empire, Miss Lizzy will have Frankie Dettori aboard for the first time. She has a record of 21: 5-5-3 overall with $268,768 in earnings for owners Glenn Sorgenstein, WC Racing Inc. and Wonderland Racing Stables.

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Rescheduled California Cup On Saturday Highlights 5-Day Race Week At Santa Anita Starting Thursday

Santa Anita Park, which canceled racing this past weekend (January 11,12) due to the Los Angeles County fires, will host five straight days of live racing starting on Thursday, January 16 and ending with a special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday program on Monday. Highlighting the week ahead is California Cup Day on Saturday, which features many of the best horses bred or sired in California.

California Cup Day will have five stakes for statebreds worth $775,000 in total prize money. They are the $175,000 California Chrome California Cup Derby, $175,000 Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks, $175,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic, $125,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint and $125,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint on the hillside turf course.

All the racing action at Santa Anita starts on Thursday with a 10-race card beginning at 12 p.m. PT. That program was originally scheduled to be held this past Friday. Then the following day on Friday, Santa Anita will host an eight-race program with first post at 12:30 p.m.

On California Cup Day Saturday, in addition to top stakes action racegoers can also enjoy Santa Anita's popular Burgers & Brews festival. Burgers & Brews features an assortment of gourmet burgers from some of the best vendors in Los Angeles. Ticket packages for Burgers & Brews start at just $19 when purchased online at Santaanita.com.

First post on California Cup Day is 11:30 a.m. for an 11-race card. The California Chrome California Cup Derby features a rematch of Shea Brennan and I'm a Bad Boy, who were separated by just a nose when running one-two in last month's King Glorious Stakes for statebreds at Los Alamitos

Shea Brennan is trained by Phil D'Amato for owner-breeder Nick Alexander. The colt by Tough Sunday set the pace in the one-mile King Glorious and gamely held off a late challenge from I'm a Bad Boy to earn his first stakes win. I'm a Bad Boy, a gelding by Stay Thirsty, is trained by Luis Mendez for owner C T R Stables.

The Unusual Heat Turf Classic attracted a highly competitive field of 11. On the Whim is a two-time statebred stakes winner for Harris Farms and trainer Dean Pederson. Jimmy Blue Jeans exits a win against open company in a second-level allowance at a mile on turf for trainer Jeff Mullins and owners Perry Bruno and Amy Gezon. Veteran Grade II winner None Above the Law returns to the statebred ranks following a sixth in the GII Hollywood Turf Cup in November for trainer Jorge Periban and owner Hector Castrellon.

Old Pal is a statebred stakes winner for trainer Mark Glatt and an ownership group that includes Blinkers On Racing Stable, Carolyn Corbett and Jai H. Desai. Glatt also entered Aligato, who was third beaten just a half-length in last year's Unusual Heat Turf Classic.

The Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks is a wide-open affair with 12 3-year-old fillies set to compete. Several of the runners exit last month's Soviet Problem Stakes for statebreds going one mile on dirt at Los Alamitos including winner Hey Jessie for trainer Sean McCarthy and owner Sayjay Racing LLC.

The Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint is led by Stay and Scam, a multiple stakes winner versus statebreds who also placed in two Grade III's last year for trainer Doug O'Neill and Reddam Racing.

In the Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint, Grade III winner Big City Lights looms large for trainer Richard Mandella and owner William R. Peeples. Big City Lights exits an 8 ½ lengths romp in the seven-furlong Cary Grant Stakes for statebreds at Del Mar on Nov. 9. The new face in the lineup is promising Smiling Beast, who makes his stakes debut after winning his first two starts against statebreds. He is trained by Brian Koriner for owners Edward Rusty J. Brown, Alan P. Klein and Philip Lebherz.