G1 Las Virgenes 300K Sat

Streaming seeks to keep record perfect in Las Virgenes
Brisnet

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.