From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (June 1, 2022)—A nose shy of being unbeaten in eight starts, three of them stakes, Nick Alexander’s homebred Becca Taylor tries graded stakes competition for the first time as she returns to Santa Anita to head Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 Desert Stormer Stakes as five fillies and mares three and up go six furlongs.
Trained by Steve Miyadi, California-bred Becca Taylor, who was second, beaten a nose two starts back in the Irish O’Brien Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course, ventured to Golden Gate Fields on May 7, where she pressed the pace and posted a one length allowance victory going six furlongs on synthetic Tapeta as the 1-5 favorite.
A 1 ¼-length winner of the statebred Spring Fever Stakes at six furlongs on dirt three starts back Feb. 21, Becca Taylor is unbeaten in three tries on dirt, two of them in statebred stakes at Santa Anita.
A 4-year-old filly by Old Topper out of the General Meeting mare Lady Sax, Becca Taylor will get the first-time services of Santa Anita’s leading rider Juan Hernandez. With seven wins and a second-place finish, “Becca” has earnings of $319,160.
Becca Taylor’s stablemate, Annie Graham, is the other Cal-bred in the race. She is by Grazen, out of the Tribal Rule mare Rule the Storm, was bred by owner Nick Alexander and is trained by Steve Miyadi. She has two wins in nine starts, earnings of $66,928 and is coming off a fourth in an Apr. 15 optional claimer.
On a five-game winning streak, but overmatched in the Grade II Zenyatta Stakes Oct. 3, trainer Ruben Alvarado’s Samurai Charm returns to action on Saturday with regular rider Kyle Frey up. Quick from the blocks at any distance, Samurai Charm took the ungraded Dark Mirage going a flat mile at Los Alamitos two starts back on Sept. 19 and will sprint for the first time in four starts, dating back to a starter allowance score going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Al. on July 2.
Owned by Downstream Racing, LLC, Samurai Charm, a 5-year-old mare by First Samurai out of the Silver Charm mare Back Seat Charm, is 7-5-0-1 with earnings of $147,260.
In her first start in seven months, Mark Glatt’s Dance to the Music served ample notice that she’s back and is again ready for stakes competition. A $575,000 2-year-old in training sale purchase a year ago April, Dance to the Music was an impressive first-out winner going 5 ½ furlongs at Del Mar July 24 and came back to run a well beaten second at 3-1 in the Grade I Del Mar Debutante on Sept. 5. Subsequently well beaten here in the Grade II Chandelier Stakes Oct. 1, this 3-year-old filly by Maclean’s Music went to the sidelines and came back running at even money May 7, pressing the early pace and posting a three quarter length allowance win under Abel Cedillo, who rides back on Saturday.
Owned by Red Baron’s Barn, LLC and Rancho Temescal, LLC, Dance to the Music, who is out of the Congrats mare Beautified, registered a career-best 81 Beyer Speed Figure in her comeback race. With an overall mark of 4-2-1-0, she has earnings of $143,900.
A two-time stakes winner at age three, trainer Jonathan Wong’s 5-year-old Dynasty of Her Own ran a close third in Golden Gate’s five furlong turf Camilla Urso Stakes April 30 and was beaten 2 ½ lengths. Consequently third two starts back in Santa Anita’s Grade III Las Flores Stakes at six furlongs on dirt March 13 she was beaten 12 lengths.
Owned by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, Dynasty of Her Own is a Kentucky-bred mare by Shanghai Bobby out of the Richter Scale mare Lady Dynasty. Winless in two Santa Anita main track starts, she’s 22-11-0-5 overall with earnings of $310,070 and will be ridden by Ricky Gonzalez.
THE GRADE III DESERT STORMER WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 2 of 9 Approximate post time 1:30 p.m. PT
- Dance to the Music—Abel Cedillo—116
- Dynasty of Her Own—Ricardo Gonzalez—124
- Annie Graham—Edwin Maldonado—122
- Samurai Charm—Kyle Frey—124
- Becca Taylor—Juan Hernandez—124
First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m.
ARCADIA, Calif. (June 1, 2022) – Multiple stakes winner Becca Taylor and fellow California-bred stablemate Annie Graham are entered in Saturday’s $100,000 Grade III Desert Stormer Stakes for fillies and mares at Santa Anita.
Becca Taylor is by Old Topper, out of the General Meeting mare Lady Sax, was bred by owner Nick Alexander and is trained by Steve Miyadi. She has seven wins in eight starts, earnings of $319,160 and is coming off a May 7 allowance win.