Santa Margarita

Stakes winner PLAY BALLADO (Saint Ballado) began her career with a bang,
breaking her maiden by 7 1/2 lengths and ended her three-year-old season in the
same way, with a 7 1/2-length score in the Miss Oceana S. at Aqueduct. In her
2006 bow, the John T. Ward Jr. trainee ran second in the El Encino S. (G2) at
Santa Anita while making her graded debut before filling that same position last
out in the La Canada S. (G2). On Saturday, Play Ballado will meet up with the
winners of those two events once again over the same track while going for her
first graded victory in the $300,000 Santa Margarita Invitational H. (G1).

The dark bay lass earned a career-best 101 BRIS Speed rating for her El
Encino second, rallying three wide into the stretch and making up ground all the
way to the wire. Between that event and the La Canada, she recorded two nice
works, and in the La Canada, she posted BRIS E1 and E2 Pace figures of 107 and 119, respectively, while
chasing home SEAFREE (Chief Seattle). Since that race, Play Ballado recorded a
nice five furlongs in :59 3/5, which put her in the top 20 amongst 162 workers
for that distance on March 5. She looks poised to break through and could
achieve a measure of revenge for her past two here. Tyler Baze will be aboard
for the first time.

PROPOSED (Benchmark) captured the El Encino by 2 1/2 lengths before going on
to finish second herself in the Santa Maria H. (G1) last out. The dark bay
four-year-old has never competed at the nine-furlong distance, but has plenty of
experience racing, and winning, at 1 1/16 miles. She’s earned nothing but
triple-digit E2 Pace ratings since October of last year and has yet to finish
worse than third since switching to the barn of John Shirreffs. Proposed has
also been working well to prepare for this one and will be looking to get back
to her winning ways with Pat Valenzuela back in the irons.

DREAM OF SUMMER (Siberian Summer) burst onto the scene last year when taking
the Apple Blossom H. (G1) by a nose over STAR PARADE (Arg) (Parade Marshal) and
continued to do well throughout the year. She earned her worse placing, a sixth,
in the Beldame S. (G1), but rebounded off that to successfully defend her title
in the California Cup Matron H. Dream of Summer debuted with a third in the
Sunshine Millions Distaff S. last out and could improve upon her nose second in
this event last year with a win on Saturday. Alex Solis will be in the irons.

Star Parade ended 2005 with a victory in the Bayakoa H. (G2), then had a
disappointing run in the San Gorgonio H. (G2) in her seven-year-old bow two
back. That race did come on the turf, and the dark bay mare showed her
preference for the main track once again with a two-length win in the Santa
Maria in mid-February. She earned a 104 Speed rating for that one and
has been putting together some nice works on Santa Anita’s training track. Star
Parade could take her second straight with Martin Pedroza holding the reins.

Seafree is lightly raced for a four-year-old, owning only seven career starts
from three seasons of racing. The Bobby Frankel charge made her stakes debut in
the La Canada while also stretching out past seven furlongs for the first time.
She owns the talent to get the job done here, but might bounce a bit after her
last one, so use in the exotics. HEALTHY ADDICTION (Boston Harbor) loves Santa
Anita (9-4-4-0) and started off the year right with a win in the Paseana S. She
could only manage fourth in the Santa Maria last out, her first off-the-board
placing over the track, and could rebound in a big way on Saturday, so don’t
leave her out of the top three. HOLLYWOOD STORY (Wild Rush) is a Grade 1 winner
and showed dramatic improvement in her five-year-old bow last out in the Santa
Maria, rallying to get third. She hasn’t done well at this distance in the past,
but the other Shirreffs trainee could still earn part.

BENDING STRINGS (American Chance) hasn’t raced since an off-the-board finish
in the November 24 Falls City H. (G2) at Churchill Downs. She might need a race
in her return. SANTA CANDIDA (Arg) (Espaciado) is also making her 2006 debut
here and is still looking for her first U.S. victory. We don’t think she’ll get
it here. AWESOME LADY (Bianconi) owns lower numbers than others in here and has
spent much of her career sprinting. She could be up against it in this spot.