Margarita Girl breaks through to capture Las Flores Stakes win

Margarita Girl produced a decisive late run to win the Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes at Santa Anita Park on January 11, finishing the six-furlong dash in 1:09.19 and beating her rivals by about 1 3/4 lengths. The 4-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy sat just off a hot early pace along the rail, was angled out in the stretch by jockey Ricardo Gonzalez and powered past rivals to secure her first graded-stakes score.

Trained by Mark Glatt for owners Saints or Sinners and Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners, Margarita Girl had been a familiar name around the board in recent months, recording several runner-up finishes before breaking her graded stakes drought. She also owns a maiden victory at Del Mar last August, a performance that signaled she could soon handle stakes company when conditions fell her way. Her breakthrough in the Las Flores adds black-type to her record and marks a milestone in a campaign that has shown steady improvement.

The filly was purchased for $575,000 at the 2024 OBS March sale, a price that now looks justified by her rapid ascent through sprint ranks. Bred on the Twirling Candy male line out of My Day, Margarita Girl’s pedigree and market history make her a prospect with both track and broodmare appeal after her graded tally.

Glatt praised the filly’s class and the way she’s matured into a stronger, more competitive sprinter this season, noting that recent pattern races had sharpened her tactics and finishing drive. Gonzalez rode a patient trip, leaving space along the inside until the turn and finding room to angle for clear running in the stretch — a textbook sprint rail-to-outside conversion that produced a powerful late kick.

For the local racing community and owners mapping winter-spring plans, Margarita Girl’s Las Flores victory has practical consequences: she now carries graded black-type for sales and breeding value and presents connections with options to target richer graded sprints through the remainder of the Southern California meet. Handicappers will add her to the list of pace-savvy sprinters capable of closing on hot tempos.

The Las Flores win changes Margarita Girl’s profile — from a frequent bridesmaid to a proven graded winner — and sets up a winter campaign where she can be aimed at similar sprint stakes to capitalize on her current form and enhance her long-term value.