Super Corredora Returns to Work, Seeks Bounce-Back in G3 Santa Ysabel

Super Corredora, the Eclipse Award champion 2-year-old filly who wired the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar on Oct. 31, has returned to the Santa Anita work tab and is entered in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel for 3-year-old fillies on Sunday, March 8. Trainer John Sadler is seeking a bounce-back after the filly’s season debut in the Feb. 8 Las Virgenes at Santa Anita, when she pressed the early pace before weakening to finish fourth, beaten 6 3/4 lengths by Meaning.

The West Point Thoroughbreds partnership and co-owners Spartan Equine Racing, Robert C. Gardiner and Michael W. Olszewski hope the recent moves translate to raceday improvement; Super Corredora has worked twice since the Las Virgenes, including a sharp five-furlong drill in 59.60 seconds on Sunday, and continues to train at Santa Anita Park. The Gun Runner filly was broken and given early training at Eisaman Equine with Dr. Barry Eisaman in Williston, Florida and was acquired at the Keeneland September yearling sale.

Terry Finley, who accepted the Eclipse Award on behalf of West Point Thoroughbreds at the Breakers in Palm Beach on Jan. 22, praised the team around the filly: “Thank you to [trainer] John Sadler, [assistant trainer] Juan Leyva, Adolfo Caro, this filly’s groom on the West Coast, Hector Berrios for a great ride in the Breeders’ Cup, and David Ingordo, who selected this filly at the yearling sale. ‘Thank you to the West Point team for the passion and the dedication to both Partners and horses, and to the partners—each and every one of you—we say thank you. It’s an incredible ride that we’re all on, and we’re very proud to be part of your journey. I also want to give thanks to Super Corredora. She’s a champion now. And this is why we do what we do.’”

The Santa Ysabel carries a $100,000 purse, is scheduled at 1 1/16 miles and awards Kentucky Oaks qualifying points of 50-25-15-10-5 to the top five finishers, making it a consequential early Oaks prep. Sports Yahoo lists the race as Race 8 with an approximate 4:30 p.m. PT post time (7:30 p.m. ET); first post for the Santa Anita card is 1 p.m. PT, and the Santa Ysabel will be available to watch and wager on TwinSpires.

Super Corredora is drawn in Post 6 with regular rider Hector Berrios and will carry 124 pounds. The full seven-horse lineup posted includes Cee Drew (Armando Ayuso, 124), Bank Shot (Adrian Escobedo, 120), French Blue (Florent Geroux, 120), Piney Woods (Ricky Gonzalez, 120), Forced Entry (Juan Hernandez, 120), Super Corredora (Hector Berrios, 124) and My Love Caroline (Mirco Demuro, 120). Notable threats on paper are Forced Entry, trained by Bob Baffert and a $375,000 yearling by Charlatan who won a one-mile dirt race at Santa Anita by 7 1/4 lengths on Feb. 1 under Juan Hernandez, and French Blue, a Bob Baffert trainee by Gun Runner who won at first asking two months ago.

Other formlines to watch include Bank Shot, the 28-1 outsider who outfinished Super Corredora by one spot in the Las Virgenes, Piney Woods, who exited a four-length maiden win at 6 1/2 furlongs on Feb. 7 for trainer Michael McCarthy, and My Love Caroline, who brings three straight victories into the race.

With 50 Oaks points available to the winner and Super Corredora carrying 124 pounds for Sadler with Hector Berrios aboard, the Santa Ysabel on March 8 offers a clear metric: a rebound here would reset her Kentucky Oaks stakes profile, while another off-the-board finish will alter the connections’ path forward.