Splendora Wins Inaugural D. Wayne Lukas Stakes at Santa Anita

Splendora, the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner at Del Mar, kicked home to win the inaugural Grade 2 D. Wayne Lukas Stakes at Santa Anita Park, covering seven furlongs on dirt in 1:22.09 and defeating Me and Molly McGee by 1 3/4 lengths. Juan Hernandez rode the five-year-old Audible mare for trainer Bob Baffert and owner Talla Racing, and the winner returned $2.80 to bettors.

Splendora broke a step slow but recovered quickly, settling in between runners behind the early leader Me and Molly McGee and Formula Rossa. As she passed the quarter pole she drew even with the pacesetters, took command at the top of the stretch and was geared down by Hernandez nearing the wire in a final time of 1:22.09. Fractions were :22.78 and :45.63, set by Me and Molly McGee. Hernandez reflected on the trip, saying, "All the credit is for my filly because she did everything. She kind of broke a step slow, but after that she recovered very well. She got in position, and at around the three-eighths pole, she started to run. She just ran on her own today. I was just happy to be aboard her."

The victory improved Splendora’s record to 11 starts with six wins and four seconds and lifted her career earnings to about $980,800. Payouts printed on the tote and in postrace notices showed Splendora paid $2.80 to win and $2.10 on place and show legs, while Me and Molly McGee returned $6.20 and $2.60 in the place and show spots and Formula Rossa paid $2.10. Lemon Muffin, a former pupil of D. Wayne Lukas, completed the superfecta at long odds.

Beyond the race chart, the day carried emotional weight. The 7-furlong event was renamed this year from the Santa Monica Stakes to honor the late Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who won the race six times and died last summer at age 89. Bob Baffert called the win personal, saying, "When I saw that this race was renamed for D. Wayne Lukas, I wanted to win this one. I miss him. I miss talking to him. He would have loved this." Baffert added perspective on the mare’s quality, noting, "She is such a good filly. She just gives me chills," and credited Hernandez's ride by saying, "She missed the break and got behind, but Juan rode her with a lot of confidence."

Splendora’s breeding and sales background underline her commercial value. Bred in Maryland by The Elkstone Group, she was purchased by Talla Racing and Rockingham Ranch out of a Brookdale Sales consignment at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Sale. Her dam Miss Freeze was a stakes winner at Belmont Park and has produced other runners, and the family carries current breeding activity noted in pedigree records.

On a card that also featured older-distance stakes action, Splendora’s authoritative return as a five-year-old reinforces the market for high-class sprinting mares and the path from grade 1 success to lucrative regional stakes. For racing fans and breeders, the performance cements Splendora as a mare to follow this season and adds fresh resonance to a race now carrying the Lukas name and legacy.