Le L’Argent Wins Santa Lucia by 3 1/2

Front-running Le L’Argent raced to her third straight victory this year, winning the $82,600 Santa Lucia Handicap for fillies and mares by 3 1/2 lengths Saturday at Santa Anita.

Jockey Darrel McHargue took the winner to the front coming out of the gate and never relinquished the lead as he fought off the challenge of favored Goldspell and then drew away at the finish.

Annapurna closed from far back with a rush in the stretch under jockey Rafael Meza to take second by a head as Goldspell faded beneath jockey Laffit Pincay.

As second choice of the crowd of 41,500, Le L’Argent paid $7.60, $4 and $2.80. Annapurna returned $5.40 and $3.80. Goldspell paid $3.40. The winner raced the 1 1/16 miles on the main track in 1:42 4/5.

Le L’Argent had won twice before at the meeting, but it was her first stakes victory since last summer. The 5-year-old daughter of What a Pleasure earned a purse of $48,850 for the partnership of Michael, Ronald and Jean Daley to increase her lifetime earnings to $327,035.