SANTA ANITA : A Wild Ride Heads Field of 9 in Cup Race

A field of nine headed by A Wild Ride has been entered in Saturday’s $100,000-added Linda Vista Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Santa Anita’s Oak Tree meeting.

A Wild Ride, winner of the Princess Stakes at Hollywood Park last summer, will be ridden by Gary Stevens and was assigned high weight of 118 pounds for the 22nd running of the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies.

The field features several recent winners on the California fair circuits, so the Grade III Linda Vista could give some indication of who is the fairest from the fairs.

Others entered were Variety Spice, who will be ridden by Chris McCarron and was assigned 117 pounds; Mahaska, Gary Boulanger, 117 pounds; Nasers Pride, Alex Solis, 117 pounds; Orlanova, Robbie Davis, 115 pounds; Mama Simba, David Flores, 115 pounds; Vaguely Charming, Kent Desormeaux, 114 pounds; Lifthigh The Cross, Jorge Velasquez, 114 pounds; and Dead Heat, Julio Garcia, 114 pounds.

With nine runners, the Linda Vista will offer a total purse of $107,800, including $25,000 from the Breeders’ Cup fund. If the winner is Breeders’ Cup eligible, she will earn $62,800; if not eligible, $48,150.

A Wild Ride is winless in four starts since the Princess, but has challenged tougher competition than most of her Linda Vista rivals.

Mahaska won stakes at Exhibition Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, and at the Orange and Los Angeles County Fair meets in her three most recent starts.

Variety Spice was a triple stakes winner this summer and Mama Simba won the Las Ninas Stakes at Fairplex last month.