Providencia Winner Bound for Kentucky

Kumari Continent made a successful debut on turf with a three-quarter-length victory in the $79,650 Providencia Stakes Saturday at Santa Anita, but the Kris S. filly is headed back to the main track.

Kumari Continent, owned and bred by Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan and trained by Paco Gonzalez, is headed to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Oaks May 5.

The even-money favorite against four other 3-year-old fillies in the $79,650 race, Kumari Continent made the lead through some slow fractions, surrendered it to 9-5 second-choice Minor Details on the backstretch, then outbattled that one in the final sixteenth under David Flores.

In completing the 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:48 1/5, Kumari Continent won for the second time in four starts and one of her defeats was a second to Surfside in last month’s Santa Anita Oaks.

“The longer she goes, the better,” McCaffery said. “She’s that kind of a horse. We always thought we would run her on the grass, but we can always go back to the turf.

“We just have to take advantage of her ability on the dirt right now. I mean, how many times do you get to go to the Oaks?”

Minor Details, who had won her previous three races around two turns, finished 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Velvet Morning, then came Lovely Cozzene and Burning Hope.

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Grey Memo, who has run in three consecutive graded stakes, is the 3-1 morning line choice in the $75,000-added La Puente Stakes today at Santa Anita.

Trained by Warren Stute for a partnership that includes Ridgeley Farm, Grey Memo will be dropping in class into restricted company against six other 3-year-olds after finishing fourth, fifth and fifth in the Santa Catalina, San Rafael and San Felipe, respectively.

Matt Garcia will ride the son of Memo, who won his only other turf start over Santa Anita’s hillside course last Nov. 5.

Tender Offer, who won his U.S. debut on turf Dec. 12 at Hollywood Park, is the 7-2 second choice. Owned by Sid Craig and trained by Ron McAnally, the Irish-bred is returning to turf after two poor efforts on the dirt. He followed a sixth in the Golden Gate Derby with a last-place finish in the San Rafael.

Rounding out the field are Purely Cozzene, Hugh Hefner, Sign Of Fire, Final Row and Long Term Investor. Purely Cozzene has blinkers put back on by trainer Bob Baffert, while Hugh Hefner will be making his first start since finishing 13th in a field of 14 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

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Three of the six probable starters for Saturday’s $1 million Santa Anita Derby are scheduled for workouts this morning.

Surfside, who will try to become the first filly since Winning Colors in 1988 to win the Santa Anita Derby, and Anees, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner who was third in his first start of the year in last month’s San Felipe, will both have workouts at Santa Anita.

Cocky, beaten by three-quarters of a length in the San Rafael in his stakes debut, will have a workout at Hollywood Park.

Among the other probables, Captain Steve and likely favorite War Chant will have workouts Monday and The Deputy will have one Tuesday.

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Jockey Corey Nakatani’s victory on favored Tribunal in Saturday’s fourth race at Santa Anita was his first at the track since he won with Generous Gift March 9. Nakatani also won later in the card with 4-1 shot Perfect Copy and still tops the jockey standings with 61 victories, four more than Kent Desormeaux. Martin Pedroza also had two victories Saturday.