‘Kisses Is Belle of the South

Because Alphabet Kisses isn’t particularly fond of shipping, trainer Marty Jones decided to keep the gray filly at home rather than go to Golden Gate Fields for the $100,000 Work The Crowd Handicap on Sunday.

Wise choice, as it turned out. The California-bred daughter of Alphabet Soup became a Grade I winner, posting a 20-1 upset in the $250,000 La Brea Stakes on Monday at Santa Anita. She was the first state bred to win the La Brea since Magical Allure in 1998.

Owned by breeder John Harris, Alphabet Kisses, who had never run in a graded event, took the lead early, surrendered it to Elusive Diva, then came back under jockey Mike Smith and won for the fifth time in nine starts.

In completing the seven furlongs in 1:21.38, Alphabet Kisses beat Bending Strings, the 8-5 favorite, by a length. Elusive Diva, who was making her first start since finishing sixth in the Test Stakes at Saratoga on July 31, was another two lengths back in third.

“I thought she had a chance to hit the board,” said Jones, who picked up his first Grade I win since Auriette took the 1996 Gamely Handicap at Hollywood Park. “It turned out to be a good thing we didn’t go up north, so we kind of backed into this one.

“Ever since we put the outside extension blinker on her, she’s been a lot more focused. She’s won twice with it and I think it’s really helped her. She ran really hard today.”

Bending Strings, who had finished fourth in her only other start at Santa Anita in the Santa Ynez on Jan. 19, finished second for the fifth time in 12 races this year for owner-breeder John Gunther.

“She ran great,” jockey Victor Espinoza said. “The race set up well for her and everything, but the winner ran too big today.”

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Yearly Report, the 6-5 morning line favorite in the La Brea, was scratched by trainer Bob Baffert because of an injury to the filly’s left front ankle.

“It will probably cost her a few days,” said Baffert, who trains Yearly Report for Betty Mabee’s Golden Eagle Farm. “She’s done this before. She either hit it or wrenched it or did something.”

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Memorette, the 4-1 second choice, responded to a shorter distance and the removal of blinkers by winning the $140,875 California Breeders’ Champion Stakes at Santa Anita.

Owned by Betty Currin and trained by her husband, Bill, Memorette, the 2-year-old Memo filly, scored for the second time in six starts, completing seven furlongs in 1:22.66. Kent Desormeaux rode the winner, who had finished last in the Hollywood Starlet in her most recent appearance on Dec. 19.

Lady Bertrando, a 32-1 shot, was second, 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner. Kohar, a 13-1 outsider was third and Yodeladytoo, the 2-1 favorite, was fourth.

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Making his first start since he finished second in the Fountain Of Youth on Feb. 14, favored Second Of June had to settle for second to Smooth Lover, a 14-1 shot, in Monday’s sixth at Calder Race Course in Miami.

A winner of four of seven before he suffered a leg injury when losing by a neck to Read The Footnotes in the Fountain Of Youth, Second Of June was beaten in 1:46 for the 1 1/16 miles. Owned by Barbara Cesare and trained by Billy Cesare, Second Of June is expected to make his next start in the $1-million Sunshine Millions Classic on Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.