Gray Day in Santa Monica?

Island Fashion will try to make it two Grade I victories in less than a month when she takes on Sightseek, Got Koko and other minor players in today’s $250,000 Santa Monica Handicap.

Owned by Jeff Nielsen’s Everest Stables and trained by Marcelo Polanco, Island Fashion, a 4-year-old gray daughter of Petionville, won the La Brea by six lengths on Dec. 27.

It was the fourth win in 10 starts in 2003 for Island Fashion, but her second Grade I victory of the year wasn’t enough to make her a finalist for the Eclipse Award as the 3-year-old filly champion. Elloluv, who finished behind Island Fashion in the La Brea and had one less Grade I victory, is among the three finalists. The winner will be announced Monday.

Sightseek, a 5-year-old Distant View mare trained by Bobby Frankel for Juddmonte Farms, could be favored today even though she is winless at Santa Anita.

A winner of eight of 13 in her career, Sightseek is winless in four starts in Arcadia, including a disappointing fourth as the 3-5 favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Oct. 25.

Got Koko, meanwhile, is a Santa Anita specialist. The Texas-bred mare, who swept the three-race La Canada series last year, has won five times in eight starts here and has been third in two of her losses.

Race of the day: Request For Parole, who has won two of his three starts on the Gulfstream Park turf course, will try for his first stakes win over the layout in today’s $100,000 Mac Diarmida Handicap at 1 3/8 miles.

One for the road: Just Emma makes her first start for trainer Steve Margolis in today’s 11th at Gulfstream Park and the five-time winner should improve with the stable change. Cornelio Velasquez will ride in the $50,000 claimer for older fillies and mares at a mile on the grass.

Exotically speaking: A pick four using Canny Fly, Beautiful Balance and Big Future in the sixth, Rojo Toro and Timely Action in the seventh, Island Fashion in the eighth and Luisathebeachhouse, Lobsterathepalms and Beautifulbutbored in the ninth.

Winners: Previous day/meet total: 1/65. Money: Previous day/meet total: $5.60/$349.80. Total money bet: $378.