Mea Domina Carves Out Her Turf at Santa Anita

A move to turf and a stretch out to two turns has agreed with Mea Domina.

Second in her first three starts sprinting on the dirt, the 3-year-old Dance Brightly filly is unbeaten in two tries on the grass, including an easy win in her stakes debut in Monday’s $100,000 Harold C. Ramser Sr. Handicap at Santa Anita.

Trained by Ron McAnally for owner-breeder Janis Whitham, Mea Domina sat second to pacesetting longshot Potion most of the way, then took command in the stretch to beat 8-1 shot Penny’s Fortune and seven others by two lengths. Ridden by Gary Stevens, who had won the Ramser twice previously, the 6-1 third choice completed the mile on turf in 1:33.90.

Sweet Win, the even-money favorite who had finished third behind Amorama and Ticker Tape in the Del Mar Oaks in her last start on Aug. 21, never threatened and wound up fifth.

“She had me a little worried in the post parade,” Stevens said of Mea Domina. “She’s a beautiful filly, but very, very nervous and was a handful in the post parade. I really felt she was overdoing it.

“She goes on after that and runs the race she just ran, she could really be anything. She’s very special.”

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Tizbud will defend his championship in the $250,000 California Cup Classic, the main event of Saturday’s $1.325-million California Cup Day program.

Owned by Cee’s Stable LLC and trained by John Sadler, Tizbud hasn’t raced, because of shin problems, since his three-length victory in the Classic.

“We’ve given him a lot of long workouts,” Sadler said. “With this horse the thing that helps him is, he has a lot of natural stamina.”

Besides Tizbud, the other probables for the Classic are Anziyan Royalty, Calkins Road, Commander’s Flag, Cozy Guy, Excess Summer, Kedington, Lava Man and Yougottawanna.

Entries for the Cal Cup will be taken on Wednesday morning.

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Pleasantly Perfect, who will try to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic for a second consecutive year Oct. 30 at Lone Star Park, worked a mile in 1:38.20 for trainer Richard Mandella on Monday at Hollywood Park.

“He galloped out a mile and an eighth in 1:53,” Mandella said. “He just couldn’t look better.”

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Trainer Heriberto Cedano collected his first stakes win when Fortunate Damsel went wire to wire in the $112,300 Pebbles on Monday at Belmont Park.

A 6-1 shot ridden by Javier Castellano, Fortunate Damsel, a 3-year-old Runaway Groom filly, beat 4-5 favorite Venturi by a head in 1:48 4/5 for the 1 1/8 miles on turf.