Las Virgenes Stakes is Rags To Riches story

Given three new challenges Saturday in the $250,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita, Rags To Riches handled all in style.

Trying two turns for the first time while also making her debut against winners in a Grade I, the 3-year-old A.P. Indy filly and 5-2 favorite overcame a wide journey to run down 9-1 longshot Baroness Thatcher near the wire in 1:37.85 for the mile.

Owned by Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor and trained by Mike McCarthy, Todd Pletcher’s chief assistant in California, Rags To Riches won for the second time in three starts. At this point, she looks like a prime contender for the Kentucky Oaks on May 4 at Churchill Downs.

Ridden by Garrett Gomez, Rags To Riches, who was purchased for $1.9 million as a yearling, veered out at the start while breaking from the outside in the field of nine. She continued wide, but finished well enough to beat the pacesetter by three-quarters of a length.

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In the day’s other Grade I at Santa Anita, Sugar Shake, the 3-1 second choice, got away with surprisingly soft fractions and led throughout to win the $250,000 Santa Maria Handicap.

Able to coast through 24.10, 48.57 and 1:12.58 fractions through the first six furlongs when anticipated pace rivals Seafree, who broke last, and River Savage didn’t show any speed, Sugar Shake had more than enough in reserve to win her second graded stakes of the meet. Owned by breeder Frank Stronach and trained by Bobby Frankel, the 4-year-old Awesome Again filly had taken the El Encino on Jan. 14.

Ridden by David Flores, Sugar Shake completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.89 while beating 2-1 choice Ermine by 1 3/4 lengths. The victory was the 861st at Santa Anita for Frankel, leaving him eight behind all-time leader Charlie Whittingham.

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Trainer Rick Violette Jr. handed a pair of unbeatens their first losses at two different venues.

About 35 minutes after Summer Doldrums humbled the previously perfect Lawrence The Roman and four others in the $70,070 Whirlaway Stakes at Aqueduct, Dream Rush, another Violette trainee, easily handled 2-year-old filly champion Dreaming Of Anna in the $150,000 Old Hat at Gulfstream Park.

A son of Street Cry, Summer Doldrums, the 7-2 second choice, won for the third time in his last four starts, completing the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.23 while winning by 5 1/2 lengths under jockey Mike Luzzi. Lawrence The Roman, the 2-5 favorite who had won his first three races by a combined 25 1/4 lengths, finished fourth.

In Florida, Dream Rush, the 2-1 second choice, was dominant, taking the lead immediately and rolling to a 3 1/2 -length win.

You Asked, a 13-1 longshot, was second and Dreaming Of Anna, the 1-2 favorite, finished third in her first start since she won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies for her fourth consecutive victory last Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs.

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Making his first start outside California, Notional, the 5-2 second choice, won the $300,000 Risen Star at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

Trained by Doug O’Neill for owner Paul Reddam, the 3-year-old In Excess colt, who had won the San Rafael at Santa Anita on Jan. 13 in his first start of the year, prevailed by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:44.18 for the 1 1/16 miles. Imawildandcrazyguy was second and Zanjero was third.

Circular Quay, the 6-5 favorite, was fifth. The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up was impeded early in the stretch when longshot Slew’s Tizzy clipped the heels of a tiring Makeithapencaptain, unseating jockey James Graham, who escaped injury.

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John Velazquez may not have had any luck on Circular Quay, but the jockey won two of the three other Grade III races run at the Fair Grounds. He scored with favored Master Command in the $200,000 Mineshaft and won the $200,000 Silverbulletday aboard Appealing Zophie. Cloudy’s Knight, who went off at 6-1, won the $200,000 Fair Grounds Breeders’ Cup Handicap under jockey Ramsey Zimmerman.

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bob.mieszerski@latimes.com