Bodog Beat

Santa Anita Park's opening weekend of fall racing kicks off with a plethora of important stakes races on Saturday, Sept. 27, including the Gr. 1 Goodwood Stakes, the Lady's Secret Stakes and the Yellow Ribbon Stakes.

The lineup for the $500,000 Gr. 1 Goodwood Stakes, a Breeders' Cup challenge series "Win and You're In" event, will feature 3-year-olds and up running 1-1/8 miles on Santa Anita Park's new synthetic track. Among those expected are Spirit One, the France-based winner of the Arlington Million Stakes; Well Armed, who is coming off a runner-up finish in the Pacific Classic; defending Goodwood title-holder Tiago; and up-and-coming Albertus Maximus, winner of the Windy Sands Handicap earlier this month. Perfect Drift, the venerable 9-year-old, was nominated for the Goodwood but has since been retired.

Fillies and mares 3 years old and up will get their turn in the spotlight on Saturday in the Lady's Secret Stakes, a $250,000 Gr. 1 prep and challenge series race for the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic. Four-year-old Zenyatta will be putting her career unbeaten streak on the line along with her reputation as the nation's leading older female racehorse. With Tough Tiz's Sis retired due to a career-ending injury suffered during a workout, Zenyatta's greatest competitor will be Hystericalady, who finished second in this race last year (behind Tough Tiz's Sis) and is riding a three-win streak of her own.

Black Mamba, the New Zealand-bred winner of the recent John C. Mabee Handicap, is scheduled to start in the $400,000 Gr. 1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes, a turf race that will guarantee the winner a berth in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf Division. Likely challengers include Hostess, Rutherienne and the Todd Pletcher-trained Wait a While, whose last outing netted her a win in the Ballston Spa Handicap in August.

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