12.14.2002 Photo By: Benoit & Associates   J. Paul Reddam's Elloluv, shown winning the Grade I Hollywood Starlet last December, will break from post position four in the Santa Anita Oaks (GI) on Mar. 8 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Jockey Patrick Valenzuela will be in the irons.

Composure, Elloluv Set For Rubber Match In Grade One Santa Anita Oaks
By: John Gaver III

(Mar. 6, 2003) - The two best 3-year-old fillies West of the Mississippi River - Bob and Beverly Lewis' Composure and J. Paul Reddam's Elloluv - will square off for the third time in what promises to be a memorable renewal of the mile and a sixteenth $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks (GI), which will be contested at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. on Mar. 8.

Only three other fillies have been entered to tackle Composure and Elloluv, the marquis attractions, in Santa Anita's final major race for sophomore fillies and a key prep for the 129th running of the Kentucky Oaks (GI), which will be run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. on May 2.

The Composure-Elloluv rivalry began in the Grade I Hollywood Starlet last December at Hollywood Park, when Elloluv, at odds of 30-1, scored a daylight four-length victory over heavily favored Composure, who was coming off a game second-place effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI). Elloluv went on to notch the seven-furlong Santa Ynez Stakes (GII) at Santa Anita on Jan. 20, but was up-ended by Composure in the Grade I Las Virgenes on Feb. 9.

In Saturday's Santa Anita Oaks, both fillies will carry equal weight of 117 pounds, which, according to Elloluv's trainer, Craig Dollase, could be a factor. Elloluv made all the early pace in the Las Virgenes, but was caught in the shadow of the wire by Composure, who was toting 120 pounds compared to Elloluv's 122.

"The way it's playing out now, we'll probably see ourselves landing on the lead again," Dollase said. "But we have equal weights this time, and that might have made a difference last time."

Elloluv, a bay daughter of Gilded Time, worked five furlongs in a bullet :59 1/5 on Feb. 23 at Dollase's home base of Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif. in preparation for Saturday's race. She followed up that move with a six-furlong drill at Hollywood on Mar. 2 in 1:13 flat.

"Pat (Valenzuela) worked her last Sunday (Feb. 23) and gave me the thumbs up," Dollase said. "We're sitting on idle. We're ready.

"She's always acted and trained like a real good filly," Dollase continued. "We've never had a knock about her, that's for sure. She goes out there and runs her race. Plus P. Val's riding better than ever right now, and with his confidence and the way he's riding, the horses feel it. They run for him."

Even though trainer Bob Baffert has a phalanx of 3-year-old colts who are legitimate Kentucky Derby (GI) contenders in his barn, he has enough confidence in his 3-year-old filly Composure, that he considers her a viable contender for the famed "Run for the Roses" as well.

"I'm not going to make the call [on running in the Kentucky Derby or not] until that week or a couple weeks out, Baffert said about running Composure in the Kentucky Derby. "She's a very good filly. She's big and fast, that's the main thing. I know she's good enough."

Composure proved her mettle by finishing a scant half-length off Storm Flag Flying in last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) and overcame a troubled start while running into relatively soft fractions to best Elloluv by a neck in the Las Virgenes.

The well-bred daughter of Touch Gold and Party Cited sizzled six furlongs under exercise rider Dana Barnes in 1:11.60 over a "fast" strip at Santa Anita on Mar. 2 in her final tune-up for the Santa Anita Oaks.

"She went nice, really nice," Baffert said. "I'm very happy. She's ready to roll."

The connections of three more fillies - Long Term Wish, Harbor Blues and Go For Glamour - are, for all intents and purposes, hoping to get their respective charges graded stakes placed in the short field.

Everest Stable's Harbor Blues is coming off an 11-length, wire-to-wire win in the Arizona Oaks, a race in which she broke her maiden.

"She didn't beat that much over there, but it's the way that she did it," Harbor Blues' 29-year-old trainer, Nick Canani, said of his charge's effort at Turf Paradise on Feb. 1. "If I can run third that would be great."

The restricted stakes winner Long Term Wish and the recent entry-level allowance winner Go For Glamour are the other two entrants in the compact field.

The complete field for Saturday's Santa Anita Oaks, in post position order with riders is Composure, Jerry Bailey; Long Term Wish, Alex Solis; Harbor Blues, Iggy Puglisi; Elloluv, Patrick Valenzuela and Go For Glamour, Gary Stevens. All horses will carry 117 pounds.

« Back To Oaks News