(Simply Joking / Photos by Holly M. Smith)

From the Santa Anita Park Media Team:

WIDE-OPEN FIELD OF 11 3-YEAR-OLD FILLIES SET FOR GRADE I TEST IN THE LA BREA STAKES GOING 7 FURLONGS ON OPENING DAY AT SANTA ANITA PARK NEXT SUNDAY

The traditional day-after-Christmas start to the Santa Anita Classic Meet was postponed to Sunday due to expected inclement weather in the area

ARCADIA, CA (Dec. 21, 2025)—Florda-based stakes winners Five G and Her Laugh come west in search of a coveted Grade I win against nine other rivals in next Sunday’s $300,000 La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on opening day of the Santa Anita Park Classic Meet. Originally scheduled for this Friday, the La Brea and the rest of Santa Anita’s blockbuster opening day program was pushed back to Sunday due to a series of rainstorms that’s expected to hit the area this week.

Contested at seven furlongs on the main track, the La Brea attracted a deep and contentious cast that also includes such local hopes as Silent Law and Usha for trainer Bob Baffert, promising up-and-comer Formula Rossa for trainer Mark Glatt, two-turn stakes winner Simply Joking for trainer Michael McCarthy, and class-rising Magnificat for trainer Richard Mandella.

Five G, trained by George Weaver, will be making her first start since March when she won the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks going 1 1/16 miles. By Vekoma, she also won the one-mile Cash Run Stakes at Gulfstream in January prior to the layoff. This will be her first time sprinting since her debut last August at Saratoga. Owned by Gatsas Stables, Five G enters with a record of 6: 3-2-0 and $393,740 in earnings. She’ll be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.

Her Laugh ships in for trainer Riley Mott and owner-breeder Grantley Acres. Most recently, the Practical Joke filly returned from a nearly eight-month layoff and finished second in a second level allowance going 6 ½ furlongs at Churchill Downs on Nov. 14. That was her first start for Mott after previously being trained by Whit Beckman. The effort earned an 85 Beyer Speed Figure for Her Laugh, which puts her squarely in the mix for her second start off the layoff. Jockey Jose Ortiz will ride Her Laugh.

Silent Law most recently crossed the wire second in the GIII Chillingworth going 6 ½ furlongs on Oct. 4 at Santa Anita but was later awarded the victory after first-place finisher Tamara was disqualified. The Tiz the Law filly’s only other stakes win, last year’s six-furlong Anoakia Stakes, also came at Santa Anita. Owned by CSLR Racing Partners LLC, Silent Law will have Joel Rosario in the irons for the first time.

Formula Rossa won her first two starts, both at six furlongs, by a combined 10 ½ lengths. She then made her stakes debut for Glatt in the GIII Rancho Bernardo going 6 ½ furlongs on Aug. 24 at Del Mar. The daughter of Vekoma dueled on a sharp pace that day before yielding late to finish second by 3 ½ lengths behind highly regarded female sprinter Sweet Azteca. Owned by Muir Hut Stables, Formula Rossa will be ridden by Mike Smith.

Simply Joking will be cutting back to one turn for McCarthy after finishing second in the GIII Bayakoa going one mile at Del Mar on Nov. 30. In January, when trained by Whit Beckman, Simply Joking earned her lone stakes win in the Silverbulletday Stakes going two turns at Fair Grounds. The daughter of Practical Joke, owned by Berkels 0813 LLC, CMNWLTH LLC, Grantlay Acres and Ryan Conner, will have jockey Kazushi Kimura in the irons.

Magnificat makes her stakes debut in her fourth career start for Mandella. A homebred for Spendthrift Farm, the Omaha Beach filly broke her maiden going six furlongs on Oct. 25 at Santa Anita and came back to win a first-level allowance going 6 ½ furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 16. She’ll have regular rider Mirco Demuro aboard.

The La Brea Stakes is one of six graded stakes set for an 11-race card on opening day at The Great Race Place. Also on the program is the Grade I Malibu for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs, Grade I American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 ¼ miles on turf; GII Laffit Pincay Jr. at 1 1/16 miles on dirt; GII Mathis Mile for 3-year-olds on turf and GIII San Gabriel at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

__THE GI LA BREA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER __

Race 8 of 11 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

  1. Simply Joking—Kazushi Kimura—120
  2. So There She Was—Antonio Fresu—120
  3. Five G—Irad Ortiz Jr.—122
  4. Artisma—Edwin Maldonado—120
  5. Usha—Juan Hernandez—120
  6. Brilliantly—Flavien Prat—120
  7. Schilflied—Tyler Baze—120
  8. Her Laugh—Jose Ortiz—120
  9. Formula Rossa—Mike Smith—120
  10. Magnificat—Mirco Demuro—120
  11. Silent Law—Joel Rosario—120

First post next Sunday is 11 a.m. PT. Admission gates open at 9 a.m.