The Sept. 28 Zenyatta Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park pays fitting tribute to one Hall of Famer, but it is another one, Beholder, who may hold more of a key to this year's running of the 1 1/16-mile race for distaffers.
Sugar Fish will try to become the first to win back-to-back editions since Beholder a decade ago, while Cavalieri and Richi ran first and second in this year's B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile Stakes (G1).
Cavalieri will likely go favored because she has never lost in four lifetime starts. Trained by Bob Baffert, the 4-year-old is by Nyquist , also the sire of Johannes, expected to go favored in the Sept. 27 City of Hope Mile Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita.
A $900,000 purchase at the 2023 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Old in Training, Cavalieri is proving well worth that investment. A daylight winner in both of her races at 3 last year, she stepped right into graded company for 2025, winning the Jan. 19 La Canada Stakes (G3) and March 8 Beholder. Juan Hernandez has ridden Cavalieri in each of her starts and returns for the Zenyatta.
Baffert also trains Richi, a 5-year-old daughter of Practical Joke who has taken a much different path to this race. Richi raced throughout 2023 in her native Chile, winning a group 1 race by 10 lengths. Baffert took over her conditioning in this country, where she has never finished worse than third in six starts, including wins in the Las Flores Stakes (G3) and Santa Maria Stakes (G2). Antonio Fresu has ridden Richi in her last three starts and is set to pilot her again.
Jeff Mullins trains Sugar Fish, who as a 3-year-old beat her elders in last year's Zenyatta by 1 1/2 lengths. Sugar Fish also won last year's Summertime Oaks (G2). Third in the Dec. 26 La Brea Stakes (G1), the filly was away from the races until the Sept. 1 Tranquility Lake Stakes at Del Mar. She finished fifth with a wide trip.
Baffert has a third entrant, 3-year-old Howin, a daughter of Gun Runner . Howin broke her maiden in her debut last year and has another win in allowance optional claimer company. Her other four starts have come in stakes, and while she has yet to win one, she finished second in the June 7 Summertime Oaks and third in the March 2 Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3).
La Kika, a 4-year-old daughter of Badge of Silver, will be making her first United States start. She is a multiple group winner in her native Peru. Doug O'Neill trains her in this country.
As part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, the Zenyatta Stakes grants the winner an automatic, fees-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Del Mar Nov. 1. Beholder and Zenyatta both won this race en route to their first Breeders' Cup Distaff victories.
Santa Anita Park, Sunday, September 28, 2025, Race 7Entries: Zenyatta S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Sugar Fish (KY) Tyler Baze 124 Jeff Mullins - 2 La Kika (PER) Hector Isaac Berrios 126 Doug F. O'Neill - 3 Cavalieri (KY) Juan J. Hernandez 124 Bob Baffert - 4 Howin (KY) Kazushi Kimura 118 Bob Baffert - 5 Richi (CHI) Antonio Fresu 126 Bob Baffert -
