Grade 1 Winner Tenma Enters Santa Anita Oaks on Roll

Tenma brings a near-perfect record into the April 5 Santa Anita Oaks (G2), and she has beaten a couple of her rivals in the past. Coming from the barn of Bob Baffert, who has won the two previous editions of the race, Tenma is the morning-line, even-money favorite.

The 1 1/16-mile Oaks, which offers qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on a schedule of 100-50-25-15-10 to the top five finishers, drew a field of six.

That field includes Look Forward , the Santa Ynez Stakes winner, who also has been entered in the Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. Originally scheduled for the same day as the Santa Anita Oaks, the Ashland has been postponed to April 7 to avoid anticipated heavy rains and potential flooding in Central Kentucky.

Though Look Forward remains listed for the Santa Anita Oaks, trainer Michael McCarthy reports that the Bolt d’Oro filly is already in Kentucky for the Ashland. She drew the rail in both races and has jockey Mario Gutierrez listed to ride in both. If the Santa Anita Oaks goes with a field of five, under a new rule established this year by Churchill Downs, the race will offer only 75% of the points. A field of four would reduce qualifying points to 50% of the original schedule.

Tenma already had 33 qualifying points. The daughter of Nyquist earned three points when third in last year’s Oak Leaf Stakes (G2)—her only loss—10 points for winning last year’s Starlet Stakes (G2), and 20 points when she captured the Feb. 2 Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) by 6 1/2 lengths.

Prior to the Oak Leaf, Tenma won the 2024 Del Mar Debutante (G1). She wore blinkers for the only time in the Oak Leaf, brushed the gate, and never got to the lead. Baffert said he didn’t feel that Tenma was mature enough to run in the Breeders’ Cup, and so she skipped the Juvenile Fillies (G1).

Jockey Juan Hernandez took over for the Starlet, and he and Tenma are two-for-two. Hernandez returns aboard the filly, who drew post 4.

Baffert also has entered Silent Law , a daughter of Tiz the Law who ran third to Look Forward and Artisma in the Santa Ynez. In three starts at 2, Silent Law broke her maiden by 10 lengths, won the Anoakia Stakes, and finished second in the Desi Arnaz Stakes. Hernandez has ridden her in all of her previous starts, and she gets Martin Garcia from post 2 in the Santa Anita Oaks. She’ll try two turns for the first time in the Santa Anita Oaks.

Vodka With a Twist ran second to Tenma in the Debutante and third to Tenma and Look Forward in the Starlet. In between, she finished second to eventual Eclipse Award winner Immersive in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). Vodka With a Twist has 18 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points: 15 from the Breeders’ Cup and three from the Starlet.

Trainer Phil D’Amato will put Antonio Fresu aboard Vodka With a Twist for the first time as she makes her 3-year-old debut. The daughter of Thousand Words drew post 3.

No Bad Beats , a daughter of Midnight Storm trained by Doug O’Neill, is coming off back-to-back victories this year. Those came at sprint distances, and she has never tried two turns in five lifetime starts. O’Neill has named Hector Berrios to ride from post 5.

Richard Mandella has entered Madame Secretary , a filly by Constitution . She has started three times, most recently breaking her maiden by five lengths at a mile Feb. 14. Kazushi Kimura is set to ride from post 6.