Front-running Fighting Mad takes Santa Maria S. (G2)

Fighting Mad stretch out to 1 1/16-miles for the first time in Sunday’s Santa Maria S. (G2) at Santa Anita Park and came away with a 3 1/2-length victory, giving Bob Baffert his fourth victory in the race.

Fighting Mad, under Abel Cedillo, went right to the front from the gate and never let her foes within a length of her at any point. After six furlongs in a solid 1:10.09, she widened her lead easily through the stretch to stop the timer in 1:42.12 on the fast main track, with Grade 1 winners Hard Not to Love and Ce Ce finishing second and third.

“She broke like a rocket,” Cedillo said. “I tried to get her to slow down. She did it on her own. “In the stretch, she did it easy.”
The 4-year-old filly owned and bred by Gary and Mary West won the Torrey Pines S. (G3) last August at Del Mar and is now 4-1-0 in seven starts and has earned $294,008. Fighting Mad is a daughter of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner New Year’s Day, who Baffert also trained for the Wests.