ALL ON-TRACK FANS TO BE TREATED TO ONE DOLLAR BEERS, SODAS & HOT DOGS

ARCADIA, Calif. (Dec. 28, 2013)–Santa Anita Park will ring in the New Year on Wednesday with the $75,000 Blue Norther Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turf and the Jim Cassidy-trained Full Ransom, a recent winner of the Grade III Miesque Stakes at Hollywood Park, heads a competitive field of eight.

A sharp gate to wire maiden special weight winner going one mile on the Santa Anita turf Oct. 17, Full Ransom rallied from off the pace at 12-1 to take the one mile turf Miesque when ridden for the first time by Victor Espinoza.

A Florida-bred filly by the A.P. Indy stallion Full Mandate, Full Ransom will be making her fourth career start in the Blue Norther and will be ridden back by Espinoza. Owned by Deron Pearson, she has two wins from three starts and earnings of $93,300.

Sushi Empire, who pressed the pace at 21-1 in the Miesque and ended up third, beaten 1 ½ lengths, is winless from four starts but looms a big threat off her Miesque effort. Trained by Eoin Harty, she’ll be ridden by Corey Nakatani, who rode her to a nose defeat as the 5-2 favorite two starts back, in a one mile turf maiden special weight Nov. 8 at Hollywood.

Owned by Wounded Warrior Stables, Sushi Empire is a Kentucky-bred filly by Empire Maker. She has a second and a third place finish to her credit.

Saintly Joan, a well beaten third in the $100,000, 1 1/16 miles Sharp Cat on Nov. 16, will try the turf for the first time Wednesday and appears fresh and dangerous for trainer John O’Hara. An impressive maiden special weight winner two starts back going seven furlongs at Santa Anita Oct. 13, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Northern Afleet has had three works since her last race, the most recent a six furlong move in 1:14.40 at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.

Owned by Steve Bajer, Gem, Inc., and Dustin O’Hara, she’ll again be ridden by Martin Pedroza, who has been aboard in all three of her previous starts.

Other contenders include Famous Alice, a first out maiden special weight winner going six furlongs on turf Nov. 23; Loan Savant, who broke her maiden going 1 1/16 miles in her fifth start Nov. 29, Rever de Vous, a first-out maiden special winner at Golden Gate Fields, who then pressed the pace in the six furlong Golden Gate Debutante Nov. 30, Kris Furillo, who broke her maiden at first asking going a mile on turf Nov. 24 at Golden Gate, and One More Wild Ride, who was a handy 2 ¼ length gate to wire starter allowance winner going a mile on dirt at Santa Anita Oct. 31.

The complete field for the Blue Norther Stakes, to be run as the eighth race on a nine-race card Wednesday, with jockeys and weights in post position order: Famous Alice, Gary Stevens, 118; Loan Savant, Mario Gutierrez, 118; One More Wild Ride, Tyler Baze, 116; Saintly Joan, Martin Pedroza, 118; Full Ransom, Victor Espinoza, 122; Sushi Empire, Corey Nakatani, 116; Rever de Vous, Rafael Bejarano, 118, and Kris Furillo, Joe Talamo, 118.

First post time on New Year’s Day is at 12:30 p.m. One dollar beers, sodas and hot dogs will be offered throughout the day.