ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Great Hot went to the front early and earned a half-length victory in the $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes for older fillies and mares at Santa Anita on Saturday.
Ridden by Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, Great Hot ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.08 and paid $20.80, $5.60 and $3.40. It was Stevens’ fifth win in the race, having won it for the first time in 1988.
Stevens has won three straight stakes at Santa Anita, having swept a pair last weekend. The 49-year-old rider began a comeback last month after a seven-year layoff.
Book Review returned $2.80 and $2.10 as the even-money favorite for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. Lady of Fifty was another 334 lengths back in third and paid $2.80 to show.
