Thought Process, Take A Breath to Square Off in Gamely

Thought Process, an impressive winner of the Feb. 28 Buena Vista Stakes (G2T), will take on seven fillies and mares May 25 in the $300,000 Gamely Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park. The 1 1/8-mile turf race for fillies and mares 3 years old and up is part of Santa Anita's 10-race Memorial Day program. The 4-year-old daughter of Collected returns from a three-month layoff, dangerous and well rested for trainer Philip D'Amato. After earning a career-best 104 Equibase Speed Figure and 90 Beyer Speed Figure in the Buena Vista, she looks primed for another peak performance. She turned in a sharp workout May 18, blazing 5 furlongs in :58 4/5, signaling she is cranked and ready for another top effort. Among her rivals will be Chivalry Thoroughbred Racing and Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners' Take A Breath (GB), who enters the race off back-to-back wins at Santa Anita in the Santa Ana Stakes (G3T) and Royal Heroine Stakes (G3T). The Mark Glatt trainee defeated returning May Day Ready by a half-length in the Royal Heroine. The KatieRich Stables-owned May Day Ready makes her second start of the year since being transferred to the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. The Tapit filly showed a lot of promise as a 2-year-old, winning three races in a row, including the 2024 Jessamine Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland, before running second to Lake Victoria (IRE) in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Fillies (G1T) against a strong field that included eventual champion 3-year-old filly Nitrogen, grade 1 winner Kilwin, and Thought Process. May Day Ready should benefit from the expected speed in the race. Antonio Fresu, who rode the filly in the Royal Heroine, will be in the irons. Twin Oaks Bloodstock's Hang the Moon ships west for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., and will look for her first graded stakes win since 2024. She was last seen finishing second, beaten a neck, in the Sand Springs Stakes March 28 at Gulfstream Park. Before selling for $625,000 to Marc Gunderson's MWG at the 2025 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, the 6-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo was based on the West Coast with D'Amato, where she won back-to-back graded stakes races at 4, one of them over the Santa Anita turf course. Flavien Prat will ride the mare for the first time. Public Assembly, A Thousand Miles, Vronti (GB), and multiple graded stakes winner Rashmi round out the field.