Margarita Girl, making her first start since August, went from maiden winner to graded stakes victress when she charged home first in the GIII Las Flores Stakes at Santa Anita Sunday. The victory capped a big weekend for her co-owners, Hans and Ana Maron's Saints or Sinners, as well as trainer Mark Glatt, who captured the GIII San Vicente Stakes Saturday with So Happy (Runhappy).
Breaking well to watch the race unfold as Thermal (Nyquist) set the tempo, Margarita Girl enjoyed a rail trip through an opening quarter in :21.74 and a half in :44.11. No Bad Beats took the lead coming off the bend, but Margarita Girl was uncorking her rally down the center of the track, rolling to the lead inside the final furlong and gliding clear to an easy win.
“I had a lot of horse,” said winning rider Ricky Gonzalez, who got the mount in place of an injured Antonio Fresu. “It set up perfect for her. She sat right behind them, I got her off the rail to the outside and when it was time to go, she kicked in for me.”
Runner-up in four of her first five starts, with one third-place effort, Margarita Girl made it to the winner's circle for the first time in her sixth outing, a six-furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar Aug. 21, but she had not been seen since.
“We thought she was going to win first time out, that's how well she was training going into her debut,” Glatt said. “She was pretty speedy in her early races and was falling apart a little bit. Finally, we got her to start to relax a little bit. Today you saw she came, not well off the pace, but a couple two or three lengths off the pace. It made her a better horse.”
“She's all class. She's a good horse,” Glatt later added.
Hans Maron, celebrating two graded wins in two days, said, “It's a great weekend. She has always been my favorite. She's just a beautiful racehorse. I'm super excited. She came on and knows how to get there again.”
Pedigree Notes:
Margarita Girl is the 29th graded winner for Twirling Candy and the 19th graded winner for her broodmare sire Uncle Mo.
My Day, who sold not in foal for $60,000 last month at the Fasig-Tipton December Digital sale, has a now 2-year-old filly by Epicenter who sold to trainer Ken McPeek for $75,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale. The unraced mare also has a yearling filly by Proxy.
The winner's third dam, Tempo West, produced Declaration of War and War Correspondent.
#3 MARGARITA GIRL 🍋🟩 ($10.40) charged down the lane and won the $199,000 Las Flores Stakes (G3) at @santaanitapark. The daughter of Twirling Candy (@LanesEndFarms) was ridden by @RickyGonzalez10 and trained by Mark Glatt. pic.twitter.com/W2gvQSrKaU
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) January 11, 2026
Sunday, Santa Anita Park
LAS FLORES S.-GIII, $100,500, Santa Anita, 1-11, 4yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.19, ft.
1–MARGARITA GIRL, 120, f, 4, by Twirling Candy
1st Dam: My Day, by Uncle Mo
2nd Dam: Front Page Story, by War Front
3rd Dam: Tempo West, by Rahy
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($130,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $575,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR). O-Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners and Saints or Sinners; B-Paul Eggert & Karen Eggert (KY); T-Mark Glatt; J-Ricardo Gonzalez. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 7-2-4-1, $181,680. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–No Bad Beats, 120, f, 4, Midnight Storm–Miss Cobblestone, by Afleet Alex. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($45,000 Ylg '23 FTKOCT). O-Run Fast Racing; B-Dr. Charles S Giles & Patrick Jeffries (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $20,000.
3–Ooty (Arg), 124, m, 5, Dabster–Olinka, by Giant's Causeway.
O-Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum; B-Al Adiyaat Argentina SA (ARG); T-Bob Baffert. $12,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 1 1/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 4.20, 14.60, 9.30.
Also Ran: Thermal, Magnificat, Donttellourwives. Scratched: Mawu.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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