Striking Dancer takes first stakes with La Canada win at Santa Anita

Striking Dancer takes La Canada at Santa Anita

ARCADIA, Calif. — Long-shot Striking Dancer rallied for a 1½-length win and her first stakes victory Sunday in the $150,000 La Canada Stakes for 4-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.

Primarily a turf horse but racing Sunday on Santa Anita’s synthetic surface, Striking Dancer sat sixth at the halfway point under jockey Alex Solis but moved up to fourth on the turn and stormed home for the win in 1:48.48.

Favorite Stardom Bound, the champion juvenile filly of 2008, was never a factor and had to rally to finish seventh. She is winless in four starts since she was bought by IEAH Stables for $5.7 million in March.

Striking Dancer paid $28.60, $11.20 and $6.40. Gripsholm Castle paid $16.60 and $10.40. Floating Heart paid $5.40 to show.

Trained by Ken McPeek for owner Steve Kaplan, Striking Dancer earned $90,000 for the win — her fourth in 11 lifetime starts — for a career total of $206,097.