Grade 1 Charger Bar Handicap wubber Famous Shining Star is among 10 top mare entered in the Grade 2, $75,000 Las Damas Handicap at 400 yards on Saturday night.

© Amber Mendez

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–NOVEMBER 15, 2023–Famous Shining Star, Letty Cartel, and Cir Lady Moon, who have combined to win eight stakes races in the filly and mare division this year, face off in another key race in the distaff division at Los Alamitos when they head a full field of 10 in the running of the Grade 2, $75,000 Las Damas Handicap at 400 yards on Saturday night.   

Owned by Johnny Trotter, Famous Shining Star kicked off the meet with a win in the Grade 1, $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap and January and then went on to win two more stakes races, the Check Her Twice Handicap and the AQHA Los Alamitos Distaff Challenge.

Daniel and Carol Lee's Cir Lady Moon has also picked up three stakes win this year, taking the Denim N Diamonds, the Miss Princess and the Sound Dash, all three at the 350-yard distance.

Meanwhile, EG High Desert Farms’ Letty Cartel is a two-time stakes winner this season with her wins both coming at 400 yards, first in the $100,000 Abigail Kawananakoa Stakes in June and then in the Restricted Grade 3 Matron Stakes on California Breeders Champions Weekend in late July.   

These three top mares last met in the Grade 1 $125,000 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap, a race that was won in upset style by Toxic Relationship at 16-1. Since then Cir Lady Moon has returned to win the Sound Dash ahead of runner-up Letty Cartel, while the talented Famous Shining Star took the month of October off and instead her connections opted to wait for the Las Damas.

A victory by any of the three will really bolster their claim as the meet's top mare.  

The field will include Ed Allred’s restricted Grade 1 winner She Goes Up and Ed and Theresa DeNike's Sweet Tess, winner of the Los Alamitos Oaks last year,. Raymond Merrill's Jess Dream Of Me, who ran second in the Mildred Vessels and previously raced in the Rainbow Oaks and All American Futurity is another one to watch.

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