Life At The Top Defeats Stablemate to Win Las Virgenes at Santa Anita

Life At The Top achieved her racing pinnacle Saturday when she outran stablemate Twilight Ridge and won the $108,550 Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.

Twilight Ridge, winner of last fall’s $1-million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, had been expected to score an easy victory. Life At The Top, however, put on a speed demonstration to finish 1 3/4 lengths ahead.

Life At The Top raced the mile in 1:36 1/5 to equal the stakes record set four years ago by Saucy Bobbe.

The entry, trained by Wayne Lukas, returned $4, $3.80 and $2.10. An Empress paid $2.80 to show.

Rafael Meza took Life At The Top to the front at the start and kept her there. Twilight Ridge was fourth until the field hit the second turn, where she came to the outside, and Chris McCarron put her to a drive. Twilight Ridge appeared to draw even in the last few yards, but Meza called on his mount for another burst of speed, and she responded to draw away.