CALIFORNIA - The anticipated return of 2-year-old filly champion Halfbridled will finally take place on Saturday at Santa Anita in the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks (GI). The daughter of 1990 Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled has not raced since she completed a perfect 2-year-old season with a 2 1/2-length win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI). Trainer Richard Mandella had hoped to run his champion filly in last month's Las Virgenes (GI), but the Hall of Fame conditioner was unhappy with her training at that point and elected to wait until Saturday's race to launch her 3-year-old campaign.

One member of Halfbridled's championship team will be missing on Saturday. Jockey Julie Krone continues to recover from broken ribs, so Mandella has enlisted Hall of Famer Gary Stevens to ride his star filly.

"I've run against her and I've watched all her races," Stevens said. "She's pretty straight forward. She's got a big old long stride and she's the real deal. My job is just to stay out of her way and point her in the right direction."

Halfbridled will need to be on top her game in her return to racing as she faces a group of rivals headed by Robert & Beverly Lewis' unbeaten A.P. Adventure. The daughter of 1992 "Horse of the Year" A.P. Indy won the Las Virgenes for trainer Wally Dollase in Halfbridled's absence. Regular jockey Alex Solis will ride.

"My filly is coming into the race beautiful," Dollase said. "She's right on schedule. I couldn't be happier with the way she's training."

Other top quality rivals include Hollywood Story and Miss Coronado. The former, trained by John Shirreffs, is daughter of Wild Rush who won the Hollywood Starlet (GI) and was a strong runner-up to A.P. Adventure in the Las Virgenes. The Bobby Frankel-trained Miss Coronado shipped to Florida last time out to make the Davona Dale (GII) at Gulfstream Park her second win in three outings.

A familiar name also will run in the Santa Anita Oaks as trainer Paulo Lobo will saddle longshot Vencedora Amiga. Lobo finished fourth in the Santa Anita Oaks in 2002 with Farda Amiga, who scored an upset win in the Kentucky Oaks in her next start. She later earned an Eclipse Award as the nation's top 3-year-old filly.

FLORIDA - Some observers feel the most impressive rising star in this year's strong crop of 3-year-old fillies is Bruce Lunsford's unbeaten Madcap Escapade. The Hennessy fill will attempt to extend her winning streak to three in Saturday's $150,000 Stonerside Forward Gal (GII) at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Frank Brothers, Madcap Escapade won her career debut by 10-lengths and followed that with a dazzling 11 3/4-length romp in Gulfstream's Old Hat Stakes. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 108 in that race, the best figure earned by a 3-year-old filly this year. Jockey Jerry Bailey will replace Rene Douglas aboard the bay filly, who is a heavy 3-5 favorite as she faces five rivals in the seven furlong heat.

The race also marks the 2004 debut of regally bred and well regarded La Reina, who has not competed since a runner-up finish to Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) winner Ashado in November's Demoiselle (GII) at Aqueduct. The Shug McGaughey-trained daughter of A.P. Indy has not finished worse than second in four starts.

Florida Oaks - The 1-2 finishers from last month's Suncoast Stakes, Ender's Sister and Fall Fashion, are expected to be favored in Sunday's $150,000 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs.

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