Although Santa Anita is set against the backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains, the key stakes this week there will be named after the highest peak in Southern California. The race, the San Gorgonio Handicap, is for fillies and mares at 9 furlongs on grass and over the years it has been won by stars like Paseana, Megahertz, and Wait a While.

Last year’s heroine of this race was coming off a wire-to-wire win in a $50,000 Turf Paradise stakes and used the same tactics to cash by a nose at 9-1 after setting a pedestrian :50 1/5 first half.

The 20 original nominees for this fixture run the gambit from A to Z so let’s examine each on the search for a winner.

Who said spring can’t come in January? Whoever said it didn’t know April Pride, a James Cassidy charge that is coming to this race right. She won a stakes during this meet last season and is coming off a Grade 3 win at Oak Tree. Her best asset could be the fact she can be placed anywhere and still perform.

If Belle Allure shows up, she’ll be a handful. During the last couple of years anything Christophe Clement has sent out locally has been tough and this miss fits the bill off a Grade 3 win in the fall.

Captain’s Lover has been a bit of a disappointment with the lone stakes score coming in the slop at Monmouth over only 4 horses. She will need a turn around.

Cat by the Tale is a must use in the exotics as she is always around the wire. The bad news is she may have to face the same horse that just beat her at Hollywood Park.

There is the century mark and Century Park, a speedy California bred that is sharp right now but must prove herself in Graded company.

Cherryblossommiss will be giving away a ton of winning experience and it will be reflected in her projected big price while Czechers had a nice sprint tightener a couple of weeks ago but has done her best stuff at other venues.

Diamondrella is overdue to run huge. She proved her class taking a Grade 1 at Keeneland, had a horrible trip in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and was just too late last time.

Emmy Darling likes to cut it close even on his best day and has never beat this caliber foe and the best thing Lavender Sky may have going for her is her teacher, the world-class mentor Julio Canani.

If Lemonette ships from Tampa, she will have to run over, around or through horses and that’s always a chore.

The star of the show, if she goes, will be Life Is Sweet, a poor man’s Zenyatta trained by John Shirreffs who has won on grass and proved her mettle taking the BC Ladies Classic.

Lucky Copy needed her last race and has a bit of speed but she will not be alone on the front end.

Minute Limit and Rosa Grace will both be big numbers, both coming off off-the-board efforts.

St Trinians will try to steal this race and the opposite will be the tactic used by grinder and overrated runner Teamgeist.

Treat Gently is an interesting player. She is handled by Bill Mott, who for the first time will have a local stable and could get away at the windows off a mid-pack effort in Canada.

You have to prove yourself in this game everyday and You Lift Me Up is sharp, but has to prove it in Graded land.

Shirreffs other bullet is locked and loaded and her name is Zardana. She will be forwardly placed, has won on grass and is coming off a Grade 2 win.

There are appears to be a ton of speed in here to promote Life Is Sweet’s late kick so look for her to settle, save ground to the top of the lane, they put in a sizzling move to nail stablemate Zardana late with Treat Gently, Diamondrella, April Pride and Cat by the Tale fighting it out for the superfecta spots.