Malibu Pier, Bejarano win Santa Ana at Santa Anita

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) - Malibu Pier held off rallying favorite Turning Top to win the $150,000 Santa Ana Stakes for fillies and mares on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Malibu Pier sat second behind Lilly Fa Pootz for most of the race, took the lead by a half-length coming out of the second turn and finished with a strong surge to win by a length, covering 1 1-8 miles on turf in 1:48.05.

“When I came to the top of the stretch I let her shoot to the lead, and she showed me a big kick,” Bejarano said. “She was really good today.”

Malibu Pier paid $6, $3 and $2.40. Turning Top paid $3 and $2.40. Lilly Fa Pootz won a tight three-way battle for third and paid $3.20 to show.

It was the first stakes victory for Malibu Pier, a 4-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon trained by Carla Gaines and owned and bred by B. Wayne Hughes. The filly earned $90,000 for the victory, her fourth in eight career starts, for a lifetime total of $252,200.

Earlier in the $100,000 Irish O'Brien Stakes, 4-year-old California-bred filly La Nez rallied from fourth at the top of the stretch to beat favorite Saanneen by 3/4 of a length, covering about 6 1/2 furlongs on Santa Anita's downhill turf course under jockey Martin Pedroza in 1:13.70.