Anisette was 4-5 when she won the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks against nine rivals in August for her fourth consecutive win. Despite second-place finishes in her last two starts in the fall, Anisette appears to be a standout once again in Tuesday’s Grade 1 American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita on opening day of the winter-spring meeting. Bettors can expect a short price. Anisette has six rivals in the $300,000 American Oaks and is one of two graded or group stakes winners of 2023 in the field. “There is never an easy Grade 1,” trainer Leonard Powell said over the weekend. “Never.” While Powell has a valid point, he is in an enviable situation with Anisette, a winner of 4 of 7 starts who races for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. Anisette, who began her career in Great Britain in late 2022, won her first three starts in the United States. Since the Del Mar Oaks, she has finished second against older fillies and mares in the Grade 2 Rodeo Drive Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf on Oct. 7 at Santa Anita, and second to Ruby Nell in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf on Nov. 5. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports From Powell’s perspective, a gap of more than seven weeks has benefited Anisette. “I think a little freshening has done her well,” he said. “She’s coming into the race in good order. Her last couple of works have been very straightforward.” Powell said he was encouraged by Anisette’s second to Didia in the Rodeo Drive. “The winner is a good filly,” Powell said. “She beat us to the jump at the half-mile pole. My filly lost nothing in defeat.” The other fillies in the American Oaks have had diverse seasons. This is the stakes and turf debut for Musical Mischief, who won an allowance race at 1 1/8 miles on dirt against six rivals by an eye-catching 11 1/4 lengths on Nov. 23 at Churchill Downs for trainer Michael McCarthy. Musical Mischief, a winner of 2 of 5 starts, has never started at 1 1/4 miles and figures to play an important role in this field by setting the pace. She is a half-sister to Bright Future, who won the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles on dirt at Saratoga in September. This is the third start of 2023 in California for Be Your Best, who was second in the Del Mar Oaks and eighth by only 1 3/4 lengths at 26-1 in the Grade 2 Twilight Derby against males at 1 1/8 miles on turf Nov. 4 at Santa Anita, closing with a wide rush. The American Oaks is the American debut of Khinjani, a British import who was purchased for approximately $211,000 earlier this month and is now trained by Mark Glatt. Khinjani won minor handicaps against males at 1 5/16 miles at Haydock Park in August and at 1 1/4 miles at Windsor in October, but has never run in a stakes. She is from the family of the Australian multiple Group 1 winner Zaaki, who is outstanding at longer distances. The American Oaks is the third start in the United States for Elounda Queen, who won a Group 3 stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf at Deauville, France, in August. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Elounda Queen was seventh of nine in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup for 3-year-old fillies on Oct. 14 at Keeneland and last of 12 in the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at a mile on turf Dec. 1 at Del Mar, unable to overcome trouble. “I thought our trip the other day was beyond horrendous,” trainer Phil D’Amato said of the Matriarch. “We got checked many, many times. She checked so hard in midstretch that I think the rider put up the white flag. “We’ll kind of see how things go for her distance-wise. Class-wise she is a fit. Now against straight 3-year-olds we can get a cleaner trip.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.