Charmaine’s Mia cruised to two graded stakes wins on turf in the winter portion of the Santa Anita meeting, displaying her ability in a sprint and at a mile in her first races in California and for trainer Phil D’Amato. For her first start of the spring segment of the season, Charmaine’s Mia will face a solid test in Saturday’s Grade 2 Royal Heroine Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf, particularly from an accomplished stablemate in Raymundos Secret. :: Get Brad Free’s Betting Strategies for Saturday’s card at Santa Anita Charmaine’s Mia, a 5-year-old mare owned by Agave Racing Stable and Rockin Robin Racing Stable, will be a deserving favorite. She can lead or stalk the pace. “She’s really thriving,” D’Amato said on Thursday. “I think she’s getting better and better. In her breezes, she’s learned to relax and blast off when the rider asks her to.” Charmaine’s Mia disputed the pace in the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes at six furlongs on turf on Jan 9 and won by 2 1/2 lengths. In the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes at a mile on turf on Feb. 20, Charmaine’s Mia was second to the turn and won by a length as the 6-5 favorite under jockey Flavien Prat, who has the mount on Saturday. “The good thing about Charmaine’s Mia is she can do what Flavien wants,” D’Amato said. “If she needs to be on the lead, she can be on the lead.” In the $200,000 Royal Heroine, which drew a field of eight, Tapwater may set the pace in her delayed stakes debut. Trained by Richard Mandella, Tapwater was scheduled to start in the Grade 3 Santa Ana Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles on turf on March 27, but was withdrawn after she tied up. “It was nothing serious,” Mandella said. Tapwater has won 3 of 8 starts, including her lone race this year, an allowance at a mile on turf on Feb. 12. “She’ll be close to the lead,” Mandella said. The Royal Heroine is the ninth race on a 12-race program that begins at noon Pacific. There is a mandatory payout in the 20-cent Rainbow pick six, with the pool expected to approach $5 million. Mandella also starts Dogtag in the Royal Heroine. Both Dogtag and Tapwater are 5-year-old mares owned by Larry, Nancy, and Jaime Roth’s LNJ Foxwoods Stable. Dogtag won the Possibly Perfect Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita last June, and has not raced since a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes on dirt at Del Mar last August. “She’s doing great,” Mandella said. “I expect her to run pretty good. She’s very happy and feeling good.” Raymundos Secret won the Grade 2 John Mabee Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar last September, and has not started since a fourth-place finish as the even-money favorite in the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita last October. A 5-year-old, Raymundos Secret can lead or stalk the pace. John Velazquez has the mount for the first time on Saturday. “She’s really fresh and sharp,” D’Amato said. “Her last breeze was very impressive. She’s training as good as she ever has.” :: DRF's Santa Anita Derby Day headquarters – Previews, past performances, picks, and more Providencia Stakes The 3-year-old filly Going Global is trained by D’Amato, and her season has looked very similar to stablemate Charmaine’s Mia’s. Imported from Ireland last fall, Going Global won her American debut at 8-1 in the Grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes here at six furlongs on turf on Feb. 14 and her first start at a mile in the China Doll Stakes here on March 6 as the even-money favorite. Going Global will start in the longest race of her career in Saturday’s Grade 3 Providencia Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on turf. “I don’t think it’s an issue,” D’Amato said of the distance. “It shouldn’t be by the way she trains.” Going Global, who will be ridden by Prat, closed from fourth of six in the China Doll Stakes to take the lead in the final sixteenth. In the Sweet Life Stakes, she closed from sixth in the final quarter-mile. “She’s a filly that can do a little of everything,” D’Amato said. “I made it a point to watch her cool out after she went a mile. She wouldn’t have blown out a match.” Going Global is one of five stakes winners in a field of seven in the $100,000 Providencia. Closing Remarks won the California Cup Oaks at a mile on turf for statebreds on Jan. 16 and was a game second in the China Doll. Quattroelle won the Blue Norther Stakes at a mile on turf on Dec. 31 and was third in the China Doll. Royal Address, a troubled ninth in the Sweet Life, won stakes in France last year. Sensible Cat won the Soviet Problem Stakes on dirt at Los Alamitos in December and an allowance race at a mile on turf here on March 7 in preparation for Saturday’s race.