Coffee in Bed doesn't adhere to her name—she likes to get out and train each day. When rain during the winter at Santa Anita disrupted her schedule, it set her back. But Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella now has Coffee in Bed in excellent form, as she demonstrated in capturing her first stakes, the April 21 Santa Maria Stakes (G2).
Trainer Phil D'Amato appeared to have the Santa Maria surrounded with three good ones, including multiple graded winner Desert Dawn, the 3-5 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile race. D'Amato-trained Super Shine, a multiple group winner in her native Argentina making her United States debut, went off as the 3-1 second choice, while Coffee in Bed was the third choice at 4-1. The other four in the field were in double figures.
Super Shine and longshot Princess Bettina vied for the early lead, Super Shine responsible for the first quarter-mile fraction of :22.66 and Princess Bettina the half-mile in :46.64. Coffee in Bed, ridden by Mike Smith, raced next-to-last early.
"Although we settled back a little, we were hung out a little wide," said Smith. "She seemed to be happy there. She was at a really nice, happy cruising speed."
In the second turn, Desert Dawn and Coffee in Bed pulled alongside leader Super Shine, Coffee in Bed three wide. Coffee in Bed grabbed a slim lead at the eighth pole, though Super Shine didn't want to yield. Those two raced for the wire, and Coffee in Bed edged Super Shine by a neck in 1:45.16. Desert Dawn finished a half-length back in third.
"She showed up today," Smith added.
Mandella trains Coffee in Bed for Spendthrift Farm. The 4-year-old filly began her career early in her 3-year-old season last year, breaking her maiden for Smith in her first outing. Mandella has steadily moved her up the ladder, and she got her initial stakes-placing when second to Desert Dawn in the Jan. 20 La Canada Stakes (G3). In her most recent outing, Coffee in Bed ran sixth in the Beholder Mile (G1).
"She's always had a lot of ability," Mandella said. "She's kind of a delicate-minded thing. During the rains, when they closed the racetrack here, she's one that ties up. You've got to train her every day. It was kind of a juggling match through the winter."
Mandella said that the May 26 Santa Margarita Stakes (G2) could be next for Coffee in Bed.
Spendthrift bought Coffee in Bed for $500,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sale from Elm Tree Farm as agent for breeder Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings. Stonestreet bred the filly in Kentucky from the multiple stakes-placed Hennessy mare Sumptuous, also the dam of graded winner Great Stuff and stakes-placed Decant.
Coffee in Bed, Raging Sea, Zeitlos, and Otello are 2024 stakes winners sired by two-time Horse of the Year Curlin . The stallion's earlier runners include Eclipse Award champions Vino Rosso , Malathaat, Elite Power , Good Magic , Stellar Wind, and Nest. Curlin stands for a 2024 stud fee of $250,000 at Hill 'n' Dale Farms near Paris, Ky.
