Super Corredora, Explora Face Off in Las Virgenes

A clash of 3-year-old filly heavyweights is set in the Feb. 8 $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes that has attracted Super Corredora and Explora, who finished first and second, respectively, in the 2025 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). These two competitors also are ranked 1-2 on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard, with Explora at the top with a 5-point advantage over Super Corredora. The Las Virgenes is a qualifier for the May 1 Kentucky Oaks (G1), distributing points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis to the top five finishers. Super Corredora won the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in front-running fashion, holding off Explora's late charge by three-quarters of a length. Her performance ultimately delivered honors as last year's champion 2-year-old filly. Explora was a finalist for the championship title. The 1-mile Las Virgenes will be Super Corredora's 2026 debut and the second start of the year for Explora, who comes into the race off a 5 1/4-length romp Jan. 10 in the Santa Ynez Stakes going 7 furlongs at Santa Anita Park. Trained by John Sadler, Super Corredora is a Gun Runner daughter who West Point Thoroughbreds bought for $400,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale out the Denali Stud consignment. She is raced by Spartan Equine Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, Robert Gardiner, and Michael Olszewski. Regular rider Hector Berrios again has the call for the Las Virgenes. Super Corredora has been training in sharp form since the start of the year, with three consecutive bullet works Jan. 11-26. She worked 5 furlongs Jan. 11 in :59 1/5 and followed with a keen :59 4/5 move Jan. 19 and a 1:00 1/5 work Jan. 26 all at Santa Anita. Though three of Super Corredora's four career starts were at Del Mar, she captured her first win by 8 1/4 lengths at Santa Anita ahead of the Breeders' Cup. Explora, trained by Bob Baffert, comes into the Las Virgenes with more stakes experience than her rival. The daughter of Blame ran second in the 2025 Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) before taking the Oak Leaf Stakes (G2) by 4 1/4 lengths. Her victory in the Santa Ynez was her third career win out of five starts for longtime owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. The trio bought Explora for $350,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale from Crane Thoroughbred Services. The filly has earned $628,000 so far. Regular rider Juan Hernandez will be aboard for the Las Virgenes. Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbreds Partners' Meaning has the strongest credential to spring the upset in the Las Virgenes, which has attracted a field of four. The filly by Gun Runner finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in her second career start. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Meaning also will be making her 2026 debut in the Las Virgenes. Prior to the Breeders' Cup, she won first out by 3 1/2 lengths Sept. 20 in a maiden special weight at Los Alamitos Race Course. Bridlewood and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners bought Meaning for $440,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September sale from the filly's breeder Stonehaven Steadings. The filly is out of Figure of Speech, a winning daughter of Into Mischief who ran third in the 2019 Spinaway Stakes (G1). Meaning has attracted North America's reigning two-time champion jockey Flavien Prat to come West.