Alberta-bred champion Big Hug faces the toughest test of her career when she competes this Sunday in the La Canada Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita in California. Santa Anita is resuming racing this week after forest fires led to the cancellation of racing last week.

The $100,000 La Canada is a 1 1/16 mile race on the dirt and it was won in 2019 by another western Canadian star, Escape Clause, a Sovereign award-winning mare. Other greats to have won the La Canada include Canadian champion Glorious Song, Lady’s Secret, Goodbye Halo and Chris Evert.

Big Hug, bred by Chalet Stable and owned by Rick Hedge and Lori Neyka, is in the barn of California trainer Val Brinkerhoff. The daughter of Mr. Big – Temeeka by Unusual Heat was champion two- and three-year-old in Alberta and is likely to be champion older mare for her 2024 season.

The brawny dark bay won six of nine races last year, four stakes races, and recently finished second in the Glendale Stakes at Turf Paradise. In total, Big Hug has 13 wins from 22 races and over $325,000 in earnings.

The La Canada field, however, is a tough one with Grade 2 winners Musical Mischief and Chatalas in the field, plus Grade 3 winner Alpha Bella, Argentine star Che Evasora and unbeaten Cavalieri making up the six-horse field.

THE GIII LA CANADA WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 11, Approximate post time 3 p.m. PT (6 p.m. EST)

Alpha Bella – Flavien Prat – 124
Chatalas – Antonio Fresu – 124
Che Evasora – Tiago Pereira – 124
Musical Mischief – Umberto Rispoli – 124
Big Hug – Mike Smith – 122
Cavalieri – Juan Hernandez – 120
First post Sunday is at 11:30 a.m. PT. Admission gates open at 9:30 a.m.