The brilliant and exciting HARD NOT TO LOVE, bred by David Anderson’s Anderson Farms in St. Thomas, gets her second shot at a Grade 1 race in the BEHOLDER MILE at Santa Anita on Mar. 14. It is her first race at a route distance.
The $400,000 races has seven in the field and Hard Not to Love, by Hard Spun from Sovereign Award-nominated mare Loving Vindication, starts from post 1 and is listed as a strong favourite at 8 to 5 in the morning line.
Not only is Hard Not to Love a Grade 1 and 2 winner already, but she has only lost once in her career and, oh yes, she has one eye.
The field is listed below.
The race right before the Beholder Mile is an allowance race for 3-year-olds and is the 2nd career race for the jaw-dropping debut winner CHARLATAN, co-owned by Toronto’s John Fielding. The son of Speightstown is trained by Bob Baffert and the colt posted a whopping 105 Beyer Speed Figure in his debut victory, 6 furlongs in 1:08 4/5.
Over at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, the Grade 2 Rebel has another Bob Baffert-trainee who has started his carer with flair. NADAL, by Blame, stretches out for the 1 1/16 mile Rebel, a race that leads to the important Arkansas Derby.
Saturday, Santa Anita, post time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
BEHOLDER MILE S.-GI, $400,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 1m
PP– HORSE– SIRE- OWNER- TRAINER- JOCKEY– WT
1 Hard Not to Love Hard Spun Mercedes Stables LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, Shirreffs Smith 121 Dilworth, Scott, Ingordo, Dorothy, Ingordo, David
2 Der Lu Orb Baoma Corporation Baffert Cedillo 121
3 Zusha Congrats Rafael Steinbruch Mandella Rispoli 121
4 Kaydetre Mizzen Mast David Randall Randall Blanc 121
5 Mother Mother K Pioneerof the Nile Gainesway Stable, Old Bones Racing Stable, LLC, Baffert Van Dyke 121 Hall, Barry, Lipman, Barry and Mathiesen, Mark
6 Ollie’s Candy K Candy Ride (Arg) Eggert, Paul and Eggert, Karen Sadler Prat 125
7 Ce Ce Elusive Quality Bo Hirsch, LLC McCarthy Espinoza 121
Breeders: 1-Anderson Farms Ont. Inc., 2-Merriebelle Stable, LLC, 3-Clearsky Farms, 4-David Randall & Vida Randall, 5-T. F. VanMeter, 6-Paul Eggert &
Karen Eggert, 7-Bo Hirsch LLC
Saturday, Oaklawn, post time: 6:23 p.m. EDT
REBEL S.-GII, $1,000,000, 3yo, 1 1/16m
PP– HORSE– SIRE– OWNER– TRAINER– JOCKEY– WT
1 Nadal Blame Bolton, George, Hoyeau, Arthur, LipmanBarry and Mathiesen, Mark, Baffert Rosario 117
2 Excession Union Rags Calumet Farm Asmussen Baze 117
3 Basin Liam’s Map Jackpot Farm Asmussen Castellano 117
4 Silver Prospector Declaration of War Orr, Ed and Orr, Susie Asmussen Santana, Jr. 122
5 No Parole Violence Moss, Maggi and Tramontin, Greg Amoss Talamo 122
6 Three Technique Mr Speaker August Dawn Farm Englehart Saez 117
7 Coach Bahe Take Charge Indy Rigney Racing, LLC Bauer Sanjur 117
8 American Theorem American Pharoah Kretz Racing LLC Papaprodrmu Pereira 117
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