Grade 1 Turf Winner Mirth Tries Dirt in Bayakoa

After acquiring Mirth privately in 2018, owners Little Red Feather Racing and trainer Phil D'Amato converted the promising starter-allowance filly into a grade 1 winner when she won the Sept. 28 Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park.

Now they look to expand racing options further with the 4-year-old filly by switching her from turf to dirt against main-track stakes winners Lady Suebee, Queen Bee to You, and Kim K in the $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) at Los Alamitos Race Course Dec. 8. The race comes after she set a swift pace in the Nov. 2 Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) at Santa Anita before weakening to sixth.

"It's really important from a residual value perspective—having a graded stakes winner on dirt and turf makes a lot of sense. That's why we wanted to give her a shot," said Little Red Feather founder and managing partner Billy Koch. "It looks like there is a lot of speed in there, which will be interesting."

With 13 consecutive starts on turf dating to September 2017, Mirth is a question mark on dirt in the 1 1/16-mile Bayakoa. Earlier dirt tries from her in Pennsylvania—where she was foaled—resulted in two sevenths, a third, and a second in four starts for her prior connections of trainer Bernard Houghton and owner/breeder Barlar.

Although some progeny of her sire, Colonel John, have a clear affinity for grass racing, Mirth is out of the stakes-placed French Deputy mare Di's Delight, a dirt runner whose foals have often taken to main-track racing. One of those, Vault (by Jump Start), won the Thirty Eight Go Stakes at Laurel Park Nov. 30 for Houghton and Barlar.

It's improbable the race will unfold as the Filly And Mare Turf did for Mirth. That day, Mike Smith allowed her to run freely early, opening a nine-length advantage in the 1 1/4-mile race with a six-furlong split in 1:09.68 before the field reeled her in. Mirth held the lead until the final furlong and was beaten 5 3/4 lengths by Iridessa.

Video: Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T)

"She was game, she tried and gave it everything she had, but unfortunately it just didn't work out that day," Koch said, appreciating that Smith was apologetic, saying he misjudged the pace. "It was just a great experience being at the Breeders' Cup and being in a race for our partners." 

Edwin Maldonado will ride Mirth in the Bayakoa, which attracted several runners with sprint speed.

One of those stretching out is the quick Queen Bee to You, winner of the seven-furlong Betty Grable Stakes at Del Mar Nov. 17 for owners Christopher St. Hilaire and Adam Vali. A California-bred by Old Topper, she has won two of her past five races for trainer Andrew Lerner.

Video: Betty Grable S. (BT)

Lerner also starts Arctic Roll, who, like Queen Bee to You, is a winner on the Los Alamitos strip.

So, too, is Kim K, who won the restricted Barretts Debutante Stakes at Los Alamitos in September 2018. The lone 3-year-old in the Bayakoa, she is one of two Peter Miller trainees, the other being Betty Grable third-place finisher Mo See Cal, a filly who was a respectable sixth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).

Sunday marks the third time the Bayakoa will be run at Los Alamitos after being contested there in 2014 and 2017. A staple at Hollywood Park before that track closed in late 2013, it was run at Del Mar in 2016 and has been absent from the Southern California stakes calendar in other years.

The eighth race on a nine-race card, the Bayakoa is the last graded stakes race in California before opening day of Santa Anita's winter/spring meet Dec. 26. Post time is 3:58 p.m. PT.

Entries: Bayakoa S. (G3)

LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE, Sunday, December 08, 2019, Race 8

• Grade III
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 3:58 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Arctic Roll (GB)	Assael Espinoza	119	Andrew Lerner	20/1
2	2Mongolian Humor (KY)	Joseph Talamo	119	Vladimir Cerin	9/2
3	3Mo See Cal (CA)	Drayden Van Dyke	119	Peter Miller	6/1
4	4Mirth (PA)	Edwin A. Maldonado	124	Philip D'Amato	5/2
5	5Lady Suebee (KY)	Tyler Baze	119	John W. Sadler	3/1
6	6Queen Bee to You (CA)	Ruben Fuentes	119	Andrew Lerner	7/2
7	7Zusha (KY)	Tiago Josue Pereira	119	Gary Mandella	12/1
8	8Kim K (KY)	Abel Cedillo	116	Peter Miller	8/1