Hard Not to Love Stretches Out in Beholder Mile

Apropos for a grade 1, two of the best older female racehorses in California—one sprinter, one router—square off March 14 at Santa Anita Park when Hard Not to Love meets Ollie's Candy and five others in the $400,000 Beholder Mile Stakes.

Hard Not to Love's recent specialty has been sprinting seven furlongs, a trip over which she won the La Brea Stakes (G1) and Santa Monica Stakes (G2), and Ollie's Candy has excelled over longer distances, winning the 1 1/16-mile Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) last year. Ollie's Candy later ran fourth in the Nov. 2 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), performing best of the West Coast-based entrants.

They meet over middle ground Saturday, a mile distance over which Hard Not to Love's trainer, John Shirreffs, believes his filly is up to the task of going two turns. 

"I think from her breeding, the distance shouldn't be a problem," he said.

A 4-year-old Hard Spun  filly, Hard Not to Love is out of the Vindication mare Loving Vindication, making her related to two other stakes winners, both by Medaglia d'Oro : Solemn Tribute and 2018 Canadian Horse of the Year Wonder Gadot.

Both routed, Solemn Tribute on turf and Wonder Gadot on dirt and synthetic. Wonder Gadot even won the 2018 Queen's Plate Stakes at 1 1/4 miles.

As popular as Wonder Gadot was in Canada, Hard Not to Love is matching her in the U.S. with fans drawn to her achievements despite the handicap of losing her left eye as a younger horse.

"You're always happy to have a horse that's popular," said Shirreffs, who trained one of the most admired mares in modern racing history, leg-strutting 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta.

Mike Smith, who teamed with Shirreffs on Zenyatta, will retain his usual mount on Hard Not to Love. He is 3-for-3 aboard her.

She races for owners Mercedes Stables, West Point Thoroughbreds, Scott Dilworth, David and Dorothy Ingordo, and Steve Mooney.

Ollie's Candy, idle since the Distaff when beaten six lengths by Blue Prize, has trained consistently leading up to her return for trainer John Sadler. She worked a bullet five furlongs in :59 3/5 March 7.

A versatile filly, she won the Summertime Oaks (G2) as a 3-year-old for previous trainer William Morey. She joined Sadler for a campaign last year at age 4, also hitting the board on the grass in the Wilshire Stakes (G3T) and on the Santa Anita main track in the Zenyatta Stakes (G2).

Flavien Prat rides the Paul and Karen Eggert-owned daughter of Candy Ride .

Other entrants in the Beholder Mile include Der Lu and Mother Mother, a duo trained by Bob Baffert with stakes credentials; Zusha, graded stakes-placed in three consecutive races; Ce Ce, a winner of two of four races who was fourth in the Acorn Stakes (G1) last year; and longshot Kaydetre, third behind winner Der Lu in a Feb. 14 allowance. 

The Beholder Mile is the seventh race on an eight-race card of strictly dirt races. Santa Anita postponed the San Simeon Stakes (G3T), which had been scheduled for Saturday, until March 21, owing to the wet weather forecast for the region this week. It also rescheduled other turf races that were in its condition book for next week.

The track canceled Friday's races in their entirety because of the threat of significant precipitation. The chance of rain is expected to diminish Saturday. As of 6 p.m. PT March 11, the National Weather Service predicted clouds and a 30% chance of rain.

Entries: Beholder Mile S. (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, March 14, 2020, Race 7

• Grade I
• 1m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:07 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Hard Not to Love (ON)	Mike E. Smith	121	John A. Shirreffs	8/5
2	2Der Lu (KY)	Abel Cedillo	121	Bob Baffert	5/1
3	3Zusha (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	121	Gary Mandella	15/1
4	4Kaydetre (KY)	Brice Blanc	121	David A. Randall	30/1
5	5Mother Mother (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	121	Bob Baffert	4/1
6	6Ollie's Candy (KY)	Flavien Prat	125	John W. Sadler	3/1
7	7Ce Ce (KY)	Victor Espinoza	121	Michael W. McCarthy	4/1