Race of the Week: Saturday's Beholder Mile at Santa Anita

‍The Lead:
Named for the 3-time Breeders' Cup champion, Saturday's Grade 1 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita honors one of the great mares of the 2000s. Her Santa Anita resume was impeccable, winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, Santa Anita Oaks, a couple of Breeders' Cup Distaffs and much, much more over her home track. She won the 2016 Vanity Handicap, a race that would give way to the Beholder Mile in title for the 2017 renewal. Saturday's Beholder Mile will go as Race 8 on the 11-race card that co-features the Grade 3 San Simeon for turf sprinters.

​Field Depth:
Each of these fillies and mares will be in search of their first Grade 1 victory. TARIFA and HOOSIER PHILLY are Grade 2 winners, the former also Grade 1-placed. Grade 3 winners include ALPHA BELLA, CAVALIERI and RICHI, the latter also a Group 1 winner in her native Chile. This lineup matches evenly on class.
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Pace:
All 6 have shown a penchant for tactical speed and most of them have made the lead at an early stage in at least one recent outing. CAVALIERI arguably possesses the most natural early foot and BRIS early pace figures back that up, though RICHI stretches out after sprinting and could employ front-end tactics from the favorable rail draw. Those two are Bob Baffert trainees and not likely to duke it out with the same tactics.

Our Eyes:
Here are my horse-by-horse notes.

#1-RICHI: Chilean star over 1-1/4 miles has proven a sharp west coast sprinter in 3 starts since arriving at Bob Baffert's barn. Rail draw in the Santa Monica wasn't to her favor under sprint pressure in a tiny field, but this 1-mile configuration with a short run into the clubhouse turn is a boost. While it looks like she gave way last out, that was more a testament to the star winner Kopion, witnessed by this one earning a 103 BRIS late pace figure. Practical Joke offspring typically are better around 1 turn that 2, but her Chilean form gives the impression 1 mile won't be her undoing. Sweet Azteca stretched out off sprints to win this race last year.

#2-HOOSIER PHILLY: For as underachieving as her career feels, she's bagged just under $1 million. Flashy start to her career saw her land the Grade 2 Golden Rod as a juvenile when winning her first 3 starts. She's won 3 of 14 since, however, all listed stakes. She's been a cut below in graded stakes from ages 3-5 with an 8: 0-1-1 mark. Umberto Rispoli, coming off a big San Felipe win last Saturday aboard Kentucky Derby prospect Journalism, rides for the first time. Good to see this Fair Grounds-based mare travel west for Tom Amoss and see where she fits against these.

#3-CAVALIERI: Undefeated in 3 starts, winning the Grade 3 La Canada most recently in her stakes debut. All 3 starts have been around 2 turns for this Nyquist 4-year-old who got a late start to her career. She did not debut until Aug. 29 of her 3-year-old campaign. $900,000 purchase could make her mark as a broodmare prospect with a Grade 1 victory under Juan Hernandez. Rebuffed Beholder Mile rival Alpha Bella last out over 1-1/16 miles and figures to be the one to beat at the top of the lane. Bob Baffert trained '22 Beholder Mile winner As Time Goes By.

#4-ULTIMATE AUTHORITY: 4-year-old filly makes just her second stakes start and exits a Jan. 19 local allowance victory. She's won her last 2 Santa Anita bids at a mile (3: 2-1-0 overall in such spots), victories in maiden and allowance company. Fourth in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel a year ago over this track in her only stakes attempt. Tim Yakteen trains the Practical Joke filly who faces the toughest test of her career.

#5-TARIFA: Two years ago, Brad Cox shipped A Mo Reay west to win the Beholder Mile and he'll look for another strike with this daughter of Preakness/Travers winner Bernardini. She's been remarkably consistent except for a Kentucky Oaks melt down last May, winning races like Aqueduct's Grade 2 Mother Goose and the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks during her sophomore season. This will be her first start since finishing second as the favorite in Churchill's Grade 3 Falls City in November, her only start against elders. Cox will be looking for a bit more run out of this one than he got from Santa Anita Handicap third-place finisher Hit Show last Saturday. Mike Smith rides.

#6-ALPHA BELLA: This 5-year-old Justify mare was primarily a turf runner under Todd Pletcher's tutelage, including a 1-1/2 miles grass win in the Grade 3 La Prevoyante at Gulfstream. But since transferring to John Sadler last summer, she's shown middle-distance dirt success on the west coast. She's been runner-up in the Grade 2 Zenyatta and Grade 3 La Canada at Santa Anita as well as the Grade 3 Bayakoa at Del Mar in her 3 SoCal attempts. Bobbled from the rail last time when a rallying, but second-best to Cavalieri -- and also stumbled at the start from the rail in the Zenyatta. An outside draw here might be of unique benefit to her.

Most Certain Exotics Contender:
RICHI is 10-12 in the exacta lifetime and hits that 2 sprints and a route form cycle since returning from a June layoff.

Best Longshot Exotics Contender:
No huge prices considered here given the field size and analysis, though ALPHA BELLA appeals at the 6-1 morning line price.

Sending it in ($100 bankroll):
$100 win RICHI (the 'other Baffert'), who may go higher than the morning in what I project to be the third betting choice behind CAVALIERI and TARIFA.

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