Happy dream Newly crowned 2022 California Breed of the Year, returning to competition March 11 in the $500,000 Beholder Mile Stakes Prize (G1) at Santa Anita . Park.
The Superior chubby, claimed her California title with a season-ending win at La Brea Stakes (G1) December 26, looking for her third consecutive ranking win on Saturday. She’s on a record four race wins when it comes to easier corporate wins.
From the always harsh Bob Baffert stables, Fun to Dream faces a field that includes a few stable friends. The rest comes from the nationally renowned warehouses of Steve Asmussen, Brad Cox, Phil D’Amato, Doug O’Neill and John Sadler. Each of the eight fillets or mares has been won or placed in the graded bet.
Although Fun to Dream is from an Eclipse Award winner and comes from the barn of a Hall of Fame trainer, her origin story is sketchy. It was held several times at the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association awards party on March 6, where her ties earned her the title as champion. 3-year-old female competitor of mixed Cal and sprinter and Horse of the Year award.
The late Mike Pageler decided to breed lute claim $8,000 for the Live Your Dream Racing team he joined in 2012. After she created the multi-stakes winner Damned a Cal’s half-blood Welcome Baffert trained Pageler, Bob Baedeker, and Michael Sigband by Baffert, Baffert suggested mating mares with Arrogate under a pony sharing agreement.
Pageler only lived long enough to know Lutess was in the womb, and that his widow, Connie, owned Fun to Dream with Jill Baffert, Bob’s wife.
At the party, Connie thanked Baffert and Baedeker “for teaching me the ropes and keeping me going in the game and realizing Mike’s dream.”
Jill also talked about what Fun to Dream meant to them, saying, “She makes my heart skip a beat every time I see her and she brings so much joy to our family, especially when we need a little fun.”
Fun to Dream has won six times in seven starts, all with Juan Hernandez on board, who will again go from No. 8. Starting with Cal-breds, Fun to Dream has collected 2022 Fleet Treat Stakes and Betty Grable Stakes before moving to classified company, where she is 2 to 2 in La Brea and Santa Monica Stakes February 4 (G2).
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Midnight Memories And Ganadora , also coached by Baffert, ran fourth and fifth in La Brea and will return with Beholder. Midnight Memories, owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, has not competed since but previously won a September 4 (G1) Torrey Pines Stake (G3) and an October 2 Zenyatta Stake (G1). ). Ganadora, owned by Baoma Corp. by Charlie and Susan Chu, finished second by a margin in the January 15 La Canada Stakes (G3) and won the 2022 Dark Mirage Stakes. Ramon Vazquez will pilot Midnight Memories from 4th place, while Edwin Maldonado will be on Ganadora from 6th place.
Kirstenbosch beat Ganadora in La Canada and finished third behind Fun to Dream in La Brea. Sadler trains a 4-year-old Midnight music who drew the rails. Kazushi Kimura, top jockey at Woodbine last year and winner of the March 4 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1T) Golden Phoenix at Santa Anita, rode Kirstenbosch in La Canada and La Brea and came back.
O’Neill train Waking up at Midnyte (Mario Gutierrez, track 3), came in second behind Fun to Dream in the Santa Monica and La Brea and came in second with Midnight Memories in the Zenyatta. Amid those efforts, Awake At Midnyte finished eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1). She was the only horse to finish before Fun to Dream. It happened in an option claimant on September 4, that Awake At Midnyte won Fun to Dream by 3 1/4 lengths. Fun to Dream was then disqualified from second to ninth for encroaching on the field and obstructing early in the race.
Pauline’s Pearl (John Velazquez, lesson 2) and A Mo Reay (Flavien Prat, post 5) is moving to Beholder, both with graded wins.
Asmussen coached Pauline’s Pearl, who won the Houston Ladies Classic (G3) championship for the second time in a row at Sam Houston January 28 on a muddy road. 5 year old daughter of faucet won six stakes in his career, including 2021 Virtual Shares (G3) in Oaklawn Park and 2022 La Troienne Shares (G1) in Churchill Downs.
Cox started A Mo Reay, the winner of the Bayakoa Stock (G3) February 4 in Oaklawn. ‘s 4-year-old daughter Uncle Mo third run to the championship Echo of Zulu in 2021 Frizette Stakes (G1) and ended last year with a win at Fair Grounds Racecourse & Slots in Pago Hop Stakes.
Desert dawn came to Beholder after being fired, not starting since the second in the Torrey Pines Stock on September 4. D’Amato coaches his 4-year-old daughter. Cupid and Umberto Rispoli will go from 7th place. Last year, Desert Dawn beat Santa Anita Oaks (G2) and placed in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) and Summertime Oaks (G3).
Item: Beholder Mile S. (G1)
Santa Anita . ParkSaturday, March 11, 2023, Race No. 8
- Grade I
- 1m
- dust
- 500,000 USD
- 4 years and older Fillies and Mares
- 3:59 pm (local)
