hard not to love | Horse Racing Free Tips

Fighting Mad (New Year’s Day) looks to score her third straight victory and stamp her ticket to the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff in Sunday’s GII Zenyatta S. at Santa Anita. Placed on the shelf after winning the GIII Torrey Pines S. in August of 2019, the West homebred crossed the line third, but was disqualified and placed fourth when making her return in the GIII Desert Stormer S. in May. A decisive winner of the GII Santa Maria S. two weeks later, the bay wired the GI Clement L. Hirsch S. at Del Mar Aug. 2.

The 3-year-old Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo) also enters this test on a hot streak and takes on her elders for the first time. Graduating at second asking when switched to the main track July 3, the bay captured an optional claimer next out at Del Mar July 27 and won the GIII Torrey Pines S. Aug. 22.

Closing out her sophomore season with a win in the GI La Brea S. last December, Hard Not to Love (Hard Spun) captured the GII Santa Monica S. Feb. 15 and was second in the GI Beholder Mile Mar. 14. Completing the exacta in the Santa Maria, the ‘TDN Rising Star’ was sixth in the Clement Hirsch.

The post Fighting Mad Looks to Extend Hot Streak in Zenyatta appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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An impressive gate to wire winner of her last two starts, the Gary and Mary West homebred Fighting Mad looms a standout in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita. The Zenyatta, to be contested at a mile and one sixteenth, has attracted a field of five fillies and mares aged three and up.

Trainer Simon Callaghan's Harvest Moon, a 3-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo, has won her last three starts and is an up and comer that will attract considerable pari-mutuel attention. Hard Not to Love, a Grade 1 winner and well accomplished, comes off a dull sixth behind Fighting Mad in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch at Del Mar and will hope to rebound for trainer John Shirreffs.

Named for the legendary winner of the 2009 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita who then became Horse of the Year in 2010 for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs, the Zenyatta is a Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

FIGHTING MAD

Owner: Gary & Mary West

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Ridden aggressively on the lead going a mile and one sixteenth in her last two starts by Abel Cedillo, she took the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes by 3 ¼ lengths on May 31 and prevailed by a half length in the Grade 1 Hirsch on Aug. 2. A winner of five out her eight starts, this 4-year-old daughter of New Year's Day is at the top of her game and looms strictly the horse to beat in the Zenyatta.

HARVEST MOON

Owner: Alice Bamford & Michael B. Tabor

Trainer: Simon Callaghan

A one mile maiden winner in her second start on July 20 at Los Alamitos, she then rallied to win a first condition allowance at the same distance by 4 ¼ lengths on July 27 at Del Mar. Off again as the 3-2 favorite, she responded with a solid 1 ¼ length score in the Grade 3, one mile Torrey Pines Stakes Aug. 22 and looms a very legitimate danger on Sunday. With Flavien Prat set to ride for the fourth consecutive time, Harvest, who has won three out of her four races, looms a legitimate threat.

HARD NOT TO LOVE

Owner: Mercedes Stables LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, Scott Dilworth, Dorothy & David Ingordo, Steve Mooney

Trainer: John Shirreffs

Often quirky in the paddock and on the racetrack due to the fact she only has the use of one eye, Hard Not to Love will try to bounce back from a 13 ¼ length drubbing at the hands of Fighting Mad in the Aug. 2 Clement Hirsch. Second, beaten 3 ¼ lengths by Fighting Mad two starts back in the Grade 2 Santa Maria, Hard Not to Love, a 4-year-old Ontario, Canadian-bred filly by Hard Spun is winless in three two turn starts since taking the Grade 2, seven furlong Santa Monica Stakes on Feb. 15.

THE GRADE 2 ZENYATTA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 4 of 11 Approximate post time 2 p.m. PT

Fighting Mad—Luis Saez—126
Proud Emma—Ricardo Gonzalez—122
Harvest Moon—Flavien Prat—118
Hang a Star—Tyler Baze—122
Hard Not to Love—Mike Smith—122

First post time for an 11-race card on Sunday is at 12:30 p.m. Although there is no public admittance, Santa Anita's races can be viewed free of charge via the track's livestream video at santaanita.com

The post Frontrunning Fighting Mad Tops ‘Win And You’re In’ Zenyatta Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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