Baffert Pair to be Tested by Tarifa in Beholder Mile

The $300,000 B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile Stakes (G1) has drawn what looks like an evenly matched field of six fillies and mares, including shippers from Florida and Louisiana, for the one-mile dirt race that headlines an 11-race card March 8 at Santa Anita Park. Bob Baffert trains two of the six—the lightly raced, undefeated 4-year-old Cavalieri and the Chilean import Richi (Chi). Speedway Stables' Cavalieri won the La Canada Stakes (G3) in her third lifetime start Jan. 19 at Santa Anita. The Nyquist filly got a comfortable trip tracking the pace in the La Canada and re-rallied after being headed by Don Alberto Stables' homebred Alpha Bella in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Alpha Bella, a 5-year-old Justify mare trained by John Sadler, returns in search of grade 1 credentials and gets a 6-pound weight shift against Cavalieri. Baffert's second entrant, the Southern-Hemisphere-bred 5-year-old Practical Joke mare Richi, has finished no worse than third while flashing good tactical speed in three sprint starts at Santa Anita, including a Jan. 4 Las Flores Stakes (G3) win. The mile should be well within her scope based on group 1 wins going 7 1/2 furlongs and 1 1/4 miles in Chile. Owned by Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings and Stud Vendaval, Richi will break from the rail and is a likely pace player on the stretch-out. Their main challenger appears to come from trainer Brad Cox, who ships Godolphin homebred Tarifa from her winter base at Payson Park Training Center in Florida. A 4-year-old filly by Bernardini, Tarifa has won half her 10 lifetime starts and has three grade 2 wins on her résumé, in addition to a grade 1 placing behind 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna in the 2024 Cotillion Stakes (G1) at Parx Racing. This will be Tarifa's first start since running second in the Falls City Stakes (G3) Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs. Cox typically does well on layoffs of less than six months. The other shipper is Gold Standard Racing Stable's Hoosier Philly, who recently has been based at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots for trainer Tom Amoss. A 5-year-old mare by Into Mischief, Hoosier Philly is yet to surpass the achievement of her 2022 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) victory at Churchill Downs in her third lifetime start but she has turned into a steady stakes performer. She enters off a third-place effort, beaten three-quarters of a length, in the Jan. 25 Houston Ladies Classic Stakes (G3) at Sam Houston Race Park. The field is completed by Leslie A. Amestoy, Pierre Jean Amestoy Jr., and Roger K. Beasley's Ultimate Authority. The 4-year-old Practical Joke filly trained by Tim Yakteen won a first-level allowance optional claiming race by three lengths Jan. 19 at Santa Anita.