Two Grade 1 winners test ‘Amy’ in Carousel
A week after California-based fillies and mares ran 1-2 in Oaklawn Park’s Apple Blossom Handicap, a new kid in town with a similar background comes within the spotlight, although on a lesser stage.
Bellafina makes her 4-yearold debut in the $125,000 Carousel, one race that benefited from a schedule change (previously April 11) resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. On Oaklawn’s stakes schedule since the 1970s and once open to males, the Carousel picked up a second Grade 1 winner, Mia Mischief, against local favorite Amy’s Challenge.
“It’s going to be a tough race,” said Mac Robertson, trainer of Amy’s Challenge, whose three Oaklawn stakes victories include the 2018 Dixie Belle against Mia Mischief. “I think she’d been 1-2 if they ran three weeks ago. She was doing great.”
Bellafina was last seen when second in Santa Anita’s Grade 1 $300,000 La Brea Dec. 28, that after a hammer-and-tongs battle with future dual champion Covfefe in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint over the same track in November. Mia Mischief has more recent racing than Bellafina, beating a strong Oaklawn allowance field March 20 in her 5-year-old debut.
Including Amy’s Challenge, the big three from the Carousel are targeting the Grade 1 $1 million BC Filly & Mare Sprint Nov. 7 at Keeneland. Robertson had the Breeders’ Cup in mind for Amy’s Challenge early in the 2019 Oaklawn season, the daughter of BC turf winner Artie Schiller just missing a Grade 1 victory in April at Keeneland.
While Amy’s Challenge tries to regain her Oaklawn edge of past years, being just off form in her last two starts, Bellafina hopes to takes her “A” game across state lines. Winless in four starts outside California, Quality Road’s daughter settled in at Oaklawn nicely with a halfmile workout in 47.80 seconds April 18.
“We were always going to try and bring her back in an easier sort than her last few races, which have been contentious Grade 1s,” said trainer Simon Callaghan. “Kind of landed on this spot for obvious reasons. She’s doing really good. She looks like she’s getting over the track pretty well there.”
Callaghan plots a 4-year-old campaign for Bellafina to include a third Grade 1 victory (or more) in as many seasons following the Chandelier at 2 and the Santa Anita Oaks at 3. She breaks from the rail post with Joe Talamo aboard and as the 8-5 program favorite carrying 117 pounds.
“It’s perfect timing to start her year off,” said Callaghan, whose 3-year-old filly Donna Veloce is a candidate for the rescheduled Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. “After this race, we’ll take her back to California and then, hopefully, the racing calendar will be a little bit clearer in the next few weeks and we can plan next steps for her and the whole barn. She’s doing really good, and we feel she’s kind of ready to run and needs to run. This is why we’re here.”
Amy’s Challenge is the early 4-1 second choice from post 6 with Alex Canchari aboard. Mia Mischief, trained by Hall
of Famer Steve Asmussen, is 9-2 from outside post 8 under Ricardo Santana Jr.
Contentious from top to bottom, the Carousel includes Midnight Fantasy and What a Fox, first and third, respectively, in Oaklawn’s Spring Fever at 5 1/2 furlongs Feb. 29. Midnight Fantasy is 5-1 from post 2 with Martin Garcia aboard and What a Fox 8-1 in post 4 under David Cohen. Sunny Dale (6-1, Joel Rosario, post 3) has three meet wins for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer while Lady Suebee (20-1, Tyler Baze, post
7) goes back sprinting for trainer John Sadler.
Probable post time for the Carousel, race 10, is 5:16 p.m. The 11race card, on the penultimate Saturday of the season, starts at 12:35 p.m. No stakes race is scheduled Sunday on a 10-race card starting at 1:05 p.m.