March 6, 2025
TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon
A busy but fulfilling eight-start sophomore campaign earned Tarifa a few months of down time before her 2025 debut, which comes this Saturday in the $300,000 Beholder Mile (G1) at Santa Anita.
The three-time graded stakes winning filly (Grade 2 trio of Rachel Alexandra, Fair Grounds Oaks, and Mother Goose) returns to action against a dense field of evenly-matched foes.
Headlining the six-horse pack alongside Tarifa is early 9-5 favorite and unbeaten filly Cavalieri (3-0-0), as well as recent Chilean import Richi, who holds second choice status at 2-1.
Tarifa slots in behind the dynamic pair at 3-1 to complete the three-headed monster atop the Beholder.
Gold Jacket
With eight wins, including five at the Grade 1 tier, and two seconds across 10 lifetime starts, Thorpedo Anna truly is in a league of her own.
The prolific filly cemented her status as the game’s best when she captured two Eclipse Awards last season, one for Horse of the Year and another for Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.
Now, six hopefuls will try to track Thorpedo Anna down in Saturday’s $400,000 Azeri (G2) – her first start following a four-month break.
Opening as the clear 2-5 favorite, Thorpedo Anna’s next closest competition, at least according to the odds, is Alpine Princess at 6-1.
The multiple graded stakes placed latter, like her contemporaries, faces a significant uphill battle.
Repeat After Me
Repeating is one of the hardest feats in sports, but Sparkle Blue is up for the task.
The well-travelled 6-year-old mare returns to Tampa Bay Downs this Saturday with her sights set on a successful defense of her $225,000 Hillsborough (G2T) title.
A mixed bag of a second, ninth, first (Big Dreyfus Stakes), fourth, and 11th followed Sparkle Blue’s initial Hillsborough score on Mar. 9 last year.
Despite the uneven stretch, the Graham Motion trainee has authored a brilliant career punctuated by over $1 million earnings (20: 7-3-3).
Sparkle Blue’s will have to outperform her early 8-1 designation to secure the repeat.
A Golden Opportunity
Some 2,500 miles west of Sparkle Blue and Tampa Bay Downs is yet another title defense attempt, this time, by Mucho Del Oro at Santa Anita.
The winner of half his career starts (10-for-20) slots into post eight for Saturday’s $100,000 San Simeon (G3T) as the 9-5 clubhouse leader.
While early indications support Much Del Oro’s chances of maintaining his position, the 7-year-old gelding will need a cleaner start than the one that cost him last time out in the Gulfstream Park Sprint Turf, where he landed in sixth.
With experience and fresh legs on his side, Mucho Del Oro finds himself in a prime rebounding position in the familiar San Simeon.
Style Points Aplenty
Simply put, Nic’s Style is winning.
After coming out on top in three straight stakes tilts, the 5-year-old mare will leap to the graded ranks for this Saturday’s $165,000 Hurricane Bertie (G3).
Set for Gulfstream Park, the 6 ½-furlong affair represents Nic’s style’s second attempt above the stakes level. Previously, the Bill Mott trainee finished a distant second behind 2-5 choice Ways and Means in September’s Gallant Bloom (G2).
While it didn’t go as planned the first time, Nic’s Style comes back a new horse with the recipe for finding the winner’s circle.
The impressive Florida native enters the Hurricane Bertie at 9-5, behind only Spirit Wind (8-5 opening line choice).