Cox-Trained Shipper A Mo Reay (inside) Up To Deny Favored Fun To Dream By A Head In Grade I, $500,000 Beholder Mile (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Mike Willman/Benoit Photo
ARCADIA, Calif.—In a thrilling finish, New Orleans-based shipper A Mo Reay was up to tag heavily favored local Fun to Dream by a head in Saturday’s main event at Santa Anita, the Grade I, $500,000 Beholder Mile. Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Flavien Prat, A Mo Reay got the mile in 1:36.25 over a main track listed as good.
Attentive to the early pace set by Ganadora and pressed by Fun to Dream, A Mo Reay was 1 ½ lengths off the lead at the half mile and with Ganadora falling back leaving the quarter pole, she engaged the favorite four-deep turning for home and in a resolute effort, gained the upper hand on the money.
“When you end up winning it is always better,” said Prat, who collected his third win on the day in his first time aboard A Mo Reay. “She really dug in when it was time to run, and she was travelling well all around. I watched her previous race and I talked to Brad (who watched the race from Oaklawn Park) and he was really high on her and really wanted her in this race. He was right.”
Fresh off victory at a mile and one sixteenth in the Grade III Bayakoa Stakes Feb. 4 at Oaklawn, A Mo Reay took an ungraded stakes at Fairgrounds in New Orleans two starts back and in her first West Coast appearance, was off at 7-1 in a field of eight older fillies and mares and returned $17.80, $5.20 and $4.60.
“Brad has a great team, and they all did a fantastic job,” said Adrian Regan, who is part of the winning ownership that races as Hunter Valley Farm. “It’s the first Grade I in our colors, so it’s special. It is just great for the farm…everybody at home. It is unbelievable, really.”
“When I saw the rain in the forecast, I was kind of happy. She performed well over a muddy track in the Fairgrounds when it was taken off the turf, so we were happy enough,” said John Wade, another owner in the partnership.
A 4-year-old filly by Uncle Mo out of the Pioneerof the Nile mare Margaret Reay, A Mo Reay is now unbeaten now in three starts for Cox. A Mo Reay, who got her first Grade I stakes win and improved her overall mark to 11-5-1-3, picked up $300,000 for the win, increasing her earnings to $692,650
One of three Bob Baffert trainees and the lone California-bred in the lineup, Fun to Dream entered the Beholder Mile on a roll, having won the Grade I La Brea here on Dec. 26 and the Grade II Santa Monica, both at seven panels, on Dec. 26 and Feb. 2 and was seeking her fifth win in a row today.
Off at 4-5 as she stretched out a furlong with Juan Hernandez up, she paid $2.60 and $2.20 while finishing 2 ¼ lengths in front of stablemate Midnight Memories.
Ridden by Ramon Vazquez, Midnight Memories was off at 8-1 and paid $4.20 while checking in 1 ¼ lengths in front of comebacking Desert Dawn.
Fractions on the Beholder Mile were 23.19, 47.14, 1:10.79 and 1:22.99.
