Flavien Prat celebrates Splendora’s victory. (Jenny Doyle/Past The Wire)
Santa Anita Park Press
ARCADIA, CA —Splendora, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner, looms a likely heavy favorite when she goes for a fifth consecutive victory in Saturday’s Grade I, $300,000 B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile presented by FanDuel for older fillies and mares going one mile at Santa Anita.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Splendora kicked of the 2026 campaign by winning the GII D. Wayne Lukas Stakes going seven furlongs on Feb. 7 at Santa Anita. The 5-year-old mare by Audible enters with a record of 11: 6-4-0 and $980,800 in earnings for owner By Talla Racing. Splendora will be ridden by Juan Hernandez, who was aboard in the Lukas.
Baffert also entered Nafisa, a 5-year-old mare by Quality Road. Nafisa exits a dominant victory in the GIII La Canada going 1 1/16 miles when making her stakes debut on Jan. 24 at Santa Anita. She is owned by Zedan Racing Stables and will have regular rider Kazushi Kimura in the irons.
The Beholder also includes a pair of eastern invaders seeking a top-level victory in Bless the Broken for trainer Brad Cox and Dazzling Move for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
Bless the Broken most recently returned from a seven-month layoff and won a second-level allowance going 1 1/16 miles at Fair Grounds on Jan. 9. It was her first start for Cox. Last year, when trained by William Walden, the 4-year-old filly by Laoban won the Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park before finishing third in the Kentucky Oaks. Bless the Broken, who is owned by Qatar Racing and Mountmellick Farm, will have Florent Geroux aboard.
Dazzling Move, a 5-year-old mare by Not This Time, most recently was fifth in the GII Inside Information going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 24. Her biggest career win came last year in the GIII Royal Delta going 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream Park. Owned by Miller Racing LLC, Bless the Broken will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione.
Om N Joy, winner of last year’s GIII Torrey Pines at Del Mar, will make her first start since October when finishing fourth in the GII Raven Run at Keeneland. The 4-year-old California-bred filly by Om is trained by Aggie Ordonez for breeders Jerry Baker and Connie Baker and partners Michael Golovko and Terrance J. Scanlan. Om N Joy will have regular rider Kent Desormeaux aboard.
Simply Joking returns for trainer Michael McCarthy after finishing third in the GI La Brea for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs on Dec. 28 at Santa Anita. By Practical Joke, Simply Joking last year won the Silverbulletday at Fair Grounds and was second in the GII Fantasy at Oaklawn prior finishing off the board in the Kentucky Oaks. She is owned by Berkels0813 LLC, CMNWLTH LLC, Grantley Acres and Ryan Conner. She’ll be ridden for the first time by Emisael Jaramillo.
__THE GRADE I B. WAYNE HUGHES BEHOLDER MILE WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER __
Race 4 of 11 Approximate post time 1:30 p.m. PT
- Om N Joy—Kent Desormeaux—122
- Simply Joking—Emisael Jaramillo—120
- Dazzling Move—Tyler Gaffalione—120
- Splendora—Juan Hernandez—120
- Bless the Broken—Florent Geroux—120
- Nafisa—Kazushi Kimura—122
First post Saturday is 12 p.m. PT.
