Alexander, Miyadi start Billie Holiday in sentimental Becca Taylor
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Billie Holiday’s appearance in Saturday’s $100,000 Becca Taylor Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Los Alamitos can be partially blamed on sentimentalism.
Billie Holiday, who has won her last two starts by at least 4 1/4 lengths, races for owner and breeder Nick Alexander and trainer Steve Miyadi. Alexander and Miyadi also raced Becca Taylor, who won 9 of 10 starts. Becca Taylor won her final race in the Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos in 2022.
Billie Holiday is part of a field of six in the Becca Taylor at six furlongs, a race being run for the first time. The Becca Taylor replaces the Dark Mirage Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on the stakes schedule at the Los Alamitos September meeting.
“We felt since they named a stake after my filly, we’d take a shot at winning it,” Alexander said Thursday.
Billie Holiday is well-placed in the Becca Taylor but faces a tough rival in Dainey, who is trained by Bob Baffert. Dainey won her only start in a six-furlong maiden race for fillies and mares on May 21 at Santa Anita, closing from fourth in a field of six.
Dainey has had a steady pattern of quick workouts at Del Mar in the last month, including six furlongs from the gate in 1:11.60 on Sept. 4.
Billie Holiday won her final start as a 2-year-old last December in a maiden race for statebred fillies at six furlongs by 5 1/2 lengths. She stalked the pace before taking the lead on the turn.
Billie Holiday was rested after the win.
“It was nothing serious,” Alexander said.
In her return in an allowance race for statebred fillies and mares on Aug. 21 at Del Mar, Billie Holiday started from the inside post in a field of six and led throughout to win by 4 1/4 lengths.
Starting from the inside post “didn’t seem to bother her a bit,” Alexander said. “I’m not sure it was a great field that she beat, but we like the way she did it.”
The win made a start on Saturday logical.
“If she improves a little more off that last race then it was worth giving it a try,” Alexander said.
Billie Holiday, who will be ridden for the first time by Drayden Van Dyke, is expected to be forward early, as will Mohaven, a three-time stakes winner who starts from the outside post.
Trained by John Sadler, Mohaven has been beaten in her last two starts, both at Del Mar – a second by a length in the $151,500 Fleet Treat Stakes for 3-year-old statebred fillies at seven furlongs on July 24 and a last-place finish of seven in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes at a mile on Aug. 30. Mohaven set the pace in the Torrey Pines before fading through the stretch.
The field for the Becca Taylor includes the turf stakes winner La Ville Lumiere, unraced since a fourth-place finish in the $300,000 Bourbonette Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles at Turfway Park in March.
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