Benedetta looks to give Asmussen sixth American Beauty win
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HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The $150,000 American Beauty at Oaklawn Park is a race that has been known to go through the barn of Steve Asmussen. On Saturday, the trainer will be looking to win it for a sixth time when he saddles Benedetta.
She’s part of a field of seven that includes Grade 2 winner Taxed, who is making a rare start at one turn in the six-furlong race for fillies and mares, and the capable Chris Hartman-trained duo of Fibber and Tanya Showers.
Benedetta is seeking her fourth straight win. She began her streak in a first-level allowance in September at Churchill Downs. From there, she won a pair of six-furlong races in November, taking a second-level allowance Nov. 6 at Churchill and the $200,000 Cheryl S. White Memorial at Mahoning Valley in her most recent start on Nov. 25.
“I gave her a little break off of two quick races in a row there, obviously, with a very nice race at Mahoning Valley,” Asmussen said. “But that was her second race in kind of a short period of time, so we gave her a little freshening. [We] got a little more of a freshening than I was hoping with all the racetrack closings [for training due to weather], but it’s time to get going.”
In the White Memorial, Benedetta earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 95, the best last-race number in the American Beauty. The win came over Irish Maxima, who had won three straight races. Irish Maxima has since flattered Benedetta by winning the Mrs. Claus Stakes at Parx Racing by more than 13 lengths in an effort that was worth a Beyer of 101.
In her return Saturday, Benedetta will break from post 7 under Keith Asmussen. The daughter of City of Light races for Kaleem Shah Inc. and is out of the mare Tessie Flip, a half-sister to the multiple Grade 1 winner Switch.
Taxed is cutting back to one turn off a start at 1 1/16 miles. That came in the $150,000 Pippin at Oaklawn, a Jan. 19 race in which she finished third.
“It’s a little quick, but still, she didn’t seem like that race took much out of her the other day,” said Randy Morse, who trains Taxed for Richard Bahde.
Taxed last raced at six furlongs in March and was a sweeping winner of a second-level allowance at Oaklawn. Her most recent start at one turn came on Nov. 23 at Churchill, where she was third in the Grade 3, one-mile Chilukki. Cristian Torres, who was aboard for Taxed’s six-furlong win last March, has Saturday’s mount from post 6.
Fibber enters off a runner-up finish in the $150,000 Poinsettia at 5 1/2 furlongs on Dec. 21 at Oaklawn. She was beaten by just three-quarters of a length by Grade 2 winner Spirit Wind, one start after finishing fifth to Benedetta in the White Memorial.
Tanya Showers was second to Benedetta in the Nov. 6 allowance at Churchill before coming back to win at the track at the same level Nov. 28.
◗ Oaklawn-based jockey Martin Garcia is riding champion Citizen Bull in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita. He also has a stakes mount at the Southern California track on Sunday.
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