Distinctive Flower faces loaded field in bid for Vivacious Handicap repeat

Distinctive Flower is the defending winner of the $75,000 Vivacious Handicap for Ohio-bred fillies and mares on the turf, set to be contested again Friday at Belterra Park. However, she has scared no one away. The mare comes in with solid recent form but faces a full and salty field of 12, including Best of Ohio winners Drillit and Moonlit Mission.

Distinctive Flower won last year’s Vivacious over a solid field, including state standouts Leona’s Reward (third), Grizabella (fourth), Cali Dream (sixth), and Drillit (seventh), many of whom she faces again Friday. The mare, who has drawn the outside post, has won both her starts this year at Belterra for trainer Larry Smith, winning an allowance and a handicap.

Drillit and Moonlit Mission are each winners of the John W. Galbreath Stakes, taking that showcase for 2-year-old fillies on the annual fall Best of Ohio card in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Since then, they have become familiar foes. Drillit won the 2020 Best of Ohio Distaff over Moonlit Mission.

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Moonlit Mission is favored in the Vivacious off victories in her last two races, taking an allowance race and then the J. William Petro Memorial Handicap in June at Thistledown. Drillit, meanwhile, has been second in all three of her outings this year, most recently behind reigning statebred horse of the year Esplanande in the Best of Ohio Diana Stakes and then to Moonlit Mission in the Petro Memorial.

Moonlit Mission and Drillit have turned in most of their top performances on dirt, and will be switching to the turf, on which Distinctive Flower has far more experience. Moonlit Mission won her only previous start on turf, taking the Tomboy Stakes last July at Belterra. Drillit’s only start to date on turf was her unplaced outing in the 2020 Vivacious.

Multiple stakes winner Circus Rings was third to Drillit and Moonlit Mission in the Best of Ohio Distaff, but has never run on turf. This field also includes stakes winners Cali Dream, Grizabella, and Valley of Mo’ara. Of those, the veteran Grizabella is the lone stakes winner on turf.