Forest Caraway back to a sprint in Lucky Spell Stakes

Canceled because of insufficient entries two weeks ago, the Beverly Lewis Stakes is repurposed Friday with a new name and new favorite, but the same type of small field that typifies Los Alamitos daytime racing in September.

Renamed the Lucky Spell Stakes, Friday’s $75,000 sprint for 3-year-old fillies drew five entrants. One-third of the races this meet had five starters or fewer; average field is 6.17. Los Al will close Sunday with its sixth straight decline in autumn field size. The 2014 inaugural fall meet averaged 7.73. It has dropped each year since. The fall meet was not run in 2020.

A drop in distance is beneficial for Forest Caraway, the only Lucky Spell entrant who was not nominated to the canceled Beverly Lewis. Forest Caraway blitzed an allowance sprint in her August comeback, but racing two turns next out, she lost by more than 14 lengths.

“I think she’s probably better around one turn,” trainer Peter Miller said. “If she runs to her race two races back, she should be tough. That race was pretty good off the layoff.”

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Forest Caraway, runner-up last year in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante, faces potential lone speed Livingmybestlife, pace-presser Ginja, and closers Stella Noir and Pizzazz in the six-furlong Lucky Spell. While Forest Caraway benefits by the shorter distance, she also had a bad-trip alibi for her double-digit defeat last out in the Torrey Pines.

“It wasn’t a great trip,” Miller said. “We weren’t beating the winner, but I think maybe she could have been second.”

Forest Caraway was hung four wide on the first turn of the one-mile Torrey Pines, continued four wide on the far turn, and was no match for romping winner Private Mission.

Joe Bravo, who has never ridden at Los Alamitos, is on Forest Caraway, a 2-for-5 filly who is one of three live starters Friday for Miller, the meet’s leading trainer. Miller, 5 for 12, also starts Raisebeforetheflop in race 2, and Nice Ice in race 3.

Livingmybestlife is the speed of the Lucky Spell under Juan Hernandez. John Sadler trains Livingmybestlife, fourth to Forest Caraway two back before earning a career-high 86 Beyer Speed Figure finishing second in an allowance sprint last out.

“She battled on the lead, she dug in, she fought off, but couldn’t hold off the late closer,” Sadler said. “She’s a hard-tryer. It’s a good chance to get some black type.”

The challenge for front-runner Livingmybestlife is carrying her speed six furlongs; she seems vulnerable beyond 5 1/2 furlongs. When she earned her career-high figure last out at 6 1/2, she benefited from a 22.70-second first quarter that was the slowest of the Del Mar meet for the distance.

Ginja misfired last out in an allowance mile at Del Mar, but her previous Los Alamitos start produced a six-length maiden sprint win. She is trained by Bob Baffert and will be ridden by the 11-for-40 meet leader Abel Cedillo.