Hollywood Park: Doinghardtimeagain stretching back out in Melair

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – On the track where she won her first two races and where she trains on a regular basis, Doinghardtimeagain will be favored to win the richest race of her career in Saturday’s $250,000 Melair Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park.

The test will be the race distance of 1 1/16 miles, and it will be the second time that Doinghardtimeagain has run that far. She was second by a half-length as a 13-1 outsider behind Tilde in the California Cup Juvenile Fillies over 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita last October.

“It was the second race of her life, she was coming off a sprint, and she ran very well,” said Dan Ward, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s assistant. “She didn’t have that much experience.”

Doinghardtimeagain has gained ample experience in the last six months. Since then, her status in the California-bred 3-year-old filly division has soared, with stakes wins at Hollywood Park and Santa Anita.

Owned by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, Doinghardtimeagain won the Soviet Problem Stakes over seven furlongs at Hollywood Park last December and the Evening Jewel Stakes over 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita on March 30, her most recent start.

[CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH: Get Hollywood PPs, watch Saturday's card live]

Doinghardtimeagain ran the best race of her career in the Evening Jewel. Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Doinghardtimeagain was third on the backstretch, took the lead with a furlong remaining, and won by 3 1/2 lengths in a field of 11.

Doinghardtimeagain has run around two turns once this year, finishing fourth in the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes over a mile on a wet-fast track at Santa Anita in January. She was as close as third, but faded to finish fourth behind Qiaona, who starts in the Melair.

“Everything came from off of it” that day, Ward said. “I think it was that kind of track.”

The Melair drew a strong field. Unusual Way, who has been second in three stakes since winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Sprint Preview Stakes over seven furlongs at Santa Anita last November, will be well backed.

In her last start, Unusual Way finished eight lengths behind Midnight Lucky in the Sunland Park Oaks over 1 1/16 miles on March 24. Midnight Lucky is a top contender for the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 3.

Trainer Jeff Bonde expects an improved performance from Unusual Way on Saturday.

“She never quite got comfortable that day,” Bonde said of the Sunland Park race. “She got kind of buried on the inside. I think she had more than she gave.”

Qiaona, fourth in the Evening Jewel, and Akiss Forarose, third in the China Doll Stakes on turf against open company March 9, also are in the field.

Bob Baffert starts Sweet Marini, who was eighth as the 3-5 favorite in the Evening Jewel.

Baffert said that Sweet Marini displaced her palate in the Evening Jewel Stakes and had difficulty breathing.

“I was very disappointed in her last race,” he said.

Sweet Marini will race without blinkers in the Melair, the longest race of her career.

“I think she’ll relax a little better,” Baffert said.