Santa Anita Oaks runs through Midnight Bisou

ARCADIA, Calif. – Midnight Bisou was very good in March. She might be better in April and May.

“She’s getting better – bigger, stronger, longer,” trainer Bill Spawr said. “And she’s smart, which is class.”

This is not a welcome development for Midnight Bisou’s eight challengers Saturday in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks, an historically predictable race won by the favorite 18 of the last 30 years.

Midnight Bisou, a decisive Grade 3 winner last month in her first route race, will be heavily backed Saturday as she tries to solidify her reputation as the top 3-year-old filly in California and a leading contender for the Kentucky Oaks on May 4.

“We want to get through this one first,” Spawr said. “But she’s [booked] on a flight already.”

Midnight Bisou’s main rivals in the mile and a sixteenth Santa Anita Oaks are upset candidate Thirteen Squared and Spectator, a Grade 2 winner making her second start following a layoff and first around two turns.

The others in the field are Finess Bere, a turf filly whose dirt works suggest she has a longshot look; Exuberance, a Grade 2-placed closer; presser Spring Lily; and longshots First Dudette, Fool’s Paradise, and We All Have Dreams. The Oaks is race 11 on a card highlighted by the Santa Anita Derby (race 9).

Midnight Bisou lost her first two starts by a nose to the now-sidelined Dream Tree, followed by smashing victories in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez at seven furlongs and Grade 3 Santa Ysabel at a mile and a sixteenth. Her first route was the best race of her career.

“She had a lot left – a lot,” Spawr emphasized. “She was already cooled out at the test barn.”

No surprise. Midnight Bisou won while ridden out by Mike Smith.

Midnight Bisou, however, faces a fresh rival Saturday in Spectator. Spectator became California’s top 2-year-old filly last summer after winning the Grade 2 Sorrento at Del Mar by more than five lengths. But one month later in in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante, she finished a distant third.

“She got kind of banged up in that race,” trainer Phil D’Amato said. “It took its toll on her; she got kind of body sore.”

D’Amato gave Spectator the rest of the season off, including 30 days at a nearby farm. She returned better than ever, winning a second-level allowance sprint against older females under Flavien Prat. The Oaks is her first start around two turns.

“She’s very easy on herself, very laid back,” D’Amato said. “Prat had been breezing her prior to her last race, and thought for sure she would love going long. You can put her anywhere and she’ll do her thing.”

Spectator’s rider Saturday is Javier Castellano. Prat rides Saturday at Aqueduct.

KEY CONTENDERS

Midnight Bisou, by Midnight Lute

Last 3 Beyers: 94-89-86

◗ Her versatile style allows Smith to position her anywhere. That could translate to a midfield trip in the Oaks. Spawr describes the filly as “push-button.”

◗ The possibility of a wet track Saturday is not a concern for Spawr.

“That makes her better,” Spawr said.

Midnight Bisou won last out on a wet-fast track.

Thirteen Squared, by Liaison

Last 3 Beyers: 90-73-76

◗ Though she finished 2 1/4 lengths behind Midnight Bisou last out, Thirteen Squared galloped out alongside the winner.

◗ Trainer Bob Baffert said Thirteen Squared struggles with a surface that is deep and loose. “She likes a firmer track,” he said “With the rain [last time], she really loved that. A little water would be good.”

Finess Bere, by Pedro the Great

Last 3 Beyers: 72-69-68

◗ She won her two starts last year, both in France, but her U.S. career has stalled. She has made three starts in the U.S., all on turf, and finished fourth in each.

◗ The footing change is an experiment. “She always worked so well on the dirt,” said Baffert, who trains her. “She really gets over it. I said, let’s give her a try.”

Spectator, by Jimmy Creed

Last 3 Beyers: 85-70-80

◗ The top earner by first-crop sire Jimmy Creed, she is expected to be forwardly placed.

Spring Lily, by Union Rags

Last 3 Beyers: 77-88-49

◗ She dueled for the lead and tired in the Santa Ysabel last time. Trainer John Shirreffs said she does not need to be on the lead.

“In the mornings, even though it’s just a workout, she’s got a nice little kick,” he said.