Shirreffs believes post, training restrictions hindered Hard Not to Love

Trainer John Shirreffs said an inside draw and restrictions on training the day before the Beholder Mile left Hard Not to Love vulnerable in the Grade 1 race, in which she finished second to Ce Ce.

Hard Not to Love does not have a left eye.

“The post hurt her,” Shirreffs said. “She went to the lead, which is disappointing, because that’s not what she does best. She’s better closing.”

Hard Not to Love had scored late-running victories in the seven-furlong La Brea and Santa Monica earlier in the meet, taking advantage of outside draws in those races. The Beholder Mile was her first start around two turns, and the first time in her career she drew the rail.

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Shirreffs said Hard Not to Love was keen early, which he believed was caused in part by the restricted training at Santa Anita much of the week leading up to the race owing to the weather. On Friday morning, the day before the race, the track was closed.

“When you have limited training, it’s hard to take the edge off,” Shirreffs said of the notoriously flighty filly.

Still, “she came out of it good,” Shirreffs said Sunday morning. Hard Not to Love now has five wins in seven starts, and has finished in the money every time.

McClellan to represent Rispoli

Scotty McClellan will begin representing jockey Umberto Rispoli commencing with the condition book whose races start after Santa Anita Derby weekend, April 4-5, the veteran agent said Sunday.

McClellan had been the longtime agent for Joe Talamo before Talamo decided to relocate to Oaklawn this season, a decision that has proved fruitful for Talamo. McClellan had family obligations that prevented him from moving. The opportunity to book mounts for Rispoli developed when Ron Anderson, who has been working for Rispoli, picked up the book of Hall of Famer John Velazquez. Anderson is scheduled to work for Velazquez as well as his longtime client Joel Rosario at Keeneland.

Rispoli is riding for the first time at Santa Anita and is fourth in the standings with 34 wins, behind only Flavien Prat, Rosario, and Abel Cedillo.

Track reopens for workouts

The wet weather, and threats thereof, over the past week at Santa Anita meant that no one was allowed to drill after March 9, but after a week’s hiatus, the track was opened for workers on Monday and there was an understandable flurry of activity, with 279 horses receiving times.

Among those who drilled were Richard Mandella trainees United (mile, 1:40.20) and Tizamagician (seven furlongs, 1:26.60), scheduled for, respectively, the Dubai Sheema Classic and the United Arab Emirates Derby on March 28.

The top 3-year-old filly Venetian Harbor went five furlongs in 1:01.40 for Richard Baltas for a scheduled start in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland on April 4. Cistron worked a half-mile in 48 seconds for John Sadler in preparation for the postponed Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes, a turf sprint now scheduled for Saturday on the same card as the Grade 2 San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf.

In addition, the top female sprinter Bellafina, idle since finishing second to Hard Not to Love in the La Brea on Dec. 28, went a half-mile in 50 seconds for Simon Callaghan.