Taris breezes slow, easy by design

ARCADIA, Calif. – There was no urgency to a five-furlong workout at Santa Anita on Thursday for the 4-year-old filly Taris, a candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland on Oct. 31. She had displayed enough evidence of her speed in the L.A. Woman Stakes on Oct. 4.

Taris was part of a four-horse speed battle in the L.A. Woman that led to a half-mile in 43.45 seconds. She faded from contention to finish third, beaten 3 3/4 lengths by Ben’s Duchess.

On Thursday, Taris worked alone, going five furlongs in 1:01.80 under jockey Gary Stevens.

“We wanted an easy work, more mental than anything,” trainer Simon Callaghan said. “Because she went 43 and change 10 days ago, that’s all we wanted to do. It was intentional.”

According to Santa Anita clockers, Taris ran the opening quarter-mile in 24.20 seconds and a half-mile in 49.80. She galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.60.

Owned by Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor, Taris won the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap at Del Mar in August in her first start of 2015. She was sidelined with a leg injury last winter after a second-place finish in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes here.

Callaghan has two starters in two Breeders’ Cup races. Aside from Taris, he plans to start Mirage in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf on Oct. 30.

Stevens worked three of his Breeders’ Cup hopefuls on Thursday. At dawn, he worked Beholder five furlongs in 1:02 for trainer Richard Mandella. The winner of the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 22, she is a top candidate for the BC Classic against males on Oct. 31.

At 7:45 a.m., Stevens worked No Silent, a candidate for the BC Turf Sprint. No Silent worked five furlongs in 1:00.20, the fastest of 47 recorded works at the distance.

Trained by Gary Mandella, Richard’s son, No Silent won his third consecutive race in the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course Oct. 3.

“He was a little sharp today,” Gary Mandella said of the workout.

No Silent will be Gary Mandella’s only runner in the Breeders’ Cup races. He said on Thursday that Living The Life, the winner of the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes in Pennsylvania for the second consecutive year Sept. 7, is likely to stay in California.

Mandella considered sending Living The Life to Woodbine for the $200,000 Bessarabian Stakes for fillies and mares Nov. 15 but said that might not occur because of travel difficulties. An alternative race is the $200,000 Goldikova Stakes for fillies and mares on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 1.