Unique Bella slows it down in work for La Brea
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
ARCADIA, Calif. – Unique Bella, who disappointed last time out in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar, will be looking to re-establish her position among the local 3-year-old fillies when she competes Tuesday in the Grade 1, $300,000 La Brea Stakes.
Unique Bella had her final prep for the La Brea here at Santa Anita on Thursday morning, covering a half-mile in 48.60 seconds.
Unique Bella’s trainer, Jerry Hollendorfer, caught her covering her final furlong in less than 12 seconds. She often has blazed away as soon as turned loose, and when that happened in the Breeders’ Cup, she ended up tiring to seventh as the favorite.
“We felt like she went too fast at the beginning,” Hollendorfer said, referring to both he and jockey Mike Smith. “I’m not criticizing him. But we both thought she went too fast. She should be plenty fit for this. She’s trained beautifully.”
The La Brea figures to be the best race on the opening-day card, for which entries were taken Thursday. Among those expected to enter the La Brea were Paradise Woods – the Santa Anita Oaks winner last year and third most recently in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff for trainer Richard Mandella – as well as Faypien for Bob Baffert and both Miss Sunset and Princess Karen for Jeff Bonde.
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McKinzie works without blinkers
McKinzie, in his first work since being placed first via disqualification in the Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity on Dec. 9, went an easy half-mile in company Thursday in 47.60 seconds. Trainer Bob Baffert removed the blinkers McKinzie had worn in the Futurity.
“I didn’t like how he got real rank on the backside” in the Futurity, Baffert said.
Baffert said he had yet to decide on when McKinzie would make his next start. He is unbeaten in two starts.
