Velvet Mesquite loves hillside turf course
ARCADIA, Calif. – There has been some thought about retiring Velvet Mesquite and breeding her this spring, but at age 6, she is back in good form, and she’s never better than when on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course.
Velvet Mesquite is a six-time winner on the tricky downhill course, and she’ll go for her seventh on Saturday in the $100,000 Irish O’Brien, for California-bred females at about 6 1/2 furlongs.
Velvet Mesquite comes off a win in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint over this course Jan. 30, defeating Qiaona, who is among her four rivals Saturday. That victory ended a lengthy losing streak for Velvet Mesquite dating to October 2014, but she had finished in the money in three of four races down the hill during that span, including a close third in last year’s Irish O’Brien.
Both Velvet Mesquite and Qiaona carried 121 pounds last time out, but this time, Velvet Mesquite has to give five pounds (123-118) to Qiaona and the other three horses in the race – Demonica, Nite Delite, and Smoove It.
The Irish O’Brien goes as race 2 on the 11-race card.