Myung Kwon Cho,
owner and trainer of Love Theway Youare, loves the way the 3-year-old filly is
coming up to the $150,000 Hollywood Oaks Saturday. The Grade II Oaks will be
run at 1 1/16 miles on Cushion Track.
Love Theway Youare
shipped to Baltimore and finished a distant fourth in the Black-Eyed Susan
Stakes at Pimlico in her stakes debut May 20 after consecutive wins on this
circuit around two turns.
Raxon Cho, the
trainer’s son, said Thursday, “After talking to (jockey Joel) Rosario, we
concluded that she just didn’t like the racetrack. She’s been doing great since
she’s come back.”
Love Theway Youare,
stabled at Santa Anita, drew the rail with Alonso Quinonez in a field of five.
“The Oaks will be a tough race, but I’m actually happy to see Plum Pretty In,”
said Cho. “She should assure an honest pace, which would help us.”
Plum Pretty, winner
of the Kentucky Oaks in her last start May 6, was a surprise entrant for
trainer Bob Baffert, who had originally planned to send her to New York for the
Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park the same day.
Plum Pretty is
expected to vie for favoritism with Zazu, who finished third in the Kentucky
Oaks and defeated Plum Pretty in winning the Las Virgenes Stakes.
Trainer Mark Glatt
is also hoping to spring an upset with the consistent Big Tiz, stakes-placed
three times. “Hopefully, this will be her day,” said Glatt. “Naturally a short
field is nice. Plum Pretty was kind of unexpected and has to be respected. And
you’ve got to respect Zazu. I’m anticipating a favorable pace scenario. We’ll
see how it all plays out.”
DRYSDALE READIES DUO FOR BEVERLY HILLS
Hall of Fame trainer
Neil Drysdale hopes for big efforts out of First Settler and Restless Soul in
the $100,000 Grade III Beverly Hills Handicap Sunday.
First Settler, a
4-year-old filly on her way up, and Restless Soul, a 7-year-old mare nearing
retirement, were both assigned 114 pounds in the 1 ¼-mile turf test for fillies
and mares.
First Settler won
consecutive allowance races at 1 1/8 miles on the Santa Anita turf before
finishing fifth in the Redondo Beach Stakes at one mile here June 5. “The mile
was too short for her,” said Drysdale. “It was a prep she needed for this
race.”
Restless Soul
finished fourth in the Grade I Gamely Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on the grass here
May 30. “There wasn’t much pace in that race,” said Drysdale. “She’s quite
consistent.”
Restless Soul,
making her third start in the Drysdale barn, finished third in the Beverly
Hills last year when she was with Ben Cecil. The English-bred mare will be bred
in Australia
later this summer by owner Matthew Cloros.