Baffert Has Pair for Sharp Cat Stakes

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will be represented by a pair of 2-year-old fillies Saturday at Betfair Hollywood Park in the $100,000 Sharp Cat Stakes at 1 1-16 miles on Cushion Track.

Both Peachtree Stable’s Georgia and Patti and Hal Earnhardt’s Be Proud are coming off easy maiden victories going a mile at Santa Anita.  Rafael Bejarano has the assignment on Georgia, a daughter of Tiz Wonderful, while regular rider Martin Garcia will ride Be Proud.

Also confirmed for the Sharp Cat is Halo Farms, et al’s Pleasant Miss (Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, jockey Edwin Maldonado), second in the Cinderella Stakes on this track in June.

Possibilities are DeDomenico, et al’s Rever de Vous (Hollendorfer, no rider), a debut winner Nov. 2 at Golden Gate Fields, and Arfansa and Artethusa, a pair of maidens trained by Eoin Harty.

Older fillies and mares take the spotlight Sunday in the $100,000-guaranteed Cat’s Cradle Handicap at 7 1-2 furlongs.

Expected starters include Tommy Town Thoroughbreds’ Curvy Cat (Hollendorfer, Bejarano), winner of the B. Thoughtful Stakes April 27, Curt and Lila Lanning’s Qiaona (Ed Moger, Corey Nakatani), victorious in the California Distaff Handicap Oct. 12 at Santa Anita, and Mr. and Mrs. Larry Williams’ Marks Mine (Steve Specht, no rider), who enters the Cat’s Cradle having won three in a row in Northern California.

Peter Miller, who took over the training of Grade II Beaumont Stakes winner Ciao Bella Luna a week ago, indicated the Tribal Rule filly would likely start, pending the results of a final workout.  Now owned by Rockingham Ranch, Ciao Bella Luna was runner-up in the Railbird Stakes May 19 at Betfair Hollywood Park in May.

Benjamin Warren’s Warren’s Veneda (Craig Lewis, Joe Talamo), seven-length winner of an optional claimer October 13, rounds out the list of probable entrants.