Bejarano Likes Book Review's Versatility

Book Review has shown her versatility in winning two stakes at distances from a mile and an eighth to seven furlongs, the latter being the Grade I La Brea Stakes on a wet/fast Santa Anita track on Dec. 26, with Rafael Bejarano aboard the daughter of Giant’s Causeway for the first time.

The perennial Southern California riding leader is optimistic that the chestnut filly owned by Gary and Mary West and trained by Bob Baffert can successfully negotiate the mile and one sixteenth of Sunday’s Grade II La Canada Stakes.

“It looks like there’s enough speed in the race to be ideal for my filly,” Bejarano said. “She loves to come from behind, but we’ll have to see what happens. She has a pretty good chance, but she has to beat Lady of Fifty.”

Lady of Fifty, a gray After Market filly trained and owned in part by Jerry Hollendorfer, is seeking her third straight stakes win in the La Canada, having won the Palm Springs Handicap at Santa Anita last Nov. 1 and the Grade II Bayakoa Handicap at Hollywood Park on Dec. 8 in her last two starts. “Hopefully,” Bejarano, said, “we’ll have a good trip and get the job done.”

The La Canada field: Open Water, Corey Nakatani, 10-1; Lady of Fifty, Martin Garcia, 6-5; Book Review, Rafael Bejarano, 7-5; Willa B Awesome, Martin Pedroza, 8-1; Ubelongtomemissy, Joe Talamo, 15-1; and More Chocolate, Garrett Gomez, 9-2.