Up-and-coming Cavalieri chases Grade 1 glory in Beholder Mile

Cavalieri and Alpha Bella, who finished one-two in the Grade 3 La Cañada in January at Santa Anita, and eastern shippers Hoosier Philly and Tarifa are among six fillies and mares seeking their first Grade 1 wins in Saturday’s $300,000 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Cavalieri was making her stakes debut when she beat Alpha Bella by 1 1/2 lengths in the La Cañada going 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 19. She is 3-for-3 with $138,000 in earnings for owner Speedway Stable. A 4-year-old filly by Nyquist, Cavalieri won her debut going a mile in August at Del Mar and then scored in a first-level allowance at a mile, in October at Santa Anita.

Cavalieri, a $900,000 auction buy as a 2-year-old, will have regular rider Juan Hernandez in the irons.

Alpha Bella made a bid from slightly off the pace in the La Cañada but was turned away by Cavalieri in the final furlong. It was her third consecutive runner-up finish in graded stakes since being transferred to trainer John Sadler and sent west last summer. The 5-year-old Justify mare also finished second in both the Bayakoa (G3) in November at Del Mar and the Zenyatta (G2) in September at Santa Anita.

Alpha Bella was entered in last Saturday’s Buena Vista (G2) on turf at Santa Anita but was scratched in favor of this spot. She was a Grade 3 winner on the lawn last year when trained in the east by Todd Pletcher. A homebred for Don Alberto Stable, Alpha Bella is 19: 3-7-2 with $476,615 in earnings. She will have Hector Berrios aboard.

Hoosier Philly is a multiple stakes winner who ships in from Fair Grounds for trainer Tom Amoss. A 5-year-old mare by Into Mischief, Hoosier Philly most recently was beaten less than a length when third in the Houston Ladies’ Classic (G3) on Jan. 25 at Sam Houston Park.

Hoosier Philly has a record of 17: 6-1-2 with $956,465 in earnings for owner Gold Standard Racing Stable. She will be ridden by Umberto Rispoli.

Tarifa, who hasn’t started since November, ships in from South Florida for trainer Brad Cox. The daughter of Bernardini last year won a trio of Grade 2 events for 3-year-old fillies. She scored in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) and Rachel Alexandra (G2) last winter at Fair Grounds and the Mother Goose (G2) at Aqueduct in the fall.

Tarifa is 10: 5-2-1 with $879,795 in earnings for owner-breeder Godolphin. She will be ridden by Mike Smith.

The Beholder Mile will be run as the eighth of 11 races Saturday at Santa Anita with a post time of 6:43 p.m. EST. The first race starts at 3 p.m.