Rivals Enter Apple Blossom Handicap

The horses that finished one-two in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff will face off again in Wednesday’s $350,000 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park.

Only two others dared to challenge Bayakoa and Gorgeous for the 1 1/16-mile Apple Blossom, which carries the nation’s second-highest purse for a filly-mare race. The other entries, both with local experience, are Affirmed Classic and Motion in Limine.

Bayakoa comes to the race with some strong credentials: She won the Eclipse Award as the top older mare and also won last year’s Apple Blossom on her way to that championship.

The 6-year-old has won two straight Grade I events at Santa Anita this year. She took on the males in the Santa Anita Handicap early last month. Favored in the field of 10, she didn’t make the lead against Ruhlmann and finished last.

Bayakoa, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Whitman and trained by Ronald McAnally, will be making her first start since the Santa Anita Handicap. Laffit Pincay Jr. is to ride Bayakoa, who carries top weight of 126 pounds.

Bayakoa has won 16 of 29 starts and earned more than $1.7 million. One of her victories was Nov. 4 in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and that was in the middle of a five-race win streak. Gorgeous was second that day, beaten less than two lengths, and some of her supporters believe that she will do better when Bayakoa gets on a track that does not favor front-runners.

In nearly all of her wins, Bayakoa has gone wire-to-wire.

Gorgeous has won six of 10 starts and has never been worse than third. The 4-year-old filly has earned more than $797,000.

Gorgeous, owned by Robert Clay and trained by Neil Drysdale, will carry 122 pounds in the Apple Blossom, including Eddie Delahoussaye.

In the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Gorgeous carried 119 and Bayakoa had 123. In that race, Gorgeous was sixth early and closed some ground to finish second.

Gorgeous took a three-month breather, returning to beat Luthier’s Launch in a Grade II race at Santa Anita. In the Santa Margarita on Feb. 18, Bayakoa and Gorgeous were one-two all the way around the track. Bayakoa carried 127 that day, two more than Gorgeous.