With two-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder (Henny Hughes) set to make her return to action in the GIII Adoration S. this weekend at Santa Anita, My Sweet Addiction (Tiznow) takes the path of least resistance and ventures beyond the borders of the Golden State for the first time in Saturday's GII Fleur de Lis H. at Churchill Downs, a Breeders' Cup Challenge race for the Distaff.
The homebred daughter of GISW Healthy Addiction (Boston Harbor) was eased home sixth and last in the seven-furlong GII Santa Monica S. Jan. 19 and was a pacesetting third in a one-mile allowance in her next start Feb. 20, but the bay has been a different animal in two starts since trainer Marty Jones elected to remove her blinkers. The on-pace winner of a second-level allowance going 8 1/2 panels Mar. 20, My Sweet Addiction was the only rival given any chance to beat Warren's Veneda (Affirmative) in the GI Vanity S. May 9, but she was allowed to set a modest pace and kicked away from the 1-10 chalk to score by a length. Warren's Veneda was caught late for second with bridge-jumpers in play.
Yahilwa (Medaglia d'Oro) is the other California-based runner in the field. She proved too classy for her rivals after a slow start in the GII Sixty Sails H. at Hawthorne in April, but couldn't quite match strides late with Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat) and settled for second in the GIII Allaire du Pont Distaff May 15.
Sheer Drama (Burning Roma) has had a productive 5-year-old campaign thus far, with runner-up efforts in the Sunshine Millions Distaff Jan. 17 and in the GIII Rampart S. Feb. 21 before powering away to crush House Rules (Distorted Humor) by 6 1/2 lengths in the GII Royal Delta S. Mar. 21. Harold Queen's homebred came with a late run in this track's GI La Troienne S. May 1, but could not catch the rail-skimming Molly Morgan (Ghostzapper), the recently retired winner of the 2014 Fleur de Lis.
Tiz Windy (Tiznow) has a puncher's chance to have a say in the finish. Last year's GII Indiana Oaks heroine was a distant fifth to Sheer Drama in the Royal Delta in what was her seasonal debut, but improved to miss by a length when fifth in Keeneland's GIII Doubledogdare S. Apr. 17 and was closing well in the La Troienne, finishing 3/4 of a length adrift of 'TDN Rising Star' Gold Medal Dancer (Medaglia d'Oro) in fourth. The latter may be sent to the lead from the outside by Luis Quinonez and is a candidate to take them a long way on the engine.
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