Grade I Winner Returns at Tampa

Hard Not to Like (Hard Spun), winner of April’s GI Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland in her last start for Hillsbrook Farms and trainer Michael Matz, makes her belated return to the races for new conditioner Christophe Clement in Tampa’s GIII Lambholm South Endeavour S. Saturday. The grey, who also took a Gulfstream allowance last February in her only other 2014 outing, was scooped up for $1.5 million at Keeneland November by Peter Flour and K.C. Weiner’s burgeoning Speedway Stable (click here for story). She has been working regularly at Payson Park since mid-December. 

James Covello, Thomas Coleman and Doheny Racing Stable’s Testa Rossi (Fr) (Dr Fong) also makes her seasonal bow. The Chad Brown pupil annexed the 2013 GIII Miss Grillo S. in her first Stateside start, and was second with a tough trip in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The chestnut added the course-and-distance GIII Florida Oaks here Mar. 8 over eventual Grade II winner Istanford (Istan) and next-out stakes winner Interrupted (Broken Vow). Fourth behindRosalind (Broken Vow) in Keeneland’s GI Ashland S. on the Polytrack last April, Testa Rossi was last seen finishing seventh in Churchill’s GII Mrs. Revere S. Nov. 15. She has fired five consecutive bullet drills over the Palm Meadows turf leading up to this. 

After dead-heating for the win in the Ashland with GI American Oaks heroine Room Service, the aforementioned Rosalind finished a distant fourth behind Untapable (Tapit) in the GI Kentucky Oaks in May. She unfortunately unseated Keiran Fallon at the start of Royal Ascot’s G1 Coronation S. in June, and was ninth back in the States in the July 5 GI Belmont Invitational S. The chestnut was 10th in Keeneland’s GIII Valley View S. Oct. 17 in her final try for Kenny McPeek and Landaluce Educe Stables. She was a $1 million Fasig-Tipton November purchase by SF Bloodstock, and runs here for Michael Dubb and Chad Brown.