Hard Not to Like completed her prep at Woodbine for the Kentucky Oaks
The Grade 1, $1 million Kentucky Oaks bound 3-year-old filly, Hard Not to Like, has only raced once as a sophomore in her 2012 campaign, and she did look good in that start, especially exiting a fifth place finish when she capped off her juvenile season in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last fall at Churchill Downs.
Hillsbrook Farm owned, Hard Not to Like, will be returning to Churchill Downs once again on 4 May, 2012, for a start in the Run for the Lilies, where she will face a massive field of 16 best 3-year-old fillies in the country to run over a distance of 1 1/18 miles over the Churchill Downs dirt course.
The filly has been preparing for the Oaks, and on 27 April, 2012, she put in her final work for the $1 million event as she breezed five furlongs in 1 minute and 1 3/5 seconds at Woodbine race course.
Her trainer, Gail Cox, was at Keeneland on 27 April, 2012, because she had to run a horse on the day's closing day-card, but she found about Hard Not to Like’s work and she said it was a very good work from her.
She further went on to say: “The work was just what I wanted,” Cox said. “She’s doing very well. She’s really, really special.”
Bred in Kentucky by Garland Williamson, Hard Not to Like as a juvenile ran 5 times, and won thrice out of those starts. She broke her maiden on turf at first asking, going 6 furlongs on 30 July, 2011, at Woodbine race course.
She stayed at Woodbine, and participated in the 1 mile long allowance race, which she downed in 1 minute and 35.10 seconds.
Grade 3 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine was her third start, and she was running for her hat-trick in that race, but fell away in the stretch to finish fifth to winner Northern Passion.
The Hard Spun filly is coming off a second place finish to Karlovy Vary in one of the major prep races for the Oaks, the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland.
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