Bayakoa draws 11 without Life is Sweet

The complexion of Saturday's $150,000

Bayakoa

H. (G2) changed when the connections of Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (G1) winner

Life is Sweet (Storm Cat) decided to bypass it following a short rest. Her

absence hurts the star quality of the 1 1/16-mile event at Hollywood Park, but

it generated more appeal at the entry box, providing a much more interesting

handicapping puzzle for bettors as a well-matched field of 11 distaffers will

head to the starting gate.

Spinster S. (G1) third-placer TEAMGEIST (Arg) (Mutakkdim) is the 117-pound

highweight. A multiple Group 2 queen in her native Argentina, the

six-year-old mare will be looking for her first victory stateside in her fifth

attempt. She'll switch back to a synthetic track following a fast-closing sixth

in the grassy Las Palmas H. (G2) on the Breeders' Cup Friday undercard, and Alex

Solis will pick up the mount for Kenny McPeek.

BRIECAT (Adcat), who posted a 13-1 wire-to-wire upset in the 2008 edition,

will defend her title in the Bayakoa. Conditioned by Vladimir Cerin, the

four-year-old finished second to Horse of the Year hopeful Zenyatta in the

Vanity H. (G1) this summer and captured the Adoration S. at Del Mar two starts

back. Martin Garcia will retain the mount on the 116-pound co-second highweight.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will send out a pair of potentially dangerous runners

in LUCKY COPY (Unbridled's Song) and FLOATING HEART (Giant's Causeway). The

former recorded a close second in the grassy Pucker Up S. (G3) last

season and exits an 8 1/2-length allowance romp at Keeneland. The speedster will

have to overcome the far outside post with new rider Rafael Bejarano. Floating

Heart, the lone three-year-old filly in the line-up, will make her stakes debut

off of a pair of allowance scores at Keeneland and Turfway Park. Joe Talamo

will take over the reins.

Other contenders include stakes heroine SMOOTH PERFORMER (Benchmark), who

exits a second over the Cushion Track in the November 15 Cat's Cradle H.; Grade

1-placed SILVER SWALLOW (Alphabet Soup), who will make her second start back off

a freshening following a non-threatening sixth in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare

Sprint (G1); multiple stakes queen ZARDANA (Brz) (Crimson Tide); and Las Palmas

third-placer CAT BY THE TALE (Tale of the Cat).

Six three-year-olds will square off in the $50,000

Contested Bid S. earlier on the program. La Jolla H. (G2) third-placer

GRETSKY (Toccet) and multiple stakes-placed GOLDEN MEXICO (Ire) (Daggers Drawn

[GB]) are top contenders in the one-mile turf affair.