Competitive field assembled for La Brea; Heart to Heart highlights Mathis Bros M

Friday's opening day card at Santa Anita Park features three graded contest,

with the Grade 1, $300,000 Malibu drawing much of the attention thanks to the

presence of Horse of the Year candidate Shared Belief.

However, the Malibu shares the card with another Grade 1 in the $300,000

La Brea,

which attracted 10 three-year-old fillies going seven furlongs, including Grade

2 Raven Run romper Taris.

The bay miss scored by 7 3/4 lengths in a Presque Isle Downs allowance before

her nine-length Raven Run tour de force on October 18 at Keeneland. The Flatter

filly, trained by Todd Beattie and ridden by Clinton Potts in her initial

four-for-five line, was purchased for $2.35 million at the Fasig-Tipton November

Sale and now races under the tutelage of conditioner Simon Callaghan. Rafael

Bejarano will be aboard as Taris makes her first start for her new connections.

Another top draw in the La Brea is Thank You Marylou, winner of the Grade 3

Dogwood at Churchill Downs on September 20 by 6 1/2 lengths. The Mike Maker

charge followed up with third-place efforts in the Grade 2 Raven Run at

Keeneland and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, the latter of which took place

over track and distance. Joel Rosario takes the reins on the Birdstone filly for

the first time in the La Brea.

Sandwiched between the Malibu and La Brea is the Grade 2, $200,000

Mathis Brothers Mile, formerly run as the Sir Beaufort Stakes, for

sophomores on the turf. An overflow field of 14 was drawn for that eight-furlong

grass contest, which feature a showdown between Alert Bay and Tonito M.

The top draw in the Mathis Brothers Mile, however, is Heart to Heart. The

English Channel colt has easily captured his last three races -- the Grade 3

Commonwealth Turf, Grade 3 Jefferson Cup and Better Talk Now -- in wire-to-wire

fashion. The Brian Lynch pupil had Julien Leparoux aboard for the two graded

victories and the duo will try to make it three in a row on Friday.

Grade 3 scorers Alert Bay and Tonito M. met up last out in the Zia Park

Derby, with the former earning his third straight stakes win by three lengths.

Tonito M. rallied five wide from midpack to take second and will have to be

closer if he hopes to factor in this sprint.

Also in with a chance are Home Run Kitten, a nose winner of the Grade 3 Eddie

D. two back; Long On Value, victor of the Grade 2 Twilight Derby; Talco, third

in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby and Grade 2 Del Mar Derby in his past two; and

Sawyer's Hill, fourth in the Hollywood Derby off seconds in the Twilight Derby

and Del Mar Derby. The latter three runners are cutting back off nine-furlong

races while Home Run Kitten sprinted in the Eddie D.