Malibu Pier chalks up 3rd graded stakes win of 2011

Spendthrift’s Malibu Pier wore down a loose-on-the-lead Restless Soul (GB) to win the $100,000 Beverly Hills H. (G3) (VIDEO) June 26 on the Hollywood Park turf course. The 4-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon has established herself as the top older filly or mare turf specialist on the West Coast. Prior to this race, she won the Santa Ana S. (G2) and Santa Barbara H. (G2), both at Santa Anita Park this spring.

Malibu Pier is the leading earner in 2011 for her sire, who stands at B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm. He has accounted for five stakes winners and is ranked in the top 10 on the General Sire List with more than $3.2 million in progeny earnings.

The Beverly Hills field was reduced to four horses after the scratches of Streamline Baby earlier in the day and First Settler after she got loose in the post parade. Restless Soul shot out to the lead with Malibu Pier tracking in second and the big favorite Cozi Rosie in last as the quartet passed the wire for the first time in the 1 1/4-mile marathon. The running order stayed basically the same for a mile when Malibu Pier began to cut into Restless Soul’s lead. The leader had set a comfortable pace, but Malibu Pier showed her class to prevail by about two lengths in 2:01.01

Winning rider Brice Blanc said, “It worked out how I had it planned on paper. I was pretty comfortable all the way around and didn’t want to move too soon. Carla (trainer Carla Gaines) has done a great job and she (Malibu Pier) is back to where she belongs.”

Homebred Malibu Pier is now 6-1-1 in 11 starts with earnings of $407,200.

A chestnut filly, Malibu Pier is out of the French mare Blue Moon, who was also owned by Hughes and won the Grade 2 Buena Vista H. and finished second in the Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup (G1), both on the turf.