Hard Not to Love (foaled May 11th, 2016) is a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse and the winner of the 2019 La Brea Stakes.
Career
Hard Not to Love's first race was on February 16, 2019, at Santa Anita, where she came in first in a Maiden Special Weight Race. Two months later, she won an April 13, 2019, allowance optional claiming race.
On May 4, 2019, she competed in the listed $75,000 Angels Flight Stakes. She was the second favorite at 9:5 odds behind the 8:5 Sneaking Out. She crossed the wire third and was promoted to second after the original winner, Sneaking Out, was disqualified for bumping My Miss Rose.
She picked up another win in an October 25, 2019, Allowance Optional Claiming race at Santa Anita Park and then won her first stakes race - the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes. She came in as the 11:1 underdog and defeated 3:5 favorite Bellafina by 2 1/4 lengths. The win netted Hard Not to Love $301,404.
On February 15, 2020, she started out her 2020 season with another stakes win. This time, she won the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes. She came in as the 3:5 favorite and earned her fifth win in 6 starts.
On March 14, 2020, she competed in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile Stakes. She came in as the 3:5 favorite but was beaten by 3 1/4th lengths by Ce Ce.
On May 31, 2020, she competed in the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes as the 2:1 second favorite but was defeated, along with Ce Ce, by 10:1 longshot Fighting Mad by 3 1/4 lengths.
Pedigree
References