john shirreffs

Honor A.P., a leading contender for the Santa Anita Derby, continues to train well for Santa Anita’s marquee three-year-old event on April 4, offering 100 qualifying points to the 146th Kentucky Derby Sept. 5. The 3-year-old son of Honor Code worked five furlongs in 1:00 on Sunday morning at Santa Anita, 16th of 98 works […]

Blinded in one eye since a school yard incident as a youngster, trainer John Shirreffs’ brilliant Hard Not to Love seeks her fourth consecutive win as she heads a field of seven older fillies and mares in Saturday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita. With two graded stakes wins at the current Winter […]

Trainer Bob Baffert was pleased with his San Felipe winner Authentic on Sunday morning, as well as fourth-place finisher Thousand Words. “They looked fine today,” Baffert said. The two-time Triple Crown winner intends to keep Authentic at home for the Grade I, $1 million Santa Anita Derby April 4, but plans for Thousand Words were on […]

Tomorrow, trainer John Shirreffs could enhance a resume already worthy of Hall of Fame consideration. The 74-year-old former Marine and surfing aficionado sends out promising Triple Crown prospect Honor A.P. in the Grade II San Felipe Stakes, the West Coast’s major steppingstone to the Grade I, $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 4, and […]

Could it be . . . should it be . . . would it be . . . sanctimonious to mention Hard Not to Love in the same breath as . . . Zenyatta? John Shirreffs hasn’t quite developed that state of mind yet for his one-eyed wonder filly, but the dazzling daughter of Hard Spun […]

In what appeared to be her best race to date, heavily favored Hard Not to Love drew clear late to win Saturday’s Grade II, $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes by 3 ½ lengths under Mike Smith. Trained by John Shirreffs, the sight-impaired 4-year-old daughter of Hard Spun got seven furlongs in 1:22.19 at Santa Anita. In […]

Extremely talented but equipped with just one eye due to a paddock mishap as a youngster, Hard Not to Love heads a field of five older fillies and mares going seven furlongs in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Fresh off the best race of her career, a […]

C R K Stable’s Triple Crown hopeful Honor A.P., who broke his maiden by 5 1/4 lengths in October at Santa Anita, finally has a target for his 3-year-old debut. The John Shirreffs-trained son of Honor Code will point to the G2 San Felipe Stakes on March 7, which offers the winner 5- points on […]

Mike Smith, as is his wont, bonds with most horses he has ridden in a spectacular career going on four decades, but perhaps none more so than with Hard Not to Love, a “special needs” stakes winner who lost her left eye when kicked by another horse in a paddock accident as a youngster. The […]