BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-bred Nesso’s Lastharrah has been a moniker of reliability in his career, winning nearly a third of his 22 starts and finishing in the win, place or show spots 13 times while banking $337,480 for Mark D. and Patricia L. Cofer Trust’s. Five of those results not in the top three have come in stakes but the James Bond-trained 5-year-old horse looks to change that Saturday in the $80,000 Lure for 3-year-olds and older racing a mile on the Santa Anita turf.
Nesso’s Lastharrah and jockey Hector Barrios have drawn post one in the field of five and look to improve on two wins and a second in five previous races at the distance on grass.
Last out in the Grade 2 Eddie going six-and-a-half furlongs down the hill at Santa Anita on September 26, Nesso’s Lastharrah was a threatening second through the first six panels, but faded in the final sixteenth to finish fifth, three-and-a-half-lengths off winner Sorrento Sky.
He was a winner at the same distance at Del Mar two starts back on August 28, coming from just behind leaders to win an upper tier, $100,000 optional claiming by a length-and-a-half. He also won in his last race from the Peter Eurton barn coming off the downhill turf at Santa Anita in April, winning an upper level, $80,000 optional claiming by three-quarters of a length.
His last four have come for Bonde, including an off-the-board finish in the Grade 3 Daytona coming off the hill at Santa Anita in June and a sixth in an upper tier, $100,000 optional claiming racing five furlongs on the sod at Del Mar on July 19 before aforementioned victory in August.
Nesso’s Lastharrah is by Sharp Azteca out of Nesso, by Roman Ruler and was bred in Florida by Dennis Amaty of Lake Worth in the name of his Amaty Racing Stable.
He is the co-second choice at 3-1 with Astromer, trained by Simon Callaghan and ridden by Joel Rosario.
Favored at 8-5 in the program is Artislas, Jeff Mullins-trained 4-year-old colt.
Artislas last won in December of 2024, taking the $101,000 Eddie Logan (Listed) going a mile, his only win in five starts on the Santa Anita grass. He crossed the wire first in the Grade 3 Zuma Beach in October of that year, but was disqualified and placed third.
Owned by Irving Ventures, Dutch Girl Holdings, William Meathe and Jeanne Tumanjan, Artislas enters off a sixth-place finish in the Del Mar Mile (G2) on the grass on August 22 and a third in the $101,000 Wicker (Listed) over the same course and distance on July 19.
Artislas is by Catalina Cruiser out of the Into Mischief mare Moms Pride (Fr) and has won three with five thirds in 12 lifetime starts.
Juan Hernandez takes the riding assignment from post two.
Twirling Point and jockey Ricardo Gonzalez and Endlessly with Umberto Rispoli in the irons round the field.
Return to the October 16 issue of Wire to Wire
