Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
DEL MAR Roadster all revved up for Del Mar Futurity
DEL MAR, Calif. – Beginning in 1996, when he won the Del Mar Futurity with future Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm, trainer Bob Baffert has won the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity a remarkable 13 times, and he’ll look to increase that run to 14 times in the last 23 editions on Monday when this track’s premier race for 2-year-olds is run, as always, on the final day of the meet.
Baffert has two of the seven entered runners in the $300,000 Futurity, including the highly regarded Roadster, who lived up to advance billing when he overcame the rail draw and kicked clear for a 4 1/4-length victory in his debut on July 29. Baffert also entered Game Winner, who romped to a 5 3/4-length score in his only start on Aug. 18.
Baffert’s chances of winning the Futurity increased on entry day Friday, when the connections of Instagrand – owned by Larry Best – decided to hold him back and go only with Rowayton. Although Rowayton ran a solid race for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer to win his one start on July 21 and certainly figures to be a major player here, Instagrand won both his starts, including the Grade 2 Best Pal on Aug. 11, and would most likely have been the favorite in the Futurity.
Instead, favoritism will fall to Roadster. A colt by Quality Road, he’s been a buzz horse since Baffert mentioned Roadster as one to watch when interviewed by TMZ Sports outside a popular Los Angeles restaurant not long after Justify had won the Triple Crown. Roadster got plenty of experience and showed quite a bit of maturity in his one start, as jockey Mike Smith had to use him to get position and get outside, then had Roadster settle comfortably before they powered home. He got a Beyer Speed Figure of 81.
“He was pretty impressive,” Baffert said. “Mike’s excited. He says he has gears. I like when a jock says that.”
Roadster had trained strongly at Santa Anita before shipping here for the summer. Upon arrival, he had a few days of training where he was not as sharp and focused as Baffert desired. An adjustment was made.
“We put him in an outside pen, and he was a lot better,” Baffert said.
Roadster won going six furlongs in his one start. He gets an additional furlong in the Futurity, and Baffert thinks he’ll only get better the farther he runs.
“Seven-eighths is not really going to be his distance,” Baffert said. “He’ll be a lot better going longer.”
Game Winner, a son of Candy Ride, pressed the pace four paths wide after breaking from a cozy outside post and then drew clear going six furlongs. Like with stablemate Roadster, the extra distance should help Game Winner. He wore blinkers in his debut, but they will come off if he runs Monday.
“He would be coming back a little quick,” Baffert said of the 16-day turnaround. “We’ll look at the field and decide.”
One alluring aspect of running Game Winner in the Futurity for Baffert is that he “would like to get another race into him before we go two turns.”
Rowayton, by Into Mischief, has turned in a series of solid works since his lone start six weeks ago. That race was at five furlongs.
“You never can tell until they actually do it, but the thought is, yes, he’ll like the extra distance,” Hollendorfer said.
Sigalert and Spin Lightning also won their only start, and won in a style suggesting seven furlongs should suit.
Sigalert, by Street Sense, got up for a half-length win going 5 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 4. A victory would be an appropriate coda for the monster meeting here for trainer John Sadler and owners Kosta and Pete Hronis.
Spin Lightning, by Hard Spun, rallied to win going five furlongs on Aug. 12, earning a 66 Beyer.
Sparky Ville and Savagery are hoping experience rules the day. Each has raced three times prior to the Futurity.
Sparky Ville, by Candy Ride, was a distant second to Instagrand in the Best Pal.
Savagery, by Bellamy Road, was well beaten by Roadster on July 29, then dipped into a maiden claimer and rolled to an 11-length victory Aug. 15.
The Futurity is race 9 on a 10-race card that begins at 2 p.m. Pacific and also includes the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf – featuring the exciting prospect Summering – and the CERF Stakes for female sprinters.