A TRIP TO WINNER’S CIRCLE?
For a number of reasons, Bob Baffert loves his summers at Del Mar.
“This track has a good vibe,” Baffert said Friday afternoon on the eve of what could be another big stakes weekend for the Hall of Fame trainer who has become something of a lightning rod for the sport.
“Del Mar does a good job with a perfect setting along the ocean,” Baffert continued. “We have a very good product. There are nice horses here … and the horses love it, the climate and the track.
“And everyone is into the racing here. It’s nice to have an enthusiatic crowd. Everyone is into it, which makes it exciting. Del Mar is more of a casual, laid back, fun atmosphere than you find at a lot of tracks. And this season is off to a great start and it’s shaping up as a great meeting.”
Del Mar has been very good to Baffert over the years. On Thursday, for example, he extended his own record when he scored his 148th stakes win at Del Mar when Fun to Dream took the Fleet Treat Stakes under jockey Juan Hernandez.
But that could just be a warmup for what could be an banner day today for Baffert.
The trainer has the early favorites in both the Grade I Bing Crosby and the Grade II San Diego Handicap and also has a pair of promising 2-year-olds debuting in an earlier race.
“It’s a big day,” said Baffert. “You work for days like this. The buildup, the preparation … it’s what makes the sport special. I love the anticipation of a day like (today).”
The first race of note on Baffert’s busy today will be the sixth — a 51⁄2-furlong maiden special weight for 2year-olds on the main track.
Baffert’s Newgate, a son of Into Mischief, is the morning-line 8-5 favorite. John Velazquez, who has flown in to ride Baffert’s Country Grammar in the San Diego Handicap, will ride Newgate. Baffert also has Hard to Figure as the second choice in the sixth with Hernandez aboard.
Baffert always has a strong contingent of 2-yearolds at Del Mar.
But it’s races like the $400,000 Bing Crosby and $300,000 San Diego Handicap that pay the bills. And Baffert has strong horses in both races.
Shaaz is the 7-2 morningline favorite in the Big Crosby, a 6-furlong sprint for older horses on the main track. Shaaz, a 4-year-old son of Uncle Mo, won three of his first four starts while being trained by Sean McCarthy during Baffert’s suspension.
Baffert has two of the nine horses entered in the 11⁄16-mile San Diego Handicap for older horses on the main track. The San Diego Handicap is seen as a tuneup for the premier race of the meeting — the $1 million Pacific Classic on Sept. 3.
“I think the Pacific Classic is going to be an exceptional race,” said Baffert, who sees a possible showdown between his Country Grammar and the undefeated Flightline.
Baffert will have morning-line favorite Country Grammar (5-2) and Defunded in the San Diego.
Twilight Gleaming scores
Hernandez rode the Irish-bred Twilight Gleaming ($4.80) to a half-length victory in Friday evening’s feature, the Daisycutter Handicap at 5 furlongs for older fillies and mares on the turf. Twilight Gleaming passed fading favorite Leggs Galore in the stretch then held-off fast-finishing Xmas