The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Baffert saddles two more prep race winners
The Associated Press
ARCADIA >> Bob Baffert won three Breeders’ Cup prep races at Santa Anita over the weekend, but he might be sending only one of the three winners to the World Championships at Keeneland on Nov. 4-5.
The Hall of Fame trainer won two stakes Sunday at Santa Anita, saddling Midnight Memories for a victory in the $200,000 Grade II Zenyatta Stakes and coming back one race later to take the $100,000 Speakeasy Stakes with Speed Boat Beach.
The latter is a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup, meaning an all-expenses paid trip to the Juvenile Turf Sprint on Nov. 4. Speed Boat Beach, who set a Del Mar track record for 51/2 furlongs when he won his debut in 1:01.86 on Sept. 10, made his turf debut in the Speakeasy and won by 11/4 lengths with Juan Hernandez aboard.
While Speed Boat Beach is Breeders’ Cup-bound, it’s a little iffy for Midnight Memories and Defunded, who won Saturday’s “Win and You’re In” Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita.
Baffert’s not sure if he wants to race against Nest in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, seeing as though it’s taken a while for the Mastery filly to come around. As for Defunded, Baffert’s not sure how he’d react to the Keeneland paddock after getting all worked up in the paddock and receiving barn at Del Mar.
“We’ll think it out,” Baffert said after the Zenyatta. “We have a few spots held on the plane. We just have to figure out who’s going to fill those spots.”
Midnight Memories was third after the first three quarters, took the lead from Awake At Midnyte in midstretch and drew away to win by 31/4 lengths under Ramon Vazquez. Final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:45.07.
“The Mastery fillies seem to be slow coming around,” Baffert said. “We have had to be patient with her. She got into a nice rhythm today and when Ramon asked her in the lane, she took off. She is really improving.”
Vazquez, who rode Midnight Memories for the first time in her victory in the Grade III Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar on Sept. 4, rode the winner with confidence.
“From the beginning of the race, we took a nice position and in the last quarter (Midnight Memories) ran really well.”
Baffert wasn’t hesitant about Speed Boat Beach’s future after the Bayern colt sat off pacesetter Helladic’s splits of 21.06 and 43.36 and drew off late to win the 5-furlong turf sprint in 55.25 seconds.
“We filled one of the spots on the plane to Keeneland,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if he would like the turf or not. I told Juan that if he doesn’t like the turf, raise your right hand. He hopped at the start of the race. He was a little green and he kept switching leads. At the three-eighths pole, he became serious and took off. This horse has pretty serious speed.”
Chillingworth Stakes
Ce Ce will be headed to Keeneland for a chance to defend her Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint title on Nov. 5 after rallying for a 21/4-length victory in the $100,000 Grade III event at 61/2 furlongs.
A 6-year-old daughter of Elusive Quality trained by Michael Mccarthy, Ce Ce was fourth up the backside, took the lead around the turn and drew off under Victor Espinoza to win by 21/4 lengths as the 1-5 favorite after a clunker at Saratoga on Aug. 28 when she finished fifth in the Grade I Ballerina Stakes.
Ce Ce has won 11 of 22 lifetime for earnings of $2,357,100. She ran the distance in 1:16.36.