G1 winner Eight Rings returns in Bachelor
It’s not unusual to see a Grade 1 winner trained by Bob Baffert at Oaklawn Park in April. That’s when the Arkansas Derby is run, after all, and at the Hall of Famer’s fun place away from California.
But in a racing season that defies equal, with detours on the road to the Triple Crown yet to be announced, Eight Rings shows up at Oaklawn in April — for the Bachelor Stakes.
A week before he is expected to send out Nadal and Charlatan, both unbeaten, in the Arkansas Derby, Baffert gets a progress report on what might yet be another Kentucky Derby prospect from his stable. Eight Rings makes his 3-year-old debut in the $100,000 Bachelor going six furlongs. The son of Empire Maker is the 5-2 program favorite in what will be his first start since running sixth in the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Nov. 1 at Santa Anita.
Eight Rings was considered possible for Oaklawn’s Grade 2 $1 million Rebel March 14, then for the $200,000 Oaklawn Stakes April 11. Following this schedule in a normal racing year, the colt would have no chance of making the Kentucky Derby. But then the COVID-19 pandemic intervened, resulting in the Churchill Downs classic being moved from May 2 to Sept. 5.
“He wasn’t going to make it, but now it gives him a chance,” Baffert said.
Eight Rings looked the part of a Derby contender when six lengths clear in the Grade 1 $300,000 American Pharoah Sept. 27 at Santa Anita. His hopes of an Eclipse Award vanished when trounced in the BC Juvenile, whose longshot winner, champion Storm the Court, reportedly is targeting the Arkansas Derby.
Stretching out Nadal from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles in the Rebel, Baffert cuts back with Eight Rings after passing on nine furlongs in the Oaklawn Stakes.
“I didn’t feel he was ready for that, but he’s doing really well so I thought the Bachelor might be a good spot,” Baffert said. “I would have preferred like seven-eighths or a mile, but he’s in, he has a good post and he’s doing really well. He’s a really good horse and he worked really well there.”
Eight Rings hasn’t sprinted since winning his debut by 6 lengths Aug. 4 at Del Mar but tipped his hand when working five furlongs from the gate in 59 seconds April 17 at Oaklawn. He’s here with Baffert assistant Jimmy Barnes, known to Oaklawn fans for wearing dark sunglasses and handling stars such as American Pharoah (2015) and Bodemeister
(2012), the trainer’s two Arkansas Derby winners. “Jimmy said he’s doing great,” Baffert said. “The horse, he’s happy, his mind’s right. His mind wasn’t right for the Breeders’ Cup. We expect a big run from him. If he gets away clean, he should be really tough.”
The start could be crucial also for Long Weekend, last-out winner (by four lengths) of Oaklawn’s
$90,000 Gazebo Stakes March 21. “He’s very fast, and he’s very, very good from the gate,” said trainer Tom Amoss, enlisting Joe Talamo to get the Majesticperfection colt away promptly from outside post 9.
“I don’t really know what Eight Rings is going to do out of the gate,” Amoss said. “My guess is, not having run since November and being pretty fresh he’s going to show speed. … And he is the other speed in the race, in my opinion. Joe’s going to have put his thinking cap on and decide what he wants to whatever that horse does out of the gate. The advantage we have is to be able to look over to our inside watching as we leave the gate, and I think our plan will be made from there. But, certainly, we’re going to be prominent early, if not on the lead.”
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen entered Gazebo runner-up Little Menace and last-out Oaklawn winner Echo Town. Little Menace is 4-1 from the rail with Stewart Elliott and Echo Town 9-2 from post 3 under leading rider Ricardo Santana Jr
Also entered are Beau Oxy (20-1, Alex Canchari post 2), Ginobili (6-1, David Cohen, post 4), Lykan
(8-1, Tyler Baze, post 5), Liam’s Pride (20-1, Martin Garcia, post 6) and Sir Rick (30-1, Orlando Mojica post 8).
Race 9 on the program, the Bachelor is set for
4:45 p.m. Central.