By Jessica Martini
Trainer Bob Baffert sent a bevy of high-profile runners out to work at Santa Anita over the holiday weekend, with Vale Dori (Arg) (Asiatic Boy {Arg}) and Collected (City Zip) leading the way with bullet drills Monday.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum's Vale Dori worked five furlongs in a best-of-29 :59.60 in preparation for an expected match up with champions Stellar Wind (Curlin) and Finest City (City Zip) in Saturday's GI Beholder Mile.
“She went very nice,” Baffert said of the work. “She's ready for this week–ready for the big showdown.”
Vale Dori takes a six-race win streak into the Beholder. She defeated GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint winner Finest City by 1 ½ lengths in the nine-furlong GI Santa Margarita S. Mar. 18 and is coming off a half-length tally in the 1 1/16-mile GIII Adoration S. May 7. She cuts back to a mile for the first time since winning the Tranquility Lake S. last August at Del Mar.
As of Monday, only three horses have been confirmed for the Beholder. Finest City, third behind Beholder (Henny Hughes) and Stellar Wind when the race was run as the Vanity Mile last June, missed by just a neck when second behind Paulassilverlining (Ghostzapper) in the May 6 GI Humana Distaff S. Stellar Wind is coming off a win in the Apr. 14 GI Apple Blossom H. at Oaklawn Park.
Speedway Stable's Collected, who returned from nearly a year's absence to win the Apr. 1 Santana Mile and Apr. 22 GII Californian S., had been expected to go postward in last Saturday's GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita. The 4-year-old skipped that race, won by stablemate Cupid (Tapit), after a subpar work, but returned to the work tab Monday with a six-furlong drill in 1:12.40 (1/8).
“I just want to see how he comes out of this work,” Baffert said of plans for the chestnut. “Last time he worked well, but not like today. Today was a lot better. He worked with more energy today, so I'll just see how he comes out of it this week. I don't have any plans with him, but he's nominated to everything.”
Also on the worktab for Baffert this weekend, GI Kentucky Oaks winner Abel Tasman (Quality Road) worked six furlongs in 1:11.00 (1/14) Sunday.
“She worked really well,” Baffert said of Abel Tasman. “She is still pointing for the [June 10 GI] Acorn S.
Baoma Corp's Drefong (Gio Ponti), unraced since winning last year's GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, returned to the work tab for the first time since February with a three-furlong work in :37.00.
“He went very nice,” Baffert said of last year's Eclipse sprint champion. “He's just getting back slowly, but he looked really good. He is a beautiful horse; conformation-wise he's the most beautiful horse you'll see out there. He's built like a rocket ship.”
Of the extended absence, Baffert added, “I was just freshening him up. Now we'll get him ready for Del Mar.”
Charles and Susan Chu's Baoma Corp. added to its roster at last week's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale, purchasing a colt by Ghostzapper (hip 516) for $800,000.
“I have him, he's here now,” Baffert said of the juvenile. “I'll go really lightly on him after the sale when we start. But he looks good. He's a beautiful colt.”
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