Baffert Holds Strong Hand For Arcadia Openers
By Christie DeBernardis
Hall of Famer Bob Baffert will enter opening day of the Santa Anita winter meet Dec. 26 fully loaded with an arsenal of strong contenders aiming for the GI La Brea S. and GI Malibu S.
The conditioner has two chances to score a record sixth win in the La Brea with J “TDN Rising Stars” J Awesome Baby (Awesome Again) and Jojo Warrior (Pioneerof the Nile). Undefeated so far this season, Kaleem Shah’s Awesome Baby captured the GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 4 and GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 1 at Santa Anita, and was last seen winning the Sunland Park Oaks Mar. 23.
“She is doing pretty well,” Baffert said. “It’s going to be a tough race. Taris (Flatter) is going to be the heavy favorite. I have been watching her work and she’s been pretty good.”
As for the reason for Awesome Baby’s nine-month absence, Baffert said, “I just gave her some time off. If they are not doing well or I am not happy with the way they are training I just give them a break.”
Zayat Stables and WinStar Farm’s Jojo Warrior also enters the La Brea off a layoff, albeit a much shorter one. Winner of Santa Anita’s GII Summer Oaks June 21 and Del Mar’s GIII Torrey Pines S. Aug. 31, the bay was a respectable third behind multiple Grade I stakes winners Untapable (Tapit) and Sweet Reason (Street Sense) in Parx’s GI Cotillion S. when last seen Sept. 20.
“We just gave her some time,” Baffert said. “She shipped last time and she is not a really good shipper, but she is doing really well.”
As for the colts, Baffert has several strong candidates nominated for the Malibu, but it is still unclear which of his six nominees will actually run.
“That can change from day to day,” the conditioner remarked. “I nominate, but I don’t know until that week what I am going to do.”
Baffert’s Malibu nominees include GIII Affirmed S. winner Can the Man (Into Mischief); GIII Sunland Derby and recent Damascus S. hero Chitu (Henny Hughes); GI Clark H. victor Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday); San Pedro S. winner Indianapolis (Medaglia d’Oro); GIII Sham S. hero Midnight Hawk (Midnight Lute); and recent allowance winner Pimpernel (Elusive Quality).
Of that talented group of sophomores, the one least likely to be entered in the Malibu is Hoppertunity, who won the Nov. 28 Clark in his second start off a six-month layoff.
“I just threw him in there,” Baffert commented. “I never know what I am going to do with him. He is doing really well, but there is a lot of speed in the race.”
When asked who he felt his strongest contender was for the Malibu, Baffert named Kaleem Shah’s recent GI Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Bayern (Offlee Wild), who posted a dominant 7 1/2-length victory the last time he ran the Malibu’s seven-furlong distance in the GII Woody Stephens S. June 7.
“Bayern [would be my strongest candidate] if I would have nominated him, but I didn’t nominate him,” the Hall of Famer commented with a chuckle. “He would have been, but I stopped on him. You never know. They are all nice horses. I am not a handicapper, I am a trainer.”
No matter who Baffert sends out in the Malibu they will face a tall task in the form of last year’s champion juvenile Shared Belief (Candy Ride {Arg}), whose only blemish to his record came last time when fourth in the Classic after being knocked into by Bayern at the break. However, any of the colts on Baffert’s list could give the Eclipse winner a good run for his money.