5th-SA, $54k, Msw, 3yo, 1m, 4:59 p.m. EDT
Bob Baffert appears to hold a pair of aces in this maiden event in first-time starter REACH THE WORLD (Tapit) and DABSTER (Curlin">Curlin), who crossed the wire first, only to be disqualified and placed fourth after drifting out late in his seven-furlong unveiling here Dec. 26. Don Alberto Stable homebred Reach the World's dam Reach the Stars (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is a half to 1998 champion older mare Escena (Strawberry Road {Aus}), as well as GSWs Humbel (Theatrical {Ire}) and Showlady (Theatrical {Ire}). The gray completed his extensive preparations for this first trip to post with a bullet five-furlong drill in 1:00.60 (1/18) over a sloppy main track here Jan. 10. Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum's Dabster, meanwhile, bounced back from his first start with a pair of works in the new year, capped by a 1:01 flat move (4/18) Jan. 10. The chestnut, a $430,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $1 million Fasig-Tipton Florida 2-year-old, tries two turns for the first time today.
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