Bob Baffert

It was hard not to lament the loss when asked about D. Wayne Lukas in the paddock, but trainer Bob Baffert was given an emotional win in the race named after his longtime friend when Splendora (Audible) kicked home to claim the inaugural running of the GII D. Wayne Lukas Stakes at Santa Anita Park. The clear horse to beat after wrapping her 2025 with a stylish victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint last November, the daughter of Audible entered this contest on a three-race win...

For the majority of the previous century Aggies tried to gig'em some Horns, Bears attempted to boil the Owls, Red Raiders fired at Horned Frogs, and the Coogs, the Stangs and 'dem Hogs rounded out what were some raucous match-ups in the bygone era of the Southwest Conference. As the saying went for those Texas college sports teams who were joined by the University of Arkansas, "If you're going to compete, you might as well win." Well, the old conference may have broken up back in the 90s, but you...

Intrepido (Maximus Mischief), an upset winner of the GI American Pharoah S. at Santa Anita last fall, kicks off his sophomore campaign in Saturday's GIII Robert B. Lewis S. at Santa Anita. The 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' won the American Pharoah by three-quarters of a length over the re-opposing Desert Gate (Omaha Beach). It was another nose back to Plutarch (Into Mischief) in third that day. Intrepido, a $30,000 KEESEP yearling turned $385,000 OBSAPR breezer, followed with a disappointing fifth at 5-1 in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile...

D'code (Speightstown), a jaw-dropping 8 1/4-length debut winner sprinting at Oaklawn Park Dec. 14, will make his highly anticipated two-turn debut in Friday's postponed $1-million GIII Southwest S. in Hot Springs. The Tom Durant homebred and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' earned a field-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure while defeating 10 rivals that day. He recorded the fastest six-furlong time in Oaklawn history for a 2-year-old stopping the clock in 1:09.57. D'code exits from post two with Luis Saez at the controls in the 1 1/16-mile affair, good for...

Trainer Bob Baffert has confirmed that GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner Litmus Test (Nyquist) will be scratched from Friday's $1-million GIII Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Litmus Test was listed at 5-2 on the morning line. "We're waiting for the San Felipe," Baffert said via text. "Never intended to run him at Oaklawn." The GII San Felipe Stakes will be held at Santa Anita Mar. 7. Baffert will still be represented by Buetane (Tiz the Law) in the Southwest. He is the 4-1 second choice, but could go off favored...

5 - CAPTAIN SHREVE, SA, 1/31-6th, 6 furlongs  (Video) Beyer Speed Figure-78 (2nd) (g, 3, by Runhappy--Sierra Electrica, by Tapit) O/B-Kretz Racing (Ky). T-George Papaprodromou. J-Kyle Frey. If one considers Potente (below) a 3-year-old to monitor going forward, Captain Shreve has to be somewhere on the same screen. He nagged Potente from the start, drew alongside turning for home, then couldn't quite keep pace late in another legit runner-up finish (he was a debut 2nd to Secured Freedom). Rustin and Juliana Kretz are Southern Californians, but named the gelding after...

FORCED ENTRY (f, 3, Charlatan--Violent Times {SW, $228,701}, by Violence) contested the pace before fading to last in her six-furlong debut over the lawn Jan. 11. Moving to the main track and stretching out to a mile in this second start, the 7-2 shot sprinted out to the early lead and was shadowed by favored Wolf Hill (Upstart) down the backstretch through a quarter in :23.05 and a half in :47.07. She skipped clear nearing the stretch and sailed home unchallenged to graduate by 7 1/4 lengths. Wolf Hill trailed...

'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard CORNUCOPIAN (c, 4, Into Mischief--Magical World, by Distorted Humor) hit a traffic jam nearing the quarter pole of a 6 1/2-furlong Santa Anita allowance on Saturday, but it proved but a minor inconvenience, as he got his feet back under him, quickly took a gap at the rail inside of a rival and was off and gone in his first start in nearly 10 months. The 1-2 chalk returning off an allowance defeat going a mile at Aqueduct last spring, the $1.1 million Keeneland...

Trainer Bob Baffert came into Saturday's hot-looking maiden at Santa Anita with a trio of high-profile chances on paper, but that number was reduced to a single runner with the program scratches of the rail-drawn Duntov, a $575,000 son of Maxfield, and Crude Velocity (Beau Liam), himself a $250,000 breeze-up purchase. But the one that remained, Speedway Stables' POTENTE (c, 3, Into Mischief--Sweet Sting, by Awesome Again), shouldered the load, outgaming the more experienced Captain Shreve (Runhappy) by a length. Away very smartly from an outside draw, the $2.4-million Fasig-Tipton...

Newly-turned 3-year-old 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Intrepido (Maximus Mischief) led a busy Saturday work tab at Santa Anita Park. The GI American Pharoah Stakes winner was joined on track by fellow 3-year-olds Litmus Test (Nyquist), Desert Gate (Omaha Beach), Acknowledgemeplz (Bucchero), Robusta (Accelerate) and Secured Freedom (Practical Joke) who all recorded timed workouts. Top sophomore fillies on the tab included Santa Ynez third-place finisher Revera (Lexitonian) and French Blue (Gun Runner), a promising debut winner for Bob Baffert earlier this month. Intrepido, Robusta and Secured Freedom are all...

6th-SA, $70K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 6:12 p.m. ET. While a good portion of the country is tossing another log on the fire in an attempt to stave off the frigid temperatures, out in toasty Arcadia a group of maidens led by some intriguing prospects have assembled for a hot race. Chief among them is POTENTE (Into Mischief) who Speedway Stables made the second topper when they went to $2.4-million to acquire the colt at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. Sent to trainer Bob Baffert, the first-time starter is out...

Greenwich Village (c, 3, Quality Road--Houtzen {Aus}, by I Am Invincible {Aus}) not only got his blinkers off and switched surfaces, but also completely changed tactics Sunday in Santa Anita's Baffle Stakes, eschewing his pace-setting and pace-pressing past while opting instead to drop back to last down the hillside turf course. While he caboosed the field, 25-1 Track Tiger (Sharp Azteca) and 5-2 Later Than Planned (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) battled up front through :22.41 and :44.25 fractions. The first half-dozen runners stayed tightly packed as Greenwich Village continued to...