The weekend started out as good as can be for trainer Bob Baffert on Saturday at Santa Anita where his mare Ellafitz won the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes. He then followed up that performance the next day by winning the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes with his colt Drill. Both were ridden to victory by jockey Martin Garcia.
The final day of the long weekend, a mere 1,422 miles from Santa Anita at Oaklawn Park race track, Baffert saddled two more three year old colts in the split Southwest Stakes (G3). With so many entries, the race track decided to go with two races instead of sending away several horses. Both races worth $250,000 and more importantly giving the winner a healthy dose of graded stakes earnings to try and qualify for the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby.
In the first of the two races, Baffert had Castway, a Street Sense colt who had broke his maiden first time out back at Santa Anita on January 21. Jockey Rafael Bejarano had his colt sit off the 19/1 longshot front runner the entire way, then made his move at the top of the stretch. He pulled with each stride to easily win the one mile race by 3 3/4 lengths.
In the second race, Baffert had his Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint winner Secret Circle set to take on 9 others. In 5 races, the Eddington colt has only lost once. That was the last time out where he finished a 1/2 length behind Out of Bounds in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita. This time, he would get the better of his competition by 1/2 length. As the same with Castaway, Secret Circle sat off the leader Scatman until late in the race, then dug in to pass his rival with a couple of jumps left before the wire. Rafael Bejarano would ride to victory once again with Baffert.
How’s that for a dream weekend? Four graded races, four wins, with two different jockeys and over 1,400 miles apart. All in a days weekend for arguably the best trainer in North America.
STAT:
1st Southwest Stakes: 23.58, 48.08, 1:12.60, 1:25.53 and 1:38.09
2nd Southwest Stakes: 23.21, 46.81, 1:11.25, 1:24.23 and 1:37.08
As you can tell, the 2nd race was slight quicker in the first 1/4 mile, then much quicker for the 1/2. Over a full second after six and seven furlongs. The final time was just over a full second quicker. You have to hand it to Secret Circle. On quicker fractions, he was able to dig in late to win his race. However, Castway was easing up as he hit the wire with the comfortable lead. He finished the race very well and quick. Be interesting to see how both these colts perform when the race gets extended to 1 1/8 miles.
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