DEL MAR — Bob Baffert’s return to eligibility for the Kentucky Derby couldn’t have began any higher when he received the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on the primary day of the two-day occasion that’s thought of the Tremendous Bowl of horse racing. Citizen Bull not solely received the race, however the different two Baffert runners, Gaming and Getaway Automotive, completed second and fourth, respectively.
Friday’s first day of the Breeders’ Cup is for 2-year-olds, all of whom will flip 3 and turn out to be eligible for the Kentucky Derby on Jan. 1.
“I wish they could dead heat one, two, three, but it didn’t happen,” Baffert mentioned. “But I’m excited for the connections, for the group, all the owners involved. … They supported me [during the suspension]. They’ve been with me all the way. They have trust in me.”
In concept, the race was over from the beginning because the Into Mischief colt, ridden by Martin Garcia, led from gate to wire, holding his 1½-length lead all through the stretch after benefiting from gradual opening fractions. He was a $675,000 buy for a consortium of homeowners that features SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables.
Garcia, who was a daily rider for Baffert, has returned to Southern California and picked up the mount.
“I went to the bullpen, I got Martin,” Baffert mentioned. “[The owners] were good with it, let’s do it. And sometimes you have to do that. It’s like baseball, it’s like managing. So, you looked like [Dodger] Walker Buehler out there in the last inning [of the World Series].”
A few years in the past Tom Ryan put collectively a gaggle of homeowners who pooled their appreciable cash, gave it to Baffert, who was informed to go purchase some winners. The group additionally owns final 12 months’s Preakness winner Nationwide Treasure, who additionally received this 12 months’s Pegasus World Cup.
The group has been loyal to Baffert throughout his three-year suspension from Churchill Downs after Medina Spirit was disqualified for a medicine violation after ending first within the 2021 Derby. Citizen Bull paid $33.80 to win. It was Baffert’s sixth Juvenile win.
Citizen Bull additionally received the American Pharoah at Santa Anita and now has 40 qualifying factors for the Derby, which may be very prone to get the horse within the beginning gate at Churchill Downs.
“Right now, it’s too far out, and you really don’t know if you have a Derby horse until about January or February,” Baffert mentioned. “Things happen. So, I don’t get too far ahead of myself. I just focus on what’s in front of me this week or next week. It’s good to be in the conversation. But it’s still a long ways off.”
Baffert didn’t fare so effectively within the $2 million Juvenile Fillies, which was received by Immersive ($6.00) for coach Brad Cox and ridden by Manny Franco. Baffert’s Nooni completed sixth.
The largest favourite on Friday was Lake Victoria ($3.40), and he or she received the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf by 1 ½ lengths. She stayed unbeaten profitable her fifth race and first begin in the US. She went off at $0.70 on the greenback.
She ran mid-pack for the primary half of the race, moved as much as second on the prime of the stretch after which coasted house.
The unwritten rule to solely wager overseas horses in Breeders’ Cup turf races was three for 3, with all of the winners coming from Eire. Magnum Power ($27.00) received the $1 million Juvenile Turf Dash and Henry Matisse ($9.80) received the $1 million Juvenile Turf.
There are 9 Breeders’ Cup races on Saturday, all price $1 million or extra.
