Horseplayers would be wise to consider a Bob Baffert exacta the next time a graded stakes race for 2- or 3-year-olds is run in California.
Five times in the past five months, the Hall of Fame trainer has finished 1-2, most recently with 3-year-olds Muth ($2.80 on a $2 win bet) and Pilot Commander in the $200,000 San Vicente (G2) at Santa Anita on Saturday.
The payoffs may be short — $7.50 on a $5 exacta box on Saturday – but the results are consistent, and you end up in the plus column.
Medina Spirit and Bob Baffert- Photo Courtesy Of Churchill Downs
Baffert’s Legacy Continues: A Deep Dive into Four Consecutive 1-2 Conquests
A rundown of Baffert’s pervious four 1-2 finishes with 2-year-olds:
— On Dec. 26, opening day at Santa Anita, Speed Boat Beach ($5.20) and Hejazl finished 1-2 in the Malibu (G1). A $5 exacta box returned $21.50.
— On Oct. 17, Muth ($2.80) and Wine Me Up ran 1-2 in the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita. A $5 exacta box paid $23.75.
— On Sept. 10 at Del Mar, Prince of Monaco ($2.10) and Mirahmadi ran 1-2 the Del Mar Futurity (G1). A $5 exacta box yielded $21.10.
— On Aug. 13, it was Prince of Monaco ($5.60) and Muth running 1-2 in the Best Pal (G3) a Del Mar. A $5 exacta box paid $9.50.
Since Churchill Downs extended Baffert’s suspension through the Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 4, the trainer’s horses are ineligible to earn Derby qualifying points (the American Pharoah is a Derby points race).
The next Derby prep at Santa Anita is the Robert B. Lewis (G3) on Feb. 3. Count on Baffert to have a few 3-year-olds in the starting gate.
Muth, a $2 million purchase by Zedan Racing Stables, outran Pilot Commander by 2 ¾ lengths in the 1-mile San Vicente, a prep for the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 6. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Muth improved to 5-3-2-0 for earnings of $716,600. A son of Good Magic, the colt ran a distant second to Fierceness in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) on Nov. 5 prior to his successful 3-year-old debut.
“I was happy with their performance. I thought Muth was going to be up there early like he was at Del Mar, but the other horse (Pilot Commander) was quicker away from there,’’ Baffert said after his 13th San Vicente win. “I thought he would be stalking but Juan, he just took back and rode Muth with a lot of confidence.
“He knows his horse really well. I’m just glad it worked out. Pilot Commander he’s only had one race and he still ran a bang up race and I think he is going to get better as he goes along.”
1-5 Kopion Scores in Sunday’s Santa Ynez
Kopion ($2.40) pulled away from his three rivals in the stretch for a 5 ¾-length victory in the $100,000 Santa Ynez (G3) for 3-year-old fillies.
Trained by Richard Mandella, the heavy favorite was ridden by Flavien Prat. Kopion, a daughter of Omaha Beach, won in her debut at Del Mar on Nov. 26, and is 2-for-2 for owner Spendthrift Farm.
The filly earned 10 points on the road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May in the first Oaks qualifier of 2024.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
