ARCADIA — Even for Bob Baffert, master of a barn bursting with fast horses, entering five in one race is an extraordinary move.
But such is the allure of the Malibu Stakes, the biggest of six graded stakes on Santa Anita’s season-opening card Sunday, that Baffert finds himself entering Barnes, Cornucopian, Goal Oriented, Madaket Road and Midland Money and thus commanding half of the field of 3-year-olds.
“You hate to do that,” the Hall of Fame trainer said of having so many of his horses square off, including three owned by the partnership of SF Racing Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables. “But the Malibu has always been a very important race to (win).”
That’s because the Malibu, a $300,000 race at the proverbial “elongated sprint” distance of 7 furlongs, is the last chance for a colt to enhance his future breeding value by earning a first Grade I victory against others of his age before having to face older horses after Jan. 1.
The Malibu will be the 10th of 11 races on an 11 a.m. card delayed two days by this week’s storms in Southern California.
The 10-horse field includes Richard Baltas-trained Modus Bestia (Edwin Maldonado riding) – whom Baffert singled out for praise – as well as Phil D’Amato’s Speedy Wilson (Armando Ayuso), Steve Knapp’s Berlin Wall (Tiago Pereira), Karen Headley’s Smooth Cruisein (Kyle Frey) and Dan McFarlane’s Spenard (Tyler Baze).
But most bettors will assume they’ll have the winner if they can sort out the five trained by Baffert, who has won six of the past 14 Malibus.
A half-hour spent talking with Baffert at his Santa Anita barn one morning this week left the impression that Cornucopian (7-2 on the morning line, to be ridden by Flavien Prat) is the most talented in his basketball lineup; the recent Keeneland stakes winner Barnes (3-1 favorite, Jose Ortiz) and a freshened Madaket Road (5-1, Irad Ortiz Jr.) are the others most likely to fire their best shots; Midland Money (7-2, Juan Hernandez) is improving since learning to relax early in races; and Goal Oriented (5-1, Joel Rosario) is better suited to more distance but could rally if a fast pace tires the leaders.
Cornucopian, a son of Into Mischief owned by the SF Racing partnership, scored a fast debut win at Oaklawn Park in February before tiring from an early duel to finish fourth behind Sandman in the Arkansas Derby in late March, and then needed a break after an allowance-level defeat in April. Baffert said he didn’t think Cornucopian would be fit for the Malibu until he put in a sharp 6-furlong workout Dec. 20.
“Then I decided he would be ready for it,” the trainer said.
Baffert will be trying to match or improve on the 2002 Del Mar Futurity, in which he started five 2-year-olds and ran first – with Icecoldbeeratreds ($13.40) and jockey David Flores – second, third, fourth and … sixth.
Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella had five in the 1997 Hollywood Gold Cup, running first – Gentlemen ($5.20) and Gary Stevens – second, third … and fifth and sixth.
D. Wayne Lukas, Nick Zito and Todd Pletcher have started five horses in a single Kentucky Derby, with only Lukas winning the race that way, in 1996 with Grindstone ($13.80 in a two-horse coupled entry) and Jerry Bailey.
No trainer has run 1-2-3-4-5 in a U.S. Grade I stakes, but Michael Dickinson did it at the highest level of British steeplechase racing in the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup, led by 100-30 favorite Bregawn and rider Graham Bradley.
Of his own chances Sunday, Baffert said. “I’ve got ’em surrounded. But I don’t get ahead of myself. … It’s all settled on the track.”
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