Bob Baffert © Del Mar Photo

ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO FOR 6^TH BAFFERT DEBUTANTE-FUTURITY SWEEP

The impressive victory by Bast in Saturday’s Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante has given Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a chance at sweeping the season-ending races that determine the juvenile division champions here.

If either Eight Rings, the 5-2 morning line favorite, or Garth, the 5-1 co-third choice, win Monday’s Grade I $300,000 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity, it would be the sixth time Baffert trainees will have accomplished the feat.

The others, in chronological order: Vivid Angel-Souvenir Copy (1997), Excellent Meeting-Worldly Manner (1998), Chilukki-Forest Camp (1999), Habibti-Officer (2001) and Executive Privilege-Rolling Fog (2012).

Bast provided Baffert with his eighth Debutante victory but his first since Executive Privilege seven years earlier. The filly, a daughter of Uncle Mo who was a $500,000 purchase at auction in August of 2018, took the lead on the turn in the seven-furlong Debutante and left the pursuit 8 ¾ lengths in arrears when she crossed the finish line under Drayden Van Dyke.

“The Baffert filly just ran a super race,” said Juan Leyva, assistant to trainer John Sadler, who saddled runner-up Inspiressa. “Our filly ran well, but it wasn’t her day.”

Baffert said Bast came out of the race, “Like nothing happened,” and licked the feed tub clean. Leyva reported that Inspiressa also came out of the race in good order.

So it’s on to Monday’s Futurity, where Baffert is seeking to extend his record number of victories to 15. Safe to say racing historians would have to take a deep dive into the books to find a trainer who has counted that many wins in a race of similar import.

Baffert won seven straight from 1996 to 2002 then had a five-year lapse through the first year of the Polytrack era and has been a major presence whether the surface was synthetic or, since 2015, back on dirt.

With the exception of 2010, Baffert has won the Futurity every even-numbered year since 2008. The list reads: Midshipman (2008), Rolling Fog (2012), American Pharoah (2014), Klimt (2016) and Game Winner last year.

Baffert also threw in odd-year wins with Lookin At Lucky (2009) and Drill (2011). And in recent years there’s been a pattern for Baffert’s Futurity winners that both Eight Rings and Garth fit to extend. That is: run once over the track, often a racing debut, then go straight to the Futurity.

In 2008, Midshipman won at first asking as the 3-1 favorite and went on to win the Futurity at 6-1. Most famously, American Pharoah  was fifth in his racing debut but returned to win the Futurity to start a winning streak that carried him to becoming the first Triple Crown champion in 37 years.

Eight Rings, a $520,000 purchase at the Keeneland September sale a year ago, was the talk of the backstretch when the meet opened and fired two bullet works here before the son of Empire Maker made his racing debut August 4. He took the 5 ½ furlong maiden special by 6 ¼ lengths, earning a 94 Beyer figure, while Drayden Van Dyke was more passenger than pilot.

Garth, a Godolphin homebred son of Into Mischief, strung together four bullet works before his initial start on August 10. Sent out at odds of  1-5, Garth bobbled at the start, ranged up to lead by a head entering the stretch, then finished second to fellow Futurity entrant Storm the Court.

“They’re both doing well, one will be favored and the other will be close, so I just hope they run to their odds,” Baffert said earlier this week. “Garth’s race was a real head-scratcher.  We thought for sure he would win, but before they run you never know.”

TRACKING THE JOCKEY AND TRAINER RACES

In Saturday’s Grade II $200,000 John C. Mabee Stakes, Flavien Prat got Vasilika up at the wire for a victory margin that the photo showed to be somewhere in the millimeter range over Juliet Foxtrot, ridden by Drayden Van Dyke.

It wouldn’t have been that close, Prat and his agent Derek Lawson contended Sunday morning, if Vasilika hadn’t been bothered by third-place finisher Toinette during the stretch run. But it was a victory for meet-leader Prat over No. 2 Van Dyke and kept Prat’s advantage at a comfortable nine wins, 38-29, entering the final two days of the meeting.

Lawson stated at the outset of the meeting that the goal for Prat was 40 wins and it appears very reachable. Prat and Van Dyke are both booked on five mounts Sunday and will go head-to-head in four races.

The lineups: Prat- Encoder (3^rd, 9-5), Nomizar (6^th, 3-1), Double Touch (7^th, 7-2), Aqua Seaform Shame (8^th, 8-1) and Nolo Contesto (9^th, 8-1); Van Dyke- Billy Batts (3^rd, 7-2), Media Blitz (5^th, 6-1), North County Guy (7^th, 9-2), Scarlet Lips (8^th, 3-1) and Moody Jim (9^th, 5-1).

Training leader Doug O’Neill saddled two winners Saturday to one for Peter Miller and none for Richard Baltas. O’Neill is in front by four over Miller and Baltas 21-17. O’Neill has five and Miller four to saddle on the Sunday card. Baltas will be busier with eight representatives scheduled.

The lineups: O’Neill – Raging Whiskey (3^rd, 6-1), War Beast (5^th, 8-1), Nomizar (6^th, 3-1), Shes All Woman (6^th, 4-1) and Parsimony (9^th, 15-1); Baltas – Kylemore (4^th, 5-2), Drasario (5^th, 6-1), Offshore (7^th, 8-1), North County Guy (7^th, 9-2), A G Indy (8^th, 8-1), Aqua Seaform Shame (8^th, 8-1), Neptune’s Storm (9^th, 7-2); Miller – El Tigre Terrible (1^st, 3-1), Billy Batts (3^rd, 7-2), Missmachupicchu (6^th, 6-1) and Mainframe Judy (10^th, 5-2).

TRAINER DAN HENDRICKS WILL RUN HIS LAST HORSE TODAY AT DEL MAR

Dan Hendricks, who has trained horses on the Southern California circuit since 1981, will send out his last starter this afternoon when R L Stable’s Matson goes postward in the 10th race, a $50,000 maiden-claimer for 2-year-olds.

“Don’t really have any plans,” said the 61-year-old conditioner when asked about his decision. “Time to take a break. Going to clean things up around here, then spend some time traveling. We’ll see what comes next after that.”

Going into today, Equibase statistics show that during his career the Los Angeles native has started 4,890 horses, won 734 races and had purse earnings of $32,170,947.

He followed his father Lee and uncle Byron (who were twins) into training. His first job at the track was with the late trainer Willard Proctor and he spent nine years as an assistant with Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella prior to going out on his own in 1987.

Among his major stakes winners were millionaire Brother Derek, victorious in the Santa Anita Derby; millionaire Om, winner of the Del Mar Derby, and Daytona, hero of the Hollywood Derby. He also registered notable stakes scores with Runaway Dancer, Smooth Player, Private Persuasion and Stylish Star.

Hendricks was involved in a serious motocross accident in 2004 and was paralyzed from the waist down. He adapted to an electric wheelchair and was back training horses six weeks after the mishap.

When asked what would be the toughest part of his upcoming new life, the wry conditioner said: “Learning how to sleep in in the mornings.”

SCRATCHES REDUCE JUVENILE TURF FIELD TO FIVE

The scratches of Hit the Road and Croughavouke trimmed the field for the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf to five on Sunday’s card.

Trainer Dan Blacker reported that Hit the Road had a cough. Trainer Jeff Mullins had previously indicated that Croughavouke, a filly he entered in both the Juvenile Turf and Monday’s Juvenile Fillies Turf, would run in the Monday race.

The Juvenile Turf, a mile on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, is the third on Sunday’s 10-race program.

CLOSERS – Vasilika came within twelve one-hundreds of a second of the stakes record in winning Saturday’s John C. Mabee. Vasilika’s time was 1:46.46 for 1 1/8-miles on turf. Precious Kitten has the record of 1:46.34 set in 2007 … Selected works from 113 officially timed Sunday morning: Acclimate (4f, :49.60), Ritzy A.P. (4f, :49.40), River Boyne (4f, :50.20), Danuska’s My Girl (5f, 1:03.60), Extra Hope (6f, 1:13.60).

DEL MAR STATISTICS

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Saturday, August 31, 2019 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Saturday, August 31, 2019 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Saturday, August 31, 2019 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 104 out of 277 -- 37.55%

Winning favorites on dirt -- 66 out of 164 -- 40.24%

Winning favorites on turf -- 38 out of 113 -- 33.63%

Winning odds-on favorites -- 28 out of 56 -- 50.00%

In-the-Money favorites -- 192 out of 277 -- 69.31%

In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 46 out of 56 -- 82.14%