Jill Baffert and Connie Pageler's Fun to Dream, beaten just once now in six trips to the post, scored her first graded victory with a determined win in the GI La Brea S. at Santa Anita Monday.
Fun to Dream shadowed the pacesetters three wide down the backstretch. She stuck her head in front at the top of the lane and held Awake at Midnyte–the only horse so far to have finished in front of her–at bay down to the wire to score by 3/4 lengths.
“This horse is getting really, really good,” said winning jockey Juan Hernandez. “She's improving a lot, and she's shown up in her last couple of starts. Today, she was traveling very smoothly on the back side, and she broke sharp. Then after that, I felt like I had a ton of control. Turning for home I asked her to switch leads and pick it up, and she did the rest.”
Winning trainer–and co-breeder–Bob Baffert saddled four of the seven fillies in the La Brea and was earning his record ninth win in the race, as well as his fourth victory on Santa Anita's opening-day card Monday.
“All the fillies, they were doing so well, and I was hoping that one of them would get there and she just got the perfect trip, outside,” Baffert said. “Juan just sat there, and you could tell he was loving it, turning for home. I'm sitting next to my wife Jill, and she can't believe what she's seeing.”
The Cal-bred Fun to Dream, who was bred by Bob Baffert and Pageler, was a debut winner in May, and captured the Fleet Treat S. in her second outing in July. She suffered her first loss when second, but disqualified to ninth, behind Awake at Midnyte in a Sept. 4 optional claimer at Del Mar. She stretched out to 1 1/16 miles and returned to the winner's circle with a 4 3/4-length victory in an Oct. 1 optional claimer and was coming off a narrow victory against state-bred foes in the seven-furlong Betty Grable S. at Del Mar Nov. 13.
“You breed these horses, hoping for this moment,” Baffert said. “Arrogate, I had to breed a mare to him and now, she is a Grade I winner. It looks like she's just getting better and better. She doesn't know she's a Cal-bred.”
Pedigree Notes:
Bob Baffert claimed Lutess on behalf of Live Your Dream Racing for $8,000 out of her final career start in 2012. She is also the dam of multiple stakes winner Heck Yeah (Acclamation). She produced colts by Smiling Tiger in 2021 and 2022 and was bred back to that sire this year.
Fun to Dream is the fourth graded winner for the late Arrogate, who was represented by 2022 Grade I winners Cave Rock, And Tell Me Nolies, and Secret Oath.
Monday, Santa Anita
LA BREA S.-GI, $301,000, Santa Anita, 12-26, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:21.99, ft.
1–FUN TO DREAM, 120, f, 3, by Arrogate
1st Dam: Lutess, by Maria's Mon
2nd Dam: Alchema, by Menifee
3rd Dam: Madeira M'dear, by Black Tie Affair (Ire)
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O-Natalie J.
Baffert & Connie Pageler; B-Connie Pageler & Bob Baffert
(CA); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan J. Hernandez. $180,000. Lifetime
Record: 6-5-0-0, $426,590. *1/2 to Heck Yeah
(Acclamation), MSW, $397,949. Werk Nick Rating: B+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or
the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Awake At Midnyte, 120, f, 3, by Nyquist
1st Dam: Midnight Union, by Union Rags
2nd Dam: Midnight Visit, by Henny Hughes
3rd Dam: Open Window, by Trempolino
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($85,000 RNA Wlg '19 KEENOV;
$190,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT; $320,000 2yo '21 FTFMAR;
$485,000 RNA 3yo '22 FTKNOV). O-Reddam Racing LLC;
B-Forty Oaks (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $60,000.
3–Kirstenbosch, 120, f, 3, by Midnight Lute
1st Dam: Llandudno (GSP, $150,160), by Belong to Me
2nd Dam: And Guess What, by Kris S.
3rd Dam: T. V. Residual, by Pirate's Bounty
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Keith
Abrahams (KY); T-John W. Sadler. $36,000.
Margins: 3/4, 3 1/4, HF. Odds: 2.70, 7.00, 31.20.
Also Ran: Midnight Memories, Ganadora, Ain't Easy, Under the Stars. Scratched: Hot Peppers.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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