By Tim Wilkin
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has won the GI Travers Stakes three times, could be going for No. 4 in this year's Midsummer Derby
Baffert, speaking from his summer base at Del Mar in California, said that one of his 3-year-olds–Parenting (Justify) or Muth (Good Magic) who were both tabbed as 'TDN Rising Stars'–could represent him in the $1.25 million race at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 24.
“Potentially,” he said.
Parenting, owned by Wathnan Racing, was a $750,000 purchase at the 2023 Ocala 2-year-olds in training sale. He has won all three of his starts, including the listed Affirmed Stakes and an allowance last Sunday where he won by a neck in a race for 3-year-olds and up.
“This is a very good horse,” Baffert said. “I was very impressed with what he did. We missed the window with the (GI) Haskell and, luckily, this race was in the book. He got a good education. He could have gotten beat. They double teamed him from everywhere and he handled it well.”
Unraced as a 2-year-old, Parenting has won all three of his starts. The allowance race was a mile. The Affirmed Stakes, which he won by 7 1/2 lengths, was 1 1/16 miles and his maiden score, which saw him face 10 rivals, produced a 2 3/4-length victory.
“I am not going to rule it out,” Baffert said of the Travers. “Let's see how he comes out it. We have the Travers, we have the (GI) Pacific Classic. And we also have Muth.”
Parenting has never raced outside of California; Muth has.
Muth hasn't been seen since winning the GI Arkansas Derby on March 30. He was the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the GI Preakness Stakes but was scratched the Wednesday before the race at Pimlico when he spiked a fever.
Baffert said it took a while for Muth, owned by Zedan Racing Stables Inc., to recover.
“He was really sick,” Baffert said. “We had to keep him on antibiotics for two weeks before he fully got over it. He is getting back slowly. The endgame for both of these horses is that I want them to be ready for the Breeders' Cup. They will let me know when they are ready to roll.”
Baffert won the Travers in 2001 with Point Given, 2016 with Arrogate and 2017 with West Coast. He has run three horses since then with Mucho Gusto's third place finish in 2019 the best. He was fifth last year with National Treasure, who is running in Saturday's GI Whitney Stakes.
Pletcher Has A Trio For Saturday's Whitney
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will have three chances to win Saturday's GI Whitney Stakes for a record-tying fifth time.
Bright Future | Sarah Andrew
Bright Future (Curlin), Crupi (Curlin) and 'TDN Rising Star' Charge It (Tapit) will be in the starting gate for Pletcher, who last won the prestigious race for older horses in 2022 with Life Is Good. His other Whitney wins came in 2013 (Cross Traffic), 2007 (Lawyer Ron) and 2002 (Left Bank).
John M. Gaver Sr. holds the record for most Whitney victories with five.
Bright Future looks to have the best chance of getting Pletcher to the winner's circle as he is 5-1 third choice on the Whitney morning line behind National Treasure (Quality Road, 9-5) and First Mission (Street Sense, 9-2).
Bright Future, owned by Repole Stable, has won both of his career starts at Saratoga, including the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup last year. He then finished sixth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic–beaten 3 3.4 lengths–and then was not seen until last month.
He won the GIII Salvatore Mile Stakes at Monmouth by 1 3/4 lengths.
“He showed last year that he is a legitimate Grade I horse,” Pletcher said outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track. “He didn't seem to fire his 'A' race in the Breeders' Cup for whatever reason. I think he fits with the top of the division. I like the way he has trained since (the Salvator Mile) and he seems to like this track. Hopefully he has another move forward in him.”
Giddings Savors First Training Win At Saratoga
The first one is always the most special. Or so they say.
Melanie Giddings, in her second full year as a trainer, finally got to the winner's circle at Saratoga when Scaramanga (Munnings) won Sunday's eighth race, a $30,000 claimer, by a length.
It was her first win in 16 career starts at Saratoga spanning two seasons.
Melanie Giddings with Gordo | Sarah Andrew
“That race was a lot of fun,” Giddings said Wednesday morning at her barn on the Oklahoma Training Track. “There was really no pressure. I own half the horse and we were kind of a longshot (13-1). I thought he had been doing better and, he obviously showed that.”
Scaramanga, a 3-year-old New York-bred gelding, was claimed after the race and is now in the barn of trainer Jimmy Ferraro.
“That's OK,” Giddings said with a smile. “That's the game.”
Giddings was the trainer of Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic), who tragically broke down in the shadow of the wire in last year's GI Test Stakes on Whitney weekend. Giddings, of course, still holds a soft spot in her heart for the brave Maple Leaf Mel, but life moves on.
She has 18 horses at Saratoga and another 14 at Belmont Park. And now she has her first winner.
What made it even more special was Scaramanga was ridden by her boyfriend, jockey Shaun Bridgmohan. It was his first win at the Spa since Break Even won the Coronation Cup Stakes on July 14, 2019.
He had had just 18 mounts over the last two seasons before Sunday's win.
“I never found a winner's circle that wasn't special,” Bridgmohan said, smiling, at the barn.
“It was even better having Shaun up,” Giddings said. “I don't ever worry when he rides a horse for me. He has had plenty of winners here in the past. He is still a very good rider; he just doesn't ride a lot.”
Giddings had two runners on Wednesday's card but was not able to duplicate Sunday. She'll keep trying.
“This is a tough place for anybody,” she said. “It doesn't matter … jocks, trainers … it's hard to win here. It was nice to finally get it off my back.”
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