Bob Baffert

Authentic's Kalea Bay Strolls Home to Break Maiden

2nd-Santa Anita, $54,500, Msw, 9-28, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.67, ft, 8 1/2 lengths. KALEA BAY (c, 2, Authentic--For Royalty {SW}, by Not For Love), who had placed in a pair of Del Mar maidens this summer, made it third time lucky under Flavien Prat here. Despite bumping with Smartier (Liam's Map) in the initial strides, the prohibitive 3-10 favorite in the field of six assumed command and set demanding fractions of :21.63 and :44.45 while unchallenged. Given his cue turning for home, he opened up his advantage over his toiling rivals...

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Inaugural California Crown Highlights Massive Weekend of Racing

With just a neck separating National Treasure (Quality Road) and Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) in a thrilling renewal of the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes back in January, the two will meet for the third time this season in Saturday's inaugural GI California Crown Stakes at Santa Anita. Senor Buscador turned the tables on National Treasure and delivered a come-from-behind head victory in the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup Feb. 24, then was a well-beaten third in the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup. Given plenty of time to bounce back following...

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Adare Manor Retires, To Sell at Fasig-Tipton Night of the Stars

Adare Manor (Uncle Mo--Brooklynsway, by Gian't Gizmo), a three-time Grade I-winning five-year-old mare who has won 10 of 18 starts over a 4-year campaign which included eight graded stakes wins, will skip a date with the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff and be retired and sold at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale on Nov. 4, according to her trainer, Bob Baffert. She will be offered by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa as agent. "She is retiring healthy," said Baffert. "It's more a matter of timing than anything else." Adare Manor won three...

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Tiz The Law Filly Powers To First Out Win At Los Alamitos

1st-Los Alamitos, $39,200, Msw, 9-21, 2yo, f, 5f, :57.18, ft, 10 lengths. SILENT LAW (f, 2, Tiz the Law--Southern Silence, by Dixie Union), facing three others after a scratch, ran to her 10 cents on the dollar odds in the end. However, the filly brushed the gate when she exited the stall and that allowed Special Look (Candy Ride {Arg}) to set the tone. Before the far turn though, the 2-year-old began to turn up the heat, she continued to accelerate entering the lane and won for fun by 10...

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Aidan O'Brien Joins TDN Writers' Room Podcast

Aidan O'Brien has never won the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. But it hasn't been from a lack of effort. He's had 13 starters in the race and has run some very good horses, including Galileo (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and Giant's Causeway (Storm Cat). But his luck could very well change this year as he will take aim at the Classic with one of the best horses of this generation. The O'Brien trained City of Troy (Justify) has had an outstanding campaign in Europe, winning six of seven starts, including four...

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Del Mar Concludes Strong Summer Season; Hernandez, Baffert Earn Repeat Titles

Del Mar concluded its 85th summer racing season Sunday as the seaside track once again recorded strong field sizes and average daily handle as well as the highest daily purses in the state of California. Del Mar averaged 8.6 starters per race and $831,000 per day in total purse distribution. Total wagering for the meet was $502,985,000, a slight decrease from last summer after Del Mar implemented new restrictions on computer-assisted wagering (CAW) players in 2024. Average daily handle was $16,225,000. Track officials indicated that the handle figures were in...

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Gaming The Real Deal In Del Mar Futurity Win

For the 18th time, the GI Del Mar Futurity belongs to trainer Bob Baffert. The Hall of Fame trainer sent three horses to post Sunday in Del Mar's Closing Day feature and, while race favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Getaway Car (Curlin) was the expected winner, it was 7-2 shot Gaming (Game Winner) who stole the spotlight. He lined up facing not just his own talented stablemates (including the aforementioned favorite along with Citizen Bull {Into Mischief}) but also another gate-to-wire maiden winner in McKinzie Street (McKinzie) for Tim Yakteen....

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Nyquist's Tenma Up in Time in Del Mar Debutante

.      The lesser-preferred half of a Bob Baffert-trained pair, Baoma Corp's Tenma (Nyquist) was shoved across the wire first by jockey Kazushi Kimura to take out Saturday's GI Del Mar Debutante on the penultimate day of the summer meeting at the seaside oval. Vodka With a Twist (Thousand Words) carried a clear advantage into the final furlong, but was chinned on the wire while finishing a block ahead of longshot So There She Was (Munnings) in third. The disappointment of the race was 'TDN Rising Star' Nooni (Win Win...

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It's 'Getaway' Day At Del Mar

It's the final day of the meet where the 'turf meets the surf' where trainer Bob Baffert will likely finish the afternoon with an unprecedented 18th winner of the GI Del Mar Futurity, the final major contest of the season before the track gets all decked out in purple for the arrival of the Breeders' Cup in early November. The Hall of Famer saddles three of Sunday's seven intended runners, each capable of walking away with the victory on their best. 'TDN Rising Star' Getaway Car (Curlin) is the most...

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Sunday Racing Insights: McKinzie Filly Looks To Cash In With First Start By The Seaside

4th-DMR, $75K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 6:00 p.m. ET. CASH CALL (McKinzie) makes her first start for CSLR Racing and trainer Bob Baffert. Bred by Brent Harris and Beth Harris, the filly went for $600,000 at the OBS April Sale after she clocked :20 1/5 during the under tack show. The debut runner's dam is D'Fashion (D'wildcat), who out of her eight foals has five to race with as many winners, including MSW Strategic Dreams (Archarcharch). TJCIS PPS

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Sales-Topping Nooni Goes For Three Straight In DMR Debutante

It's been nearly 30 years since trainer Bob Baffert won his first GI Del Mar Debutante Stakes with Batroyale back in 1995. The Hall of Fame conditioner looks to have a stranglehold on this year's renewal of the seven-furlong contest, as he sends out a pair of big-money fillies, each campaigned by previous Debutante scorers. Front and center is 'TDN Rising Star' Nooni (Win Win Win), the $1.8-million topper from this year's OBS March Sale, who looks to become the second winner of the event in the last four years...

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Saturday Insights: Baffert Brings A Strong Hand Into Del Mar's Closing Weekend

3rd-DMR, 75K, Msw, 2yo, 1mT, 5:30 p.m. One of two entries for trainer Bob Baffert, the New York-bred ZABO (Justify) sold to Zedan Racing for $700,000 at OBS March earlier this year from the Chester and Mary Broman consignment. The colt is the first foal out of MSW/GSP Pauseforthecause (Giant's Causeway) who earned nearly $550,000 in her career and is herself a daughter of MSW/GISP Spritely (Touch Gold). After bringing just $100,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September, Zabo impressed with a sharp quarter-mile breeze in :20.2. Joining him to...

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