Doppelganger

Four of Bob Baffert's GI Kentucky Derby prospects will be transferred to other trainers, according to a press release issued by Baffert Thursday morning. 'TDN Rising Star' Messier (Empire Maker), 'Rising Star' Doppelganger (Into Mischief) and McLaren Vale (Gun Runner) are being sent to trainer Tim Yakteen, and will remain in Southern California. Blackadder (Quality Road) has already left California and will be sent to the barn of Rodolphe Brissett in Kentucky. Yakteen is a longtime former assistant of Baffert's, having last worked for him in 2004. Under the suspension...

Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) upset the highly touted Bob Baffert trio to register a front-running victory in Santa Anita's GII San Vicente S. Saturday. Longshot What in Blazes (Straight Fire) burst from the outside post in this five-horse affair with the rest of the field breaking in tandem to his inside. Forbidden Kingdom sprinted up the fence to take command with Grade I winner Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) and his stablemate McLaren Vale (Gun Runner) tracking from about a half-length back through a :21.86 opening quarter. 'TDN Rising Star' Doppelganger (Into...

Bob Baffert has won Santa Anita's GII San Vicente S. 11 times and has a pretty good chance to secure his 12th victory Saturday when he saddles three of the five runners entered in this year's renewal. Leading that trio is last term's GI Del Mar Futurity S. winner Pinehurst (Twirling Candy). A debut winner at the seaside oval Aug. 1, the bay went wire-to-wire for a 4 1/2-length score in the Sept. 6 Futurity, but could only manage fifth behind stablemate and likely champion Corniche (Quality Road) in the...

Mr. Baffert, c, 2, Bodemeister--Commandaria, by Smart Strike. Monterrico, 11-14, Maiden, 1000m. B-Sanford Robertson (KY). The one and only Mr. Bob Baffert has had quite a share of intriguingly named winners in the last few weeks. Incidentally, Baffert is himself the namesake of a brilliant Peruvian (and U.S.-bred) colt by his old alumnus Bodemeister--the 2-year-old being a fast horse who won by almost five lengths at five furlongs on his racetrack debut (from another hemisphere in more ways than one?). 8th-Los Alamitos, $54,312, Msw, 12-11, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.21, ft, 3...

Sent off the 1-2 jolly to opening his account at first asking, Doppelganger (Into Mischief) never felt a crack of jockey Flavien Prat's whip and cruised home a 3 1/2-length winner to become yet another 'TDN Rising Star' for his all-conquering sire. Assigned gate one for the unveiling, the blinkered bay played pinball on three occasions with Asphalt Andy (Tapiture) to the outside, costing him any chance to make the lead, but he settled kindly and traveled comfortably while behind horses into the turn. Going well approaching the long stretch...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency PRICEY NYQUIST DEBUTS AT LOS AL 5th-LRC, $52K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 4:58 p.m. Mick Ruis went to $510,000 at KEESEP to acquire WAITING ON WENDY (Nyquist) and she debuts here for his daughter Shelbe Ruis. The bay is a half to GSW & GISP Divine Miss Grey (Divine Park) and GSP Divine Dawn (Divine Park). Their dam is a hald to MGSW & MGISP Noble Court (Doneraile Court). This is also the family of GISW Complexity (Maclean's Music) and GSW & GISP Valadorna (Curlin)....