Varda

Year after year, two-time Triple Crown-winning conditioner Bob Baffert has some of the country's top runners in his shedrow and 2021 is no exception. The Hall of Famer has a plethora of possible GI Kentucky Derby runners; a few possible GI Kentucky Oaks contenders; the reigning champion female sprinter; and several exciting unraced prospects. You never know when Baffert will unleash the next superstar or which of his horses will be on top by the first weekend in May, but you can count on him having a live contender in...

With the year having just begun, it will take a while for the picture for the GI Kentucky Oaks to come into focus. For now, the fillies who thrived last year dominate this Top 10 list, but that can, and likely will, change as the calendar works its way toward the first Friday in May and new names emerge in the major preps for the Oaks. It is, at the very least, a solid group, headed by GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Vequist, who will be named the champion...

After Charlatan (Speightstown) worked a half-mile Saturday in :49.80 at Santa Anita, trainer Bob Baffert reported that his Grade I winner will likely make his next start in the Feb. 20 Saudi Cup. Charlatan is coming off a dominant win against a quality field in the Dec. 26 GI Runhappy Malibu S., his first after being sidelined following the GI Arkansas Derby May 2. Charlatan has been invited to the GI Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream, but will likely pass that race. Should Charlatan pass the Pegasus,...

The GII Santa Ynez S. at Santa Anita Sunday looks like Bob Baffert's race to lose as he saddles four of the seven runners in the field, including Grade I winner Varda (Distorted Humor). A debut winner at Del Mar Aug. 30, the $700,000 OBSAPR buy was second to recently retired stablemate Princess Noor (Not This Time) when navigating two turns in the Sept. 26 GII Chandelier S. in Arcadia. The bay rallied to victory at odds of 17-1 in the Dec. 5 GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos, defeating...

Bob Baffert was favored to win his fourth straight renewal of the GI Starlet S. at Los Alamitos Saturday...just with a different horse. Grade I-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Princess Noor (Not This Time) was favored to rebound off a fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 6, but instead was pulled up and her stablemate Varda (Distorted Humor) took up the baton, springing a 17-1 upset. It was also the fourth consecutive Starlet victory for winning pilot Drayden Van Dyke and the second for Susan and Charlie Chu's...

3rd-Del Mar, $55,000, Msw, 8-30, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.67, ft. VARDA (f, 2, Distorted Humor--She'll Be Right, by Sky Mesa), sent off at 5-1 in this debut, battled with I'm the Boss of Me (Midshipman) just in front to her inside for the first quarter mile and soon led by a half-length. After a half in :46.36, she jetted away from her foes to win going away by 3 1/4 lengths. Heels Up (Twirling Candy) ran second, 7 1/2 lengths in front of I'm the Boss of Me. The $700,000...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency FULL BRO TO ANALYZE IT UNVEILED BY BROWN AND PARCELLS 10th-SAR, $72K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 6:18 p.m. ET Shirelle (Point of Entry) will carry the colors of Bill Parcells's August Dawn Farm for this first go. The $150,000 KEESEP yearling is a full brother to Brown-trained Analyze It, a 6 1/4-length debut romper in October of his juvenile season, earning 'TDN Rising Star' honors. Analyze It took a pair of Grade III events in his next starts, and just missed in a trio of...