Back at the site of his GII Los Alamitos Futurity upset last December, Wynstock returned to the Los Alamitos winner's circle Saturday in perhaps the most unlikely way. Entered off three straight disappointing efforts in the GIII Southwest Stakes, the GI Santa Anita Derby and most recently, the Desert Code Stakes on turf at Santa Anita May 19, one of two Bob Baffert runners had previously done his best running from the front. But he was outrun to the front by race favorite Tapalo (Tapiture) who rocketed out to a large margin as Wynstock was relegated to second through the opening half in :46.20. As Tapalo continued all alone into the far turn, Wynstock and his stablemate Cornell began to find their best strides and were able to begin a sustained drive passing the quarter pole. The leader, who looked home free, began to drop anchor and wandered to the center of the stretch as Wynstock rode the rail and Cornell came outside to split him. The pair came into the final sixteenth together and, despite being on nearly separate sides of the track, needed a photo to be separated on the line with Wynstock just edging out his stablemate.
“I thought Wynstock's only chance was to be on the lead, but he runs well here because he likes a firmer surface,” said Baffert. “He could not make the lead, so [jockey Kyle Frey] just grabbed him and [Tapalo] was out there by himself and I knew Cornell was going to make a run. Down the stretch, I thought Cornell was going to cut the corner, but he stayed outside and [Tapalo] was drifting him out and then I saw a horse flying on the inside and I thought, 'Son of a gun', and then I realized 'Oh, that's my horse, he came back.' We know Wynstock has a lot of talent. It's mental with him. I'm just happy we won and ran 1-2. It's nice to come here and win this race, especially for [Los Alamitos owner] Doc [Dr. Ed Allred]. I'm a big fan of his. It's nice to hang with him and reminisce and tell old stories.”
One of four stakes winners for Solomini, Wynstock is out of a half-sister to GSW Untrapped (Trappe Shot) and from the family of the late Tale of the Cat. Wynstock now has a yearling half-sister by Mo Town while his dam reported a full-sister this year. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
It was a @BobBaffert trainee exacta in an extremely close finish in the $100,000 Los Alamitos Derby at @losalracing! WYNSTOCK ($10.80) held off Cornell for the win! @FreytheF was in the saddle.
Catch the Lucky Last: https://t.co/UZoLIUWypE pic.twitter.com/fy6LvSl7gd
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) June 29, 2024
LOS ALAMITOS DERBY, $100,000, Los Alamitos, 6-29, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.51, ft.
1–WYNSTOCK, 122, c, 3, by Solomini
1st Dam: Timberlea, by Flatter
2nd Dam: Exit Three, by Giant's Causeway
3rd Dam: Castanea, by Horse Chestnut (Saf)
($50,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $700,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). O-Edward
Allred and Jack Liebau; B-Empire Equines, LLC (NY); T-Bob
Baffert; J-Kyle Frey. $60,000. Lifetime Record: GSW, 8-3-0-0,
$243,740.
2–Cornell, 119, c, 3, Into Mischief–Banree, by Macho Uno.
($675,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing,
Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor,
Robert E. Masterson, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine
Donovan and Tom J. Ryan; B-Pippa's Hurricane LLC (KY);
T-Bob Baffert. $20,000.
3–Curlin's Kaos, 119, g, 3, Clubhouse Ride–It's Vengeance, by
Curlin. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Zephyr Racing LLC and Alfred Pais;
B-James Shenouda & Alfred Pais (CA); T-Antonio C. Garcia.
$12,000.
Margins: NO, 5, NO. Odds: 4.40, 3.00, 6.10.
Also Ran: Tapalo, Kamaina Cruiser.
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