After a disappointing effort in last month's Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga, Bob Baffert was not initially planning to run National Treasure back in Saturday's G1 Awesome Again in what will be his first race against older horses.
Things changed once Baffert saw National Treasure produce two encouraging works once back at Santa Anita.
“If they're training well, I enter them,” Baffert said Friday morning.
In the 1 ¼-mile Travers Aug. 26, National Treasure raced without the blinkers he had worn in most previous races including the Preakness. Catching a muddy track at Saratoga, National Treasure was forwardly placed for a half mile but then quickly retreated to finish last of five. Baffert had no answers for the lackluster effort.
“The Travers was a puzzling race. Not once was he in the bridle,” Baffert said. “You can draw a line through that one.”
Following his return to Santa Anita, National Treasure worked three furlongs in :36.80 on Sept. 18 and four furlongs in :48.20 on Monday. He will be re-fitted in blinkers for the Awesome Again.
“I think they give him more focus,” said Baffert, who has won the previous three Awesome Again's and eight overall.
National Treasure will be joined in the starting gate by stablemate Defunded, winner of last year's Awesome Again for Baffert and the 2-1 morning-line favorite.
Defunded, winner of the G1 Hollywood Gold Cup here May 29, enters off two disappointing efforts at Del Mar in the G2 San Diego Handicap July 29 and G1 Pacific Classic on Sept. 2.
“He just doesn't seem to like it down there, but he's come back and trained well,” Baffert said.
Defunded's recent works includes a bullet four-furlong drill in 47.0 seconds here on Sunday.
While Defunded has been ridden by Juan Hernandez for his previous five starts, including the Hollywood Gold Cup, Santa Anita's leading rider on Saturday will instead ride National Treasure for the first time. Edwin Maldonado has the call on Defunded.
There are plenty of familiar faces in the Awesome Again, but one newcomer to the California stakes ranks is Celestial Moon for Mark Glatt. Celestial Moon made his first six starts in New York where he was an allowance winner for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Celestial Moon made his way to the Glatt barn after Edge Racing purchased the 4-year-old Malibu Moon colt for $145,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale.
In his first start for Glatt, a second-level allowance going a mile at Del Mar Sept. 23, Celestial Moon was a sharp 1 ¾-length winner under Maldonado. On Saturday, Antonio Fresu takes over in the irons.
“He's a horse that seems to be on the improve,” Glatt said. “We thought he ran exceptionally well first time we ran him. He's certainly facing a much different class of horse. But maybe it's fair to say that some of the horses going in there aren't in the best of form. If you're not in it you can't win it.”
The Awesome Again goes as the eighth race on Saturday's 10-race card. Post time is scheduled for 4:41 p.m. Pacific.
The field in post position order:
- Senor Buscador, Geovanni Franco (5-1);
- Defunded, Edwin Maldonado (2-1);
- Slow Down Andy, Mario Gutierrez (5-2);
- Skinner, Mike Smith (8-1);
- Bye Bye Bobby, Drayden Van Dyke (15-1);
- Celestial Moon, Antonio Fresu (30-1);
- National Treasure, Juan Hernandez (4-1);
- Piroli, Umberto Rispoli (12-1);
- Stilleto Boy, Kent Desormeaux (6-1).
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