The New York Racing Association announced Thursday that SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables' Pinehurst is preparing to make his East Coast debut in the six-furlong Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam on July 31 at Saratoga.
While under the care of trainer Bob Baffert, the 3-year-old son of Twirling Candy won the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity and the Group 3 Saudi Derby, then finished 16th in the Group 2 UAE Derby on the Dubai World Cup undercard on March 26 at Meydan Racecourse.
Baffert was suspended by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission from April 4, 2022, through July 3, 2022, a sentence that was reciprocated across other racing jurisdictions. The suspension was handed down due to a medication violation detected in a post-race test on 2021 Kentucky Derby (G1) first-place finisher Medina Spirit. The late colt, who tested positive for betamethasone after the Derby, was disqualified from his win and his share of the purse money was redistributed, with second-place finisher Mandaloun declared the official winner.
During Baffert's suspension, Pinehurst breezed eight times at Santa Anita Park. Equibase does not list the name of a horse's trainer when posting workouts, but the colt was videoed by XBTV working under the saddle towel of trainer Sean McCarthy, who took over the majority of Baffert's stable.
Since Baffert's KHRC suspension ended on July 3, Pinehurst has twice been videoed breezing under Baffert's colors, including his most recent six-furlong move on July 17, 2022, in 1:12.40.
Pinehurst was also nominated to the G1 Haskell under Baffert's name, but was not entered.
In late June, Baffert was banned from all NYRA tracks for 365 days (through Jan. 25, 2023).
Shipped to Saratoga this week, Pinehurst is now in the barn of conditioner John Terranova, and will race in the Amsterdam under that trainer's name.
Terranova told NYRA's press office he is excited to see what Pinehurst can do in the Amsterdam.
“He's a nice, big and beautiful horse,” said Terranova. “We're hoping for a nice work over the weekend and then we'll be ready for the Amsterdam.”
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