The two were apparently not among a contingent of at least 11 other 3-year-old colts transferred out of Baffert's care prior to a Feb. 28 deadline that would have enabled them to accrue qualifying points and race in the May 6 Derby.

Those transitions were necessitated by a ban imposed by Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), that prohibits Baffert's trainees from garnering qualifying points or racing in the Derby while under Baffert's control.

CDI first imposed that two-year punishment in June 2021 because of a string of drug positives in horses Baffert trained, including two in CDI's most prominent races, the 2020 GI Kentucky Oaks and the 2021 Derby.

On Feb. 17, a federal judge denied Baffert a preliminary injunction that the Hall-of-Fame trainer had sought to be eligible to race in this year's Derby.

A Mar. 1 report by Ron Flatter in Horse Racing Nation quoted Baffert say saying that Cave Rock and Faustin were “still under my care” without any elaboration on their next-race targets.

Cave Rock was the beaten favorite when second in last November's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. That's the lone loss in his impressive four-race career, which includes Grade I victories in the Del Mar Futurity and American Pharoah S. He has two registered works this year, most recently going four furlongs in :49.40 (18.22) at Santa Anita Feb. 20.

Faustin is 1-for-2, having registered a stylish win on opening day of the Santa Anita winter/spring meet and a second in the Jan. 29 GII San Vicente S. He worked twice in February, most recently going five furlongs in a bullet :58.80 (1/46) at Santa Anita Feb. 18.

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Undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Cave Rock (Arrogate) cemented kingpin status with a thorough shellacking of the GI American Pharoah S. field at Santa Anita.

But fellow 'Rising Stars' Forte (Violence) and Loggins (Ghostzapper) might have delivered the more nuanced performances with their length-of-stretch slugfest in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. at Keeneland, which supplied both colts with valuable race-over-the-track experience heading into the Nov. 4 championship race.

Unleashing a 104 Beyer Speed Figure in his two-turn debut while never once appearing close to being fully extended, the pace-controlling Cave Rock toyed with a field of unproven quality en route to a 5 1/4-length romp for owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.

But even trainer Bob Baffert–whose juveniles are so consistently dominant that a 1-2-3-4 finish by all four of his entrants in Saturday's Grade I stakes seemed like a ho-hum occurrence–noted post-race that even though Cave Rock “keeps improving,” the immediacy of the Breeders' Cup, the colt's momentum, and a bit of luck at the post draw will all factor in to how the Juvenile unfolds.

“Right now, he's what you need. You need something that's right now, that's going to be good within the next 30 days,” Baffert said. “This horse had to run like that to go to the Breeders' Cup.”

Cave Rock, who races with his head slung low in a style reminiscent of his sire, confidently dictated the tempo through consecutive quarter-mile splits of :22.96, :23.86 and :24.25, with jockey Juan Hernandez throttling back just a bit on the far turn before asking for a more serious (but hardly overdriven) effort in upper stretch.

Cave Rock widened his winning margin without facing a credible challenger, rolling through the home straight in a fourth quarter of :25.49 with a :6.49 final sixteenth for a 1:43.05 final clocking.

Cave Rock was building on a Del Mar MSW sprint unveiling that yielded a 101 Beyer, and his GI Del Mar Futurity victory, even though it represented a slight regression to 98, was admirable for the deep-stretch visual of this colt leaving the field reeling while looking like there was plenty more left in his tank.

The knock against Cave Rock going into the Breeders' Cup will be that his path to the Juvenile has been on the soft side, and that he has yet to encounter or overcome substantial adversity in any of his races. The horses he beat in his first two tries have sputtered as a collective 0-for-6 in subsequent starts, and three of his seven rivals in Saturday's American Pharoah S. were maidens.

Keeneland's short-stretch configuration for the 1 1/16-miles Juvenile (starting and finishing at the sixteenth pole) should theoretically play into Cave Rock's speed-centric favor.

But he will likely encounter significantly more pressure on the front end in the Breeders' Cup, and as Baffert said Saturday, the track layout for that distance is a “tough, you have to draw, you have to be lucky at Keeneland. That post position is going to be a big factor there.”

Being able to carve out fortuitous trips while negotiating 14 horses worth of traffic were career-advancement boxes successfully checked by both Forte (owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable for trainer Todd Pletcher) and Loggins (carrying the colors of Spendthrift Farm in a 10-way partnership for trainer Brad Cox) at Keeneland on Saturday.

They earned 92 and 91 Beyers, respectively, while finishing a neck apart and 6 3/4 lengths ahead of the remainder of the field. (Fittingly, in a stakes sponsored by Claiborne Farm, the stallion Blame supplied the broodmare-sire exacta.)

Forte, like Cave Rock, will go into the Juvenile with two Grade I wins to his credit. But you can make a very credible case for runner-up Loggins being the “wiseguy” play in the Juvenile, because he uncorked the effort that was markedly above expectations.

Loggins, stepping up into Grade I company for his route debut off a MSW sprint win at Churchill, established strong early positioning near the inside amid a crush of first-turn traffic. He conceded the lead and looked well within himself while covered up in third at the fence on the backstretch run, then seized the top spot 4 1/2 furlongs from the wire–a bold move that at first had the look of being premature, considering the colt's relative inexperience and the presence of favored Forte building momentum from midpack.

Loggins confidently chugged homeward after consecutive quarters of :22.94, :23.42 and :25.27 before being accosted by Forte at the head of the lane. Forte had methodically picked off most of the pack with precision targeting through the far turn, but had been tipped outside for the drive with what appeared to be a full head of steam.

Forte and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., muscled in on the rail-running Loggins and Florent Geroux with one furlong left over the short-stretch configuration. But Loggins was not overtly intimidated and gamely responded by shoving back, even as Forte wrested a slight lead through a fourth quarter in :26.54.

With a sixteenth remaining, Loggins determinedly pulsed back ahead for about six jumps before Forte clawed back an incremental lead at the finish. They ran the last half-furlong in a lockstep :6.57 for a final clocking of 1:44.74.

“He's a young horse, and I had to start working really hard on him,” Ortiz said. “He started doing it little by little, but by the time I got there and hit the lead, he started acting a little green and laying in a little bit. I had to take a big hold of him the whole stretch. He didn't even let me ride him that well. The whole time I had to hold him [off of] that horse inside of me, take care of him at the same time as I win the race.”

Geroux saw it differently, lodging a foul claim that was disallowed by the stewards.

“It was a good race. I got squeezed a little at the eighth pole,” Geroux said. “[Forte] came in a little bit on me and my horse was shifting, and I think it cost me the win.”

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Bred by Bart Evans and Stonehaven Steadings out of six-time GSW and GISP Wasted Tears, Corniche was purchased for $1.5 million by agent Marette Farrell on behalf of Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner's Speedway Stables LLC following a powerful :10 flat OBSAPR '21 breeze.

He was then turned over to Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, and took his Del Mar debut handily last September before stretching out successfully in the GI American Pharoah S. The bay completed a perfect juvenile campaign back in San Diego in last November's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Transferred to the Todd Pletcher barn for the 2022 season, he reportedly suffered a hind joint injury on his seasonal debut in Saratoga's GII Amsterdam S. July 31, prompting his retirement. It was his only defeat.

“It's unfortunate that Corniche has been forced to retire at this point in his career, but he will be revered for his remarkable juvenile season,” said Ashford Stud Manager Dermot Ryan. “He's a most impressive-looking individual and I can see him proving extremely popular amongst breeders.”

Corniche retires with earnings of $1,263,500. A stud fee will be announced at a later date.

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A Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, Corniche, a Kentucky-bred colt by Quality Road, now has a fees-paid berth into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

Breaking from the rail in a field of seven, Corniche, who came off a scintillating first-out maiden score going 5 ½ furlongs on Sept. 4 at Del Mar, was pressed by stablemate Rockefeller to the quarter pole, dispatched of him turning for home and won in-hand in a very impressive effort.

“There's just so much upside to this horse,” said Smith.  “This is what's really exciting about him.  When he broke his maiden as impressive as he did, he just gave me that feeling that we weren't even close to his full potential. … He's a big colt and he carries a lot of flesh.  As he starts to get even fitter and harder inside, he's gonna be a force to reckon with.”

The 2-5 favorite, Corniche paid $2.80, $2.20 and $2.10.

Owned by Peter Fluor's Speedway Stables, LLC, Corniche, who is out of the Najran mare Wasted Tears, picked up $180,000 for his efforts, increasing his earnings to $222,000. Bred in Kentucky by Bart Evans and Stonehaven Steadings, Corniche was a $385,000 buyback at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, then was offered by De Meric Sales at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training, where he brought a final bid of $1.5 million.

“You never know until you send them two turns whether they'll be able to handle it or not, and it looked like he handled it pretty well,” said Baffert.  “He's got a great mind, so I'm pretty happy about that.  I loved how they both broke well and were forwardly placed, that's where we like to be.  Down the backside, he was being chased by a really good horse (Rockefeller, who checked fourth)…”

When asked about the issue of Corniche not receiving what was to have been 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points due to the fact Churchill downs has issued an edict precluding any of Baffert's Derby prospects from earning said points, he responded, “We're just going to let the process play itself out and not think about that now.  The main thing is to keep them healthy and have them ready for the next dance.  I just focus on these horses day in and day out…”

Pappacap, who overtook Rockefeller at the top of the lane, finished well to be second under Joe Bravo and paid $6.80 and $4.20 while off at 13-1.

Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, early trailer Oviatt Class finished a half length back in third and paid $3.00 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.55, 47.26, 1:11.91 and 1:37.85.

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Baffert saddles two more members of this seven-horse field in Rockefeller (Medaglia d'Oro) and Flying Drummer (Gun Runner). A $750,000 KEESEP purchase by the group know as the Avengers, Rockefeller led every step of the way in his career bow going six furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 28 and was geared down late, coasting home to a 2 1/4-length win and an 80 Beyer Speed Figure. The red hot Flavien Prat climbs aboard for this two-turn bow and Rockefeller is another colt who should not blink at the added distance.

The maiden Flying Drummer, an $850,000 OBSAPR buy, rounds out the Baffert trio. Missing by a head in his six-panel debut at Del Mar Aug. 7, the gray finished 4 1/4 lengths behind Oviatt Class (Bernardini) last time going a mile at the seaside oval Aug. 27.

Pappacap (Gun Runner) looks to return to winning ways in this event. A front-running winner of his career bow at Gulfstream May 14, the bay was a decisive winner of the Aug. 7 GII Best Pal S. at Del Mar, beating Finneus (Stay Thirsty) by 4 3/4 lengths. He was fourth last out behind the Baffert-trained Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) in the GI Del Mar Futurity S. Sept. 6, in which Finneus was second.

Undefeated Cal-bred Joker Boy (Practical Joke) rounds out the field. Rallying to win at first asking in a state-bred event at Del Mar, the bay wired the Cal-bred I'm Smokin S. last out sprinting in SoCal Sept. 4. He tries open company and two turns for the first time in this leap into the deep end.

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A $750,000 Keeneland September yearling, Rockefeller was a most impressive first-out winner going six furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 28, winning by 2 ¼ lengths under Abel Cedillo, who rides him back on Friday. A bay colt by Medaglia d'Oro out of the Speightstown mare Dance to Bristol, Rockefeller is owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, et al. A winner of a record five previous runnings, Baffert would appear to be well positioned to notch his sixth American Pharoah win.

Another talented first-out winner, Forbidden Kingdom, rates a big shot in the American Pharoah as well. Trained by Richard Mandella, this chestnut colt by American Pharoah out of the Five Star Day mare Just Louise, broke sharply and took control early on his way to a half length score going 5 ½ furlongs on Aug. 21 at Del Mar. Purchased for $300,000 out of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase, Forbidden Kingdom is owned by Spendthrift Farm and MyRacehorse and will be ridden back by Juan Hernandez.

Pappacap, a winner of the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes in his second start and Finneus, who finished fourth and second respectively in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs Sept. 6, both merit strong consideration. California-bred Joker Boy, the likely speed in the race, comes off a smashing 3 ½ length score in the statebred I'm Smokin Stakes at six furlongs and will have theft on his mind with Edwin Maldonado up.

THE GRADE 1 AMERICAN PHAROAH WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

1. Corniche—Mike Smith—122
2. Flying Drummer—John Velazquez–122
3. Finneus—Tiago Pereira—122
4. Oviatt Class—Kent Desormeaux—122
5. Joker Boy—Edwin Maldonado—122
6. Rockefeller—Flavien Prat—122
7. Pappacap—Joe Bravo–122

First post time for a nine-race program on Friday is at 1 p.m. For additional information, please visit Santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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With first post time at 1 p.m., walk-up admission is welcomed, with free admission and General Parking on opening day. In addition to the American Pharoah, the Grade 2, $200,000 Eddie D Stakes, for 3-year-olds and up, will be contested at 6 ½ furlongs down Santa Anita's hillside turf course. Named for the legendary retired Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Delahoussaye, the Eddie D provides a platform for those horses considering the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 6.

“Our fans, horsemen and Eddie Delahoussaye himself have told us they'd love to see a return to racing down this European-style course which has been unique to Santa Anita for more than six decades,” said Aidan Butler, Chief Operating Officer, Racing Operations for 1/ST Racing. “The Eddie D will be one of four turf sprint stakes to be run on the Camino Real hillside turf course throughout our Autumn Meet.”

Two-year-old fillies will go postward opening day in the Grade 2, $200,000 Chandelier Stakes, a Breeders' Cup Win & You're in qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 5 and 2-year-olds will also be competing at five furlongs on turf in the $100,000 Speakeasy Stakes, a Win & You're In qualifier to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 5.

With the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships set for Nov. 5 & 6 at Del Mar, Santa Anita will be offering a total of 14 stakes over the course of its opening weekend, Oct. 1 through Oct. 3.

With special early first post time at 12:30 p.m., a total of five stakes will be offered on Saturday, Oct. 2; the Grade 1, $300,000 Awesome Again, a Breeders' Cup Win & You're In qualifier to the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and one eighth, the Grade 1, $300,000 Rodeo Drive, a Breeders' Cup Win & You're In qualifier for fillies and mares at a mile and one quarter on turf, the Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship, Win & You're In qualifier for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs, the Grade 2, $200,000 John Henry Turf Championship, named for the legendary two-time Horse of the Year, is for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and one quarter on turf and the Grade 2, $200,000 City of Hope Mile (turf), for 3-year-olds and up.

On Sunday, Oct. 3, the legendary multiple Eclipse Award winning mare Zenyatta will be feted, with the Grade 2, $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes, a Win & You're In qualifier for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles who are pointing to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff. Fillies and mares will also be center stage in the Grade 3, $100,000 Chillingworth Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs, a race which honors the memory of longtime Oak Tree Racing Association board member and prominent owner/breeder, Sherwood Chillingworth.

A pair of one mile turf stakes will also be offered on Oct. 3 for 2-year-olds—the Surfer Girl and the Zuma Beach, as well as the $75,000 Unzip Me, for 3-year-old fillies at 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf.

In addition to the Eddie D and Unzip Me Stakes, a pair of Cal-bred stakes, the $100,000 California Distaff Handicap on Oct. 16 and the $100,000 California Flag Handicap on Oct. 17 will also be contested at 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf. Additionally, selected allowance races will be run down the hillside throughout the course of the 16-day meet.

Santa Anita's spacious Infield area will be open each Saturday and Sunday, through closing day, Oct. 31. For complete details on Santa Anita's opening weekend, including pricing and dining and seating reservations, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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“I've been vaccinated for COVID-19 and for Derby fever,” Miller quipped on Tuesday's NTRA media conference call. “Unlike most trainers, it's not as high a priority for me. I'd love to have a horse take me there. If someone takes me there, we'll go, but if not, we'll find another race.”

The 3-year-old son of Dialed In won the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes on Sept. 26, just his third career start, but did not return to the races until the G2 Rebel Stakes on March 13 at Oaklawn Park. Miller said the colt had a few minor issues that caused him to miss the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last fall.

In the Rebel, Get Her Number was making a move around the far turn and endured a hard bump at the eighth pole, fading to finish seventh.

“He could have been third,” Miller suggested. “He had some scrapes and scars from the bump, all of which set us back maybe a week. He seems good now, though, and we're excited to give it another shot.”

This time, Miller would like to see Get Her Number closer to the front early.

“As long as he has a clean trip, we'll live with the results,” the trainer said.

The current Kentucky Derby point standings have Get Her Number, owned by Gary Barber, at 33rd on the leaderboard with the 10 points he earned in the American Pharoah. The Arkansas Derby offers points on a scale of 100-40-20-10 to the top four finishers, so a top two finish would likely secure the colt a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May.

“He's got a good mind; he's got a lot of class about him,” said Miller. “He's rateable, he doesn't want to run off or be silly. He's easy to handle in that respect. And he tries hard. I don't know if he's got the quality to run with the top 3-year-olds, but I know he's gonna try and he's doing well, and that's all you can ask.”

Get Her Number drew post four of six for the G1 Arkansas Derby.

The full field is as follows:

1. Super Stock
2. Caddo River
3. Hozier
4. Get Her Number
5. Concert Tour
6. Last Samurai

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Get Her Number, who is trained by Southern California-based Peter Miller, will make his 3-year-old debut in the Rebel, a 1 1/16-mile event that is Oaklawn's third of four Kentucky Derby points races. Get Her Number already has something on his resume that seven scheduled Rebel rivals don't – a Grade 1 victory. That came in his dirt debut and final start last year, the $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes Sept. 26 at Santa Anita.

The 1 1/16-mile race, renamed in 2018 to honor the 2015 Triple Crown winner, was a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” event for the $2 million Juvenile (G1) Nov. 6 at Keeneland. A minor physical setback, however, caused Get Her Number to miss the race.

A versatile son of Dialed In, Get Her Number lands in the Rebel off a string of workouts at San Luis Rey Downs north of San Diego.

“We wanted to get him race-fit before we picked the spot,” Miller said Wednesday afternoon. “He's not 100 percent fit, but we've got to get him going here. He's ready to run, so this looked like a good spot to start him back.”

Get Her Number, who races for prominent California owner Gary Barber, has won 2 of 3 starts overall. Get Her Number's first two starts came on turf at Del Mar. He debuted with a half-length victory at 5 furlongs Aug. 14 before finishing fourth, beaten a length, in the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf at a mile Sept. 7. Get Her Number won the American Pharoah by three-quarters of a length.

Get Her Number has been a forward factor throughout his career, but Miller said he doesn't expect the colt to press the issue Saturday. Rebel entrants include 9-5 program favorite Caddo River, who has won his last two starts, including the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 22 at Oaklawn, by a combined 19 ¾ front-running lengths.

“There looks like plenty of pace, so we're not going to get involved early,” Miller said. “We're going to try and sit back, third, fourth, something like that, and see if he can't finish into the race.”

The Rebel will offer 85 points (50-20-10-5, respectively) to the top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 horses. Get Her Number collected 10 points for his American Pharoah victory and ranks 19th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, according to Churchill Downs.

Get Her Number is 8-1 on the morning line for the Rebel and will be ridden for the first time by Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano. Get Her Number drew post 4.

In addition to the Rebel, American Pharoah won Oaklawn's $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) in 2015 before sweeping the Triple Crown and being named Horse of the Year.

The Rebel is the final major local prep for the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 10.

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“I'm happy with the work and he's doing very well,” trainer Peter Miller said Monday afternoon. “We are just deciding whether to put him on the plane Wednesday for the Rebel or there is a possibility of training up to the [Apr. 3 GI] Santa Anita Derby. We have a lot of options. We are just going to sleep on it tonight and then pow-wow tomorrow with the ownership group. Then make a decision and live with the consequences.”

Get Her Number, a $45,000 purchase at last year's OBS Spring Sale, opened his career with a win over five furlongs on the turf at Del Mar in August and he set the pace before settling for fourth in the Sept. 7 Del Mar Juvenile Turf. He was making his first start on dirt when he scored a 3/4-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile American Pharoah, but was sidelined after that effort.

“He's definitely more mature,” Miller said of the colt's progression from two to three. “He's a little bigger and stronger. He was a little bit nervous as a 2-year-old and he's settled down some. So we are pleased with the horse, we're just trying to figure out the best thing to do with him.”

While Miller agreed it can be frustrating to have a Grade I winning 2-year-old in the barn as the Derby trail heats up all around him, the trainer said he was content to keep his options open.

“The Derby has never been my primary goal with any horse,” Miller said. “It's just trying to do the right thing and if it falls in place, great, and if not, we can look at the [May 15 GI] Preakness S. or we can look elsewhere.”

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