Bezos | Horse Racing Free Tips

Former Baffert Trainee Du Jour Pointed For Grade 1 Belmont Derby

Du Jour, the winner of the G2 American Turf when conditioned by embattled trainer Bob Baffert, has been transferred to the barn of Bill Mott, according to the Daily Racing Form. The 3-year-old colt, owned by Baffert's wife, Jill, in partnership with Debbie Lanni, is being pointed to the Grade 1 Belmont Derby on July 10.

Baffert has been indefinitely banned from entering horses or utilizing stalls at New York Racing Association racetracks after the Medina Spirit Kentucky Derby controversy, including Belmont Park, hence the trainer switch.

Du Jour, a son of Temple City, has breezed twice for Mott at Belmont: a 49.23-second half on June 6, and a 48.62-second half on June 13. Mott said he believes the colt can move up in distance from the 1 1/8 miles of the American Turf to the 1 1/4 miles of the Belmont Derby.

Other horses reported to have been moved out of Baffert's barn include Bezos, Hozier, and Crystal Ball. All three have been transferred to Rodolphe Brisset, reports Horse Racing Nation, but the new trainer indicated the change has nothing to do with Baffert's Medina Spirit controversy.

“It's just the ownership and Mr. Baffert talked and decided to leave those horses around here and not bring them back to California,” Brisset told HRN.

Hozier will be pointed to the G3 Ohio Derby on June 26 at Thistledown, while Crystal Ball is headed to the Lady Jacqueline Stakes on the same card. No target has yet been named for Bezos.

Read more at the Daily Racing Form and at Horse Racing Nation.

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Proxy Looms Large in Lexington

While trainer Mike Stidham isn't fully closing the door on a run in the GI Kentucky Derby for his pupil Proxy (Tapit), Saturday the colt will divert from the big-stage preps in an attempt for a confidence builder as he figures a prohibitive favorite in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland.

A second-out graduate Nov. 26 at Fair Grounds, the Godolphin homebred repeated in an allowance there Dec. 19 before passing the class test with a good second in the GIII Lecomte S. Runner-up in the GII Risen Star S. after that, he couldn't quite progress further when an even fourth in the GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby last out Mar. 23.

“We felt like he was really going in the right direction with the intention of trying to make it to the Kentucky Derby, but that last race, it wasn't really that big step forward that we really needed to have confidence going into the Derby,” Stidham told TDN's Katie Ritz. “With Godolphin having the favorite in Essential Quality, it wasn't as important to kind of force Proxy into a race that maybe he's not quite ready for. We're not really thinking hard about the Derby right now. I've learned in this business you never say never, so I'm not going to say definitely no. If he really ran well in this race, came out of it really well, certainly we would have to consider it. But right now, we're not thinking along those lines.”

A trio of twice-raced 3-year-olds look like the most probable beneficiaries if Proxy stumbles. Swiftsure (Uncle Mo) debuted as an 11-10 favorite Nov. 27 at Fair Grounds and ran to the money with a wire-to-wire, open-length victory before repeating over three next-out winners in another convincing score Jan. 23 at Oaklawn. Noble Reflection (Liam's Map) sports the best Beyer in the field outside of Proxy, earning an 89 for a sharp 4 1/2-length maiden tally off a near seven-month layoff Mar. 7 at Oaklawn, and Bezos (Empire Maker) rebounded from a disappointing seventh in his universally-touted debut with a dominant 4 1/2-length triumph going a mile at Santa Anita Mar. 26.

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Proxy Chasing Additional Derby Points In Saturday’s Lexington Stakes

Proxy, fourth in last month's Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), will face nine 3-year-olds Saturday in the 39th running of the $200,000 Stonestreet Lexington (G3) going 1 1/16 miles on the main track at Keeneland.

The Stonestreet Lexington, which offers 34 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby on a 20-8-4-2 scale to the first- through fourth-place finishers, will go as the ninth race Saturday afternoon with a 5:30 p.m. post time.

A half-brother to Coolmore Jenny Wiley entrant Micheline, Proxy is a Godolphin homebred and trained by Mike Stidham.

Proxy has picked up 34 points toward the Kentucky Derby by virtue of runner-up finishes in the Lecomte (G3) and Risen Star (G2) Presented by Lamarque Ford and the Louisiana Derby placing.

John Velazquez has the mount and will break from post position seven.

An intriguing invader from California is Bezos, who will be making his stakes debut for trainer Bob Baffert.

Owned by the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stable, Stonestreet Stables and Golconda Stables, Bezos romped to a 4½-length victory going a mile on March 26 at Santa Anita to notch his first triumph. Drayden Van Dyke will be aboard for the first time Saturday and break from post three.

The field for the Stonestreet Lexington, with riders and weights from the rail, is: Noble Reflection (Javier Castellano, 118 pounds), Swiftsure (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118), Bezos (Van Dyke, 118), It's My House (Umberto Rispoli, 118), Unbridled Honor (Julien Leparoux, 118), Hockey Dad (Mario Gutierrez, 118), Proxy (Velazquez, 118), Ultimate Badger (Corey Lanerie, 118), King Fury (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118) and Starrininmydreams (Luis Saez, 118).

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Bezos May Be Ready For Prime Time After Stylish Maiden Win At Santa Anita

Highly regarded Bezos, Triple Crown nominated but late to the party, fought off a stiff challenge from his stablemate Fenway turning for home and promptly asserted his dominance, as he waltzed to a 4 ½ length win in Friday's $61,000 Santa Anita maiden special weight feature at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, Bezos got a flat mile in 1:37.64.

“We missed the window, we were trying to get him there (Derby trail), but he's a beautiful horse,” said Baffert. “This was good what he did today. Going two turns, that's gonna be his game, so he'll develop. We'll just let him develop on his own now. We're not in a hurry now.

“Fenway… he ran his race, but he's definitely a one-turn horse. I think he'll go a one turn mile.”

Well beaten in his 6 ½ furlong debut at odds of 3-5 on Feb. 7, Bezos was sent from the gate by Prat and traded punches with Fenway on the front end through splits of 22.98, 46.37, 1:10.83 and 1:23.85.

Ridden for the first time by Prat, Bezos was off as the 7-5 favorite in a field of six sophomores and paid $4.80, $2.80 and $2.10.

Purchased for $400,000 as a Keeneland September Yearling, Bezos is owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, Stonestreet Stables, LLC, Golconda Stable, Siena Farm, LLC and Robert Masterson, picked up $36,600 for the win. A striking physical specimen, Bezos is by Empire Maker out of the A.P. Indy mare A P Mink.

Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, There Goes Harvard was on the move while 1 ½ lengths off the lead three furlongs out, but never threatened the winner the final quarter mile. Trained by Michael McCarthy, There Goes Harvard was off as the 2-1 second choice and paid $3.20 and $2.20 while finishing 2 ¼ lengths better than Fenway.

Ridden by Mike Smith, Fenway, in his fourth career start, was the third choice at 2-1 and paid $2.40 to show while finishing a half length in front of Vantage Point.

Bezos provided Prat with his third win on the card and in race seven and he would notch his fourth of the day aboard Shes'a Perfectlady — giving him a meet-leading 72 wins, 24 better than runner-up Juan Hernandez.

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m.

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