Bob Baffert | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pharoah Colt MacKinnon Tops 11-Strong Field For El Camino Real Derby

Eleven 3-year-old colts and geldings are slated for a chance to earn 10 Kentucky Derby points and a free Preakness berth in the feature race at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday afternoon, the $100,000 El Camino Real Derby at 1 1/8 miles on Tapeta. The El Camino Real Derby goes as Race 8 on a nine-race program.

Last year, 2021 winner Rombauer took advantage of his free Preakness berth, which has been offered to the winner of the El Camino Real Derby the last four years, and went on to win the second leg of the Triple Crown.

A pair of Southern California shippers make the trip north. The headliner in the field is Doug O'Neill trainee MacKinnon, who won a pair of stakes on turf as a 2-year-old-the Juvenile Turf at Del Mar and the Zuma Beach at Santa Anita-before finishing third in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf last November. Most recently, the son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah finished fourth behind next-out Southwest Stakes victor Newgrange in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes on dirt at Santa Anita. Southern California-based jockey Abel Cedillo, who has a total of four mounts on the day, is named to ride McKinnon.

O'Neill saddles a second entrant in Del Mo, who won a maiden special weight at Golden Gate on Jan. 9 and has trained in the Bay Area leading up to the El Camino Real Derby.

Trainer Bob Baffert won the El Camino Real Derby in 2019 with Azul Coast and sends out $620,000 yearling purchase Blackadder in the 2022 edition. In his most recent afternoon appearance, the son of Quality Road broke his maiden in a two-turn race at Santa Anita on Dec. 26. He faces winners for the first time and will be ridden by Edwin Maldonado for the first time. Blackadder is owned by the large partnership of SF Racing LLC, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine Donovan, Golconda Stable and Siena Farm LLC.

Local contenders run deep in the El Camino Real Derby. Temple City colt Boise attempts to rebound after a poor performance in the Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita on turf. Trained by leading Northern California conditioner Jonathan Wong, Boise broke his maiden at Golden Gate and won the Gold Rush Stakes in December over the Tapeta main track.

Dr. Pescado picked up a stakes victory in the Golden Nugget Stakes sprinting on Tapeta last fall and freshens up two months after finishing third behind Boise in the Gold Rush.

C'Mon Man, who rounded out the superfecta in the Gold Rush and was a non-factor in the Eddie Logan, is another 3-year-old from the local contingent entered.

Unraptured, who has always been well regarded by his connections and the Bay Area racing community, is a perfect two-for-two on the Golden Gate Tapeta. He enters fresh off a dominant allowance win. The Tim McCanna trainee possesses the pedigree to be a decent racehorse: he is a half sibling to Grade 3 winner and $500,000 earner Jalen Journey. Another sibling, Derek Adrian, was a Group 1 winner in South America and won 12 races from 16 lifetime starts.

Allowance winner Stormy Samurai stretches out in distance after beating a salty bunch of sprinters, two-turn maiden special weight victor Il Bellator sports an improving pattern leading up to this stakes debut, and maiden Meetmeattheclub is entered ambitiously in search of a massive upset. Nuestro Engriedo, who finished third behind Stormy Samurai in an allowance race two weeks ago, rounds out the field.

First post on Saturday afternoon is 12:45 PM PT. Fans who wish to attend the race card, or any future race programs, can purchase tickets online at Goldengatefields.com.

The El Camino Real Derby (Race 8 of 9. Approximate post time: 4:15 PM PT)

#1 Stormy Samurai (Jockey William Antongeorgi III…trainer Jack Steiner)

#2 McKinnon (Abel Cedillo…Doug O'Neill)

#3 Unraptured (Armando Ayuso…Tim McCanna)

#4 Blackadder (Edwin Maldonado…Bob Baffert)

#5 Nuestro Engriedo (Santos Rivera…Felix Rondan)

#6 Boise (Evin Roman…Jonathan Wong)

#7 Dr Pescado (Pedro Terrero…Felix Rondan)

#8 Meetmeattheclub (Silvio Amador…Dan Franko)

#9 C'Mon Man (Irving Orozco…Bill McLean)

#10 Il Bellator (Alejandro Gomez…Jose Bautista)

#11 Del Mo (Ruben Fuentes…Doug O'Neill)

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Report: Investigation Reveals Former NYRA Steward Engaged In ‘Favoritism,’ Failed To Keep Records Of His Actions

A steward for the New York Racing Association from 2014 through 2019, and employed by the New York State Gaming Commission in other roles since 1986, Stephen Lewandowski has been revealed as the subject of a state investigation that indicated he engaged in “favoritism” and “inconsistent application of policies,” reports the Albany Times-Union. The report, by a New York inspector general, was released as part of a pledge of Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration to be more transparent.

The inspector general's investigation, conducted in 2018, stemmed from a complaint filed by an unnamed owner who claimed Lewandowski had been withholding the purse money his horse had won. Then–acting Gaming Commission Inspector General Lisa Lee discovered the owner and his trainer had been in a dispute about training/veterinary fees, and that Lewandowski had withheld the purse money for more than a year without either notifying other Gaming Commission officials or filing a suspension of the owner.

Lewandowski's colleagues also told investigators that he was “arrogant, condescending, intimidating and disrespectful” and acted like “God at the track.”

The investigative report concluded: “Lewandowski's fitness to represent the commission as a steward should be reconsidered given his actions against licensees who have not been suspended or revoked, his lack of understanding as to his role vis-a-vis the Division of Horse Racing and Pari-Mutuel Wagering and the commission as a whole, as well as his lack of record-keeping related to actions taken.”

However, Lewandowski kept his job for seven months after the date of the report, at which point he retired voluntarily. Contacted by the Times-Union, Lewandowski said he was completely unaware of the inspector general's findings.

Recently, Lewandowski has been in the news for his ardent support of embattled Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert during a suspension hearing called by the New York Racing Association.

Under questioning from Baffert's attorneys, Lewandowski said he had no dealings with Baffert on any integrity or rule violation issues in his time serving as a steward in the state. Lewandowski said he called Baffert sometime after he was suspended by NYRA to offer his support.

“I feel like he's been unfairly taken advantage of,” Lewandowski said. “He's never had any problems in New York.”

On cross examination, NYRA attorney Henry Greenberg questioned that point by Lewandowski, bringing up the controversy about Baffert's non-coupled entry in the 2018 Belmont Stakes. Baffert saddled both Triple Crown winner Justify in that race as well as Restoring Hope, who was piloted by Florent Geroux. Mike Repole, co-owner of Vino Rosso and Noble Indy, would later complain to New York Post writer Tom Pedulla that Geroux put in a “reckless” ride aboard Restoring Hope, possibly in an attempt to block some of Justify's competitors.

Headlines in the Post questioned officials' decision not to launch an investigation into the race. Lewandowski said that he eventually spoke to Repole but also that he did not recall Repole's complaint. He said he did not speak to Baffert about the incident, and said he did not recall subsequent media coverage questioning the stewards' lack of investigation. He also said he did not recall eventually reversing course and speaking to Geroux, nor did he recall a meeting with the other stewards, who Greenberg suggested disagreed with each other on the best way to handle the situation.

Then, Greenberg asked Lewandowski about his support of Rick Dutrow, who was suspended 10 years and fined $50,000 after one of his horses tested positive for butorphanol and three hypodermic needles were discovered in a desk drawer in Dutrow's office. Following his retirement in 2019, Lewandowski wrote a letter to the Gaming Commission and to the Queens County District Attorney saying that Braulio Baeza Jr., then a NYRA steward, told him the syringes were planted.

Baeza later denied he told Lewandowski this. Baeza is the new state steward who holds Lewandowski's former job.

As to the dispute in stories between himself and Baeza, Lewandowski let loose.

“Braulio Baeza, one of us is lying. It's either Braulio Baeza or me. Are you accusing me of lying?” yelled Lewandowski during Baffert's hearing. “One of us is lying. Why would Braulio Baeza speak to me about Rick Dutrow, who he had nothing to do with. One of us is lying. And I'm not accusing anybody. But it's either him or me. And believe me, he said it to more than one person.

“…Are you calling me a liar, sir? Are you calling me a liar? I am not a liar … I thought Braulio Baeza was a good man. One of us had the information to help a man who was wiped out.

312 Early Triple Crown Nominations

A total of 312 sophomores were nominated for this year's Triple Crown series at the early nomination deadline of Jan. 29. The number of early nominations slipped 4.3%, or 14 horses, from last year's total of 326.

The nominated group is led by Grade I winners Corniche (Quality Road), Jack Christopher (Munnings), Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) and Rattle N Roll (Connect).

Echo Zulu (Gun Runner), winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and likely 2-year-old champion female, is one of six fillies made eligible for the Triple Crown. Nominees also include a record 21 horses based in Japan, along with two based in Europe and one from Dubai.

Todd Pletcher led all trainers with 42 horses nominated to the Triple Crown, followed by Brad Cox (26), Chad Brown (23), Steve Asmussen (20) and Bob Baffert (18). Baffert is suspended by Churchill Downs Inc. from competing in the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

Anthony Manganaro's Siena Farm is involved in partnerships with 24 horses–12 with the SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine M. Donovan, Golconda Stable and Stonestreet Stables LLC conglomerate and another dozen in partnership with WinStar Farm and others–to lead all owners.

Gun Runner led all sires with 16 Triple Crown nominations followed by Into Mischief (14), Quality Road (12) and Tapit (11).

There are 250 Kentucky-breds, which represents 80.1% of the nominees. Other states and countries represented are Japan (17), New York (14), Florida (13), Pennsylvania (4), California (3), Canada (3), Ireland (3), Louisiana (2), Maryland (2) and Illinois (1).

Horses not nominated during the early phase can be made eligible online at www.TheTripleCrown.com with a $6,000 late payment due by Mar. 28.

The post 312 Early Triple Crown Nominations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Messier Draws Off By 15 Lengths in Robert B. Lewis Stakes

In an absolutely sensational performance, Messier served notice to the racing world that he will be a major player in any Derby, anywhere in 2022. Racing with blinkers off following a disappointing second-place finish in his most recent start, the Ontario, Canadian-bred colt by Empire Maker demolished four rivals in taking Sunday's Grade 3, $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita by a stakes record 15 lengths. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden for the first time by John Velazquez, Messier got 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.89.

Breaking from the rail, Messier was able to out-foot second choice Sir London in the run to the Club House turn, and dictated terms throughout from there. A half length in front turning up the backside, Messier was pressured by both Sir London and Cabo Spirit as he raced on a long rein past the half mile pole.

Into the bridle around the far turn as Sir London fell back, Messier opened up three lengths on Cabo Spirit at the three sixteenths pole and from there, he was literally poetry in motion as a late afternoon sun highlighted his sleek bay coat in a breathtaking effort.

“The strategy worked,” said Velazquez. “I don't think the blinkers would have hurt him or made a difference. It was just the way the race set up. I'm in post one and I don't want to give the lead to them in front of me, then they slow down in front of my face and I can't get out of there, so I asked Bob, 'Bob, I'm going to come out running just to the first turn. I'm not going to chase them but I'm going to let him get his legs underneath of him.

“'If they want to want to go faster, they can go faster and I don't have to be on his mouth.' He said, 'No, do whatever you need to do.' Then he asked me what the horse needed to do and I just (said), 'I told him to GO!.'”

Second as the 1-2 favorite in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 11, Messier was off at 3-5 and paid $3.20, $2.40 and $2.10.

Owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, et al, Messier, who won the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs two starts back on Nov. 14, is now a two-time graded stakes winner and he's 5-3-2-0 overall. With the winner's share of $120,000, he increased his earnings to $285,600. Out of the Smart Strike mare Checkered Past, Messier sold for $470,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Yearling Sale in 2020.

For his part, Baffert seemed genuinely in awe of Messier's effort, which provided the embattled Hall of Fame conditioner with his fourth consecutive win in the Lewis, including last year's victory by eventual Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit. Dating back to General Challenge in 1999, Baffert has won the Lewis a record 10 times.

“Jim (assistant, Barnes) had Johnny work him for me once and he gave me some good input on him,” said Baffert, whose 3-year-old filly Adare Manor took the Grade 3 Las Virgenes earlier in the day by 13 lengths. “He's maturing, I could tell today that he's growing, he's getting bigger. You could tell when I put the saddle on him. He looked incredible, he looked the part. There were some good horses in there, they were legitimate horses.”

When asked whether or not Messier would stay at home and be pointed to the Santa Anita Derby on April 9, Baffert responded, “I don't know yet. It depends on my other horses to see how (they are). We have always gone with whoever is doing well that week (and he) gets on a plane or stays here. So right now, we will just enjoy this and I'm just happy to have a horse like this in my barn.”

In a solid effort, Cabo Spirit, who had raced on grass in his last four starts and came off a win in the one mile Eddie Logan Stakes Jan. 2, finished second, seven lengths in front of Baffert's Wharton. Trained by George Papaprodromou and ridden by Victor Espinoza, Cabo Spirit was off at 18-1 and paid $7.20 and $3.60.

Wharton, who sat a perfect trip, was no match for the top two with Juan Hernandez up. Off at 4-1, he paid $2.60 to show and finished 4 ½ lengths in front of Sir London, who bobbled at the break and came up empty.

Fractions on the race were 23.24, 46.94, 1:11.32 and 1:36.32.

Live racing resumes with a nine-race card on Friday with first post time at 12:30 p.m.

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