Bob Baffert | Horse Racing Free Tips

Into Mischief Filly Continues Upward Trajectory in Zenyatta

Lightly raced Private Mission handled older foes with aplomb Sunday, earning a guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff in the process. A debut winner sprinting here nearly a year ago, the bay was a speed-and-fade fourth at odds-on in the following month's Desi Arnaz S. at Del Mar and subsequently went missing. She reappeared to annex a local optional claimer in June, and took to two turns emphatically when romping by 6 1/2 lengths in Del Mar's GIII Torrey Pines S. Aug. 21.

Keeping longshot Samurai Charm (First Samurai) in her sights early, the bay took a clear advantage entering the home bend and looked like the winner every step of the way after that. As Time Goes By completed the exacta and a big weekend for Bob Baffert that also included victories in the GI Awesome Again S. and GI American Pharoah S.

“I'm happy to run one-two,” Baffert said. “Private Mission, I'm glad I stayed home with her. I decided this would be best for her with the Breeders' Cup in mind, we didn't want to stress her. She's on the improve, getting better and better. I'm really happy with the way both fillies ran.”

Private Mission was scratched out of last Saturday's GI Cotillion S. at Parx.

“She broke well and got herself into the race,” jockey Flavien Prat said of his winning trip. “She relaxed well and took a nice breather going to the three eighths pole and ran good when I asked her to make her move. I thought this race was better than last time, for sure.”

Sunday, Santa Anita
ZENYATTA S.-GII, $201,500, Santa Anita, 10-3, 3yo/up, f/m,
1 1/16m, 1:43.77, ft.
1–PRIVATE MISSION, 120, f, 3, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Private Gift (SW, $212,248), by Unbridled
                2nd Dam: Private Status, by Alydar
                3rd Dam: Miss Eva (Arg), by Con Brio II
($750,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-Baoma Corporation; B-Mt.
Brilliant Broodmares I LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Flavien Prat.
$120,000. Lifetime Record: 5-4-0-0, $256,800. *1/2 to Secret
Someone (A.P. Indy), MSW & GSP, $409,301. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–As Time Goes By, 124, f, 4, American Pharoah–Take Charge
Lady, by Dehere. O-Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier &
Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale & Chelston (KY); T-Bob Baffert.
$40,000.
3–Miss Bigly, 122, m, 5, Gemologist–Miss Puzzle (Aus), by
Citidancer (Ire). ($120,000 Wlg '16 KEENOV; $20,000 Ylg '17
KEESEP). O-Agave Racing Stable & Rockin Robin Racing Stables;
B-SF Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Philip D'Amato. $24,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 2 1/4, 6HF. Odds: 1.10, 1.70, 17.80.
Also Ran: Stellar Sound, Lady Kate, Samurai Charm, Miss Stormy D, California Kook. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:
Private Mission is one of 45 graded stakes winners for leading sire Into Mischief–three of which have been out of Unbridled mares, led by champion female sprinter Covfefe. Important broodmare sire Unbridled is responsible for the dams of 43 graded winners, including the likes of Tapit, Orb and Shackleford.

The winner's dam was a two-turn stakes winner on the dirt at Louisiana Downs. A half-sister to 2000 GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Secret Status (A.P. Indy), she sold to Greg Goodman's Mt. Brilliant for $2.3 million while in foal to A.P. Indy at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton November sale. Another A.P. Indy daughter of Private Gift, MSW and GSP Secret Someone, was represented by a $1-million Into Mischief colt that sold to Mike Ryan at the recent Keeneland September sale. Private Gift's daughter Gift List (Bernardini) is the dam of GISW Dunbar Road (Quality Road), who is expected to contest next Saturday's GI Juddmonte Spinster S., another prep for the Distaff.

Private Gift's 2-year-old filly Batik (Honor Code), a $240,000 KEESEP grad, has been working regularly at Monmouth Park. The 19-year-old mare was given a year off after foaling Batik, but produced a Candy Ride (Arg) colt Apr. 1 and was bred back to Uncle Mo.

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Private Mission Wins Zenyatta, Earns Distaff Berth In Breeders’ Cup

Heavily favored Private Mission, who was originally scheduled to run out of town last weekend, stayed home and was a convincing 2 ¼-length winner of Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, Private Mission got 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.77 and earned a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff on Nov. 6 as the Zenyatta is a Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier.

Baffert, who opted to stay home with the 3-year-old Into Mischief filly instead of running in the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes near Philadelphia on Sept. 26, ran one-two in the Zenyatta as his As Time Goes By completed the exacta.

Blessed with an abundance of early speed, Private Mission sat just off of pacesetter Samurai Charm in the run up the backside. Prat stepped on the gas leaving the three-furlong marker and Private Mission enjoyed a 2 ½-length advantage turning for home in what appeared to be her best race yet in career start number five.

“I'm happy to run one-two,” said Baffert. “Private Mission, I'm glad I stayed home with her. I decided this would be best for her with the Breeders' Cup in mind, we didn't want to stress her. She's on the improve, getting better and better. I'm really happy with the way both fillies ran.”

A 6 ½-length winner going a flat mile in the G3 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 21, Private Mission was off at even money in a field of eight fillies and mares three and up and paid $4.20, $2.40 and $2.20.

“She broke well and got herself into the race,” said Prat, who rode her to her Del Mar win on Aug. 21. “She relaxed well and took a nice breather going to the three-eighths pole and ran good when I asked her to make her move. I thought this race was better than last time, for sure.”

Owned by Baoma Corporation, Private Mission, who is out of the Unbridled mare Private Gift, picked up $120,000 for the win, boosting her earnings to $256,800 while getting her fourth win from five outs. She was bred in Kentucky by Mt. Brilliant Broodmares LLC and sold for $750,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale.

Ridden by John Velazquez, As Time Goes By kept to her task gamely late and in a much improved effort, finished 2 ¼ lengths in front of Miss Bigly. The second choice at 5-2, she paid $2.80 and $2.20.

Miss Bigly, mid-pack early, was easily third, finishing 6 ½ lengths in front of Stellar Sound. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Miss Bigly paid $3.40 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.21, 46.87, 1:11.45 and 1:36.89.

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Liam’s Map Colt Strong in Debut

7th-Santa Anita, $62,500, Msw, 10-3, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.38, ft, 4 1/4 lengths.
WINNING MAP (c, 2, Liam's Map–Starlet O'Hara {SP}, by Discreetly Mine), sent off the 2-5 favorite, powered home an easy four-length winner of his debut at Santa Anita Sunday. The gray colt, a $55,000 KEESEP yearling turned $525,000 OBS March juvenile, went right to the early lead and was in control through a quarter in :22.08. He scampered further clear on the far turn, but Sir London (Malibu Moon) rushed up to challenge the favorite as the half went up in :45.13. Winning Map shrugged off that foe in upper stretch and drew clear to the wire. The winner has a yearling half-sister by Tapizar and his dam dropped a Street Boss colt this season before being bred to Omaha Beach. Sales History: $55,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $525,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud; B-H & E Ranch (KY); T-Bob Baffert.

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Velazquez Guides Medina Spirit To Front-Running Victory In Awesome Again

Bet down to 6-5 favoritism, Zedan Racing Stables Inc.'s Medina Spirit went to the front at the start, controlled the pace and romped to a daylight victory under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in the Grade 1, $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Stilleto Boy, at 50-1 the longest shot in the field of eight, finished second, followed by Express Train in third, Tripoli (5-2 second choice) in fourth and Tizamagician in fifth.

Medina Spirit and Stilleto Boy were the only two 3-year-olds in the race taking on older horses. Medina Spirit paid $4.60 for the win and combined with Stilleto Boy to pay $83.30 on a $1 exacta.

Medina Spirit covered the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:49.67 after recording sectional times of :23.39, :47.72, 1:11.76 and 1:37.05.

The Awesome Again is a Win and You're In Challenge Series race for the Breeders' Cup Classic, to be contested at Del Mar on Nov. 6. The winner gets an automatic fees-paid berth in the Classic, but Medina Spirit's participation is uncertain because trainer Bob Baffert's participation in the Breeders' Cup World Championship is being reviewed by the organization's board of directors in the wake of five medication violations over a one-year period, culminating with a failed drug test by Medina Spirit after his first-place finish in the G1 Kentucky Derby on May 1.

Medina Spirit's post-race sample from the Derby tested positive for betamethasone, a corticosteroid that Baffert claims was administered to the horse via an ointment used to treat a rash after the Protonico colt's second-place finish in the G1 Santa Anita Derby on April 3. While the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has yet to conduct a hearing on the matter, Churchill Downs officials have notified Baffert that he is suspended from participating at any of their tracks through the end of the 2023 spring meeting. The New York Racing Association also has scheduled a hearing in an attempt to deny Baffert's participation at its tracks.

Medina Spirit, bred in Florida by Gail Rice, sold for just $1,000 as a yearling at the OBS Winter Mixed Sale, then brought $35,000 at the OBS July 2-year-old sale. The Awesome Again was his fifth career victory from nine starts (though he may be disqualified from his Kentucky Derby win), including the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita in January and the listed Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 29. He ran third behind Rombauer in the G1 Preakness.

The Awesome Again was inaugurated in 1982 as the Goodwood Handicap when the Oak Tree Racing Association conducted a fall meet at Santa Anita. It has been won by such older runners as Lord At War (twice), Ferdinand, Silver Charm, Plealsantly Perfect, Lava Man, Game On Dude (twice), Mucho Macho Man, California Chrome and Accelerate. Three-year-old winners include Shared Belief and Tiznow.

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