‘A Great Mind’: $3.65 Million Purchase Cezanne Will Try Two-Turn Allowance Before Derby Prep

A $3.65 million 2-year-old at last spring's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale, Cezanne lived up to early expectations when breaking his maiden on debut earlier this month at Santa Anita Park. For his second start, the 3-year-old son of Curlin will step up to two turns in a one-mile allowance race at Los Alamitos this Thursday.

Trained by Bob Baffert for owners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and St. Elias Stable, Cezanne is out of the Bernardini mare Achieving. His third dam is the Deputy Minister mare Better Than Honour, the dam of Belmont Stakes winners Jazil and Rags to Riches.

In his debut, the colt sat just off the pace before making his bid between rivals on the turn, then pulling away down the lane to win by 2 1/4 lengths, completing 6 1/2 furlongs on the fast main track in 1:16.13. Since that start, Cezanne has breezed twice at Santa Anita, going five furlongs in 1:01.80 on June 22 and a half-mile in :48 flat on June 28.

“He's still a little heavy,” Baffert told the Daily Racing Form. “More racing will help him. He's shown us he's a top horse. He's got a great mind and doesn't get excited. He's been behaving himself.”

Should his two-turn debut prove successful, Cezanne could be considered for a Kentucky Derby prep race, said Baffert.

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