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Jockey Baird Fined $5,000 For Whip Use In Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

Stewards in California issued a ruling on Nov. 6 against jockey E.T. Baird for violation of the state's rules regarding whip use. The ruling states that Baird used his whip more than six times during the sixth race on Nov. 5, which was the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Baird was aboard One Timer in that race, where he sat off early leader and eventual winner Twilight Gleaming before being overcome by closers in the stretch.

The offense is the first for Baird under California rules in the past 60 days, according to the stewards' ruling.

Baird is not typically based in California and has spent most of this racing season in Illinois. According to Equibase, he has been riding since 1985 and has amassed 2,482 wins from 18,761 starts.

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Record Handle For 38th Breeders’ Cup

Edited Press Release

Total all-sources common-pool handle for the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club was $182,908,409, a new record for the two-day event.

The total represents a 4.7% increase over the prior record of $174,628,986 set when the event was held at Santa Anita Park in 2019 and a 14% increase from the total handle of $160,472,893 at the 2020 event held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, KY.

Total common-pool handle on Saturday's 12-race Breeders' Cup card was a record $121,562,392. All sources common-pool handle on Breeders' Cup's 10-race Future Stars Friday card was $61,346,017, also a new record for a Breeders' Cup Friday. This is the fourth consecutive year that Breeders' Cup grouped all its juvenile races together on Friday.

“We had an extraordinary two days of racing showcasing the best Thoroughbreds from around the world and we want to thank our partners here at Del Mar, who did an amazing job, and the greater San Diego community, our gracious hosts this week,” said Breeders' Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming. “The Breeders' Cup is a truly global event with winners this weekend bred, raised and raced on three different continents.”

On-track handle for the two days was $19,032,307, while on-track attendance for the two days was 47,089. Due to precautions related to COVID-19, Breeders' Cup and Del Mar reduced ticket capacity for the 2021 event.

“Our team at Del Mar was thrilled to host this year's renewal of the Breeders' Cup,” said Josh Rubinstein, Del Mar's President and Chief Operating Officer. “We want to extend our congratulations to all of this weekend's participants. They put on an amazing display of world-class competition.”

The Breeders Cup World Championships will return to Keeneland in 2022.

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Aloha West Nails Dr. Schivel On Wire In Breeders’ Cup Sprint

In one of the most white-knucke finishes of the weekend's meeting, Aloha West got the right side of a head-bob against Dr. Schivel after an intense stretch drive to win the Breeders' Cup Sprint on Saturday at Del Mar.

The 4-year-old Hard Spun colt settled in at the back of the field in the six-furlong race, as imposing 1-to-2 favorite Jackie's Warrior set a blistering pace on the rail, tracked closely by Special Reserve and longshot Matera Sky. As Jackie's Warrior clocked the opening quarter-mile in :21.91 seconds, jockey Jose Ortiz gradually brought Aloha West up through the crowd, and got him to the middle of the pack as the leaders hit the turn.

Jackie's Warrior continued to fend off a dogged challenge from Special Reserve through the bend, and they were joined three-wide by Dr. Schivel as they prepared to enter the stretch after a half-mile in :44.11 seconds. Following Sea also appeared poised to make a rail move, but his potential rally was cut off in the turn by a tight-cutting Jackie's Warrior.

After such a hot battle up front, Jackie's Warrior relented at the top of the stretch, leaving Special Reserve and Dr. Schivel to decide the leader, and Aloha West still several lengths behind. Dr. Schivel and jockey Flavien Prat appeared to have a clear path to victory with a furlong to go after disposing of Special Reserve, but Ortiz put Aloha West in the middle of the track, and got active in his urging, flipping between showing his mount the crop and the occasional right-hand strike.

Dr. Schivel still looked like he would survive the challenge as the wire drew near, but Aloha West drew even in the final two jumps. Even then, Dr. Schivel appeared to potentially have the forward head bob as they crossed the wire. The photo finish revealed that Aloha West had a nose over his foe when they passed the finish, while Following Sea recovered from his stunted rail move to finish third, 1 1/2 lengths behind the runner-up.

“I knew there was a lot of speed in the race and I had none, so I knew I was going to come from the back,” Ortiz said. “He was giving me a great run, but I didn't know if I was going to get there. Finally, we did. He put his head right on the wire. I was about 60 percent sure I won.”

Aloha West stopped the clock in the six-furlong race in 1:08.49 over a fast main track. Any horse was going to be an upset after heavy Jackie's Warrior conceded, but Aloha West was an especially lucrative one, paying $24.60 to win.

Wayne Catalano trains Aloha West for owner Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. He was bred in Maryland by Robert T. Manfuso and Katharine M. Voss.

“I liked where we were at early in the race and the head-bob was a tough one,” Catalano said. “But you know when the results come this way we're happy. Right now, it's a good time to win a race like this. We are low on horses and have been around a long, long time. I have been reinventing myself so many times. Fifty years and counting. I just want to settle down and have a handful of nice ones in one spot and enjoy my life with my three grandkids and one more on the way.”

The victory in the Sprint improved Aloha West's record to five wins in nine career starts. It was his first stakes victory, and just his second graded stakes attempt, after finishing second by a neck in the Grade 2 Phoenix Stakes on Oct. 8 at Keeneland.

Quotes from other connections:

Jockey Flavien Prat (Dr. Schivel, second) – “That was a tough loss. He was running really strong and didn't see the winner coming as I did not look up.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher (Following Sea, third) – “He ran great. He had a good run up the rail and the door closed on him. He had to alter course and re-rally. Looked like he could have been right there if he could have snuck through.”

Trainer Mike Maker (Special Reserve, fourth) – “The horse ran big as always. Very taxing fractions. Proud of the horse.”

Trainer Steve Asmussen (beaten favorite Jackie's Warrior, sixth) – “He looks good. It wasn't his day.”

Jockey Joel Rosario (beaten favorite Jackie's Warrior, sixth) – “He broke really well and was running easy early on. Sometimes it is just hard to win all the time. He gave his best and we were just outrun. On the far turn, two horses came to me a little bit, I could see they were moving better than we were. He always fights but, as I said, you can't win all the time.”

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Life Is Good Runs Off The Screen In Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile

It's been a big Saturday so far for jockey Irad Oritz, Jr., who recorded his second straight Breeders' Cup victory in just the third World Championships race of the card. Following his frontrunning triumph in the Turf Sprint aboard Wesley Ward's Golden Pal, Ortiz followed the same playbook to pilot WinStar Farm and China Horse Club's Life Is Good to the winner's circle in the Dirt Mile.

“I had a perfect trip,” Ortiz said. “He broke out of there running, he relaxed for me. I wasn't worried about those other runners early in the race, because I knew he was so fast. When we got to the quarter pole, he re-broke for me. What a nice horse to ride.”

The Todd Pletcher-trained colt more than lived up to his 3-5 odds: The 3-year-old son of Into Mischief simply ran his rivals into the ground, grabbing the lead at the start and dominating the race throughout to clock a final time of 1:34.12 over Del Mar's fast main track. He defeated his closest rival, Ginobili (4-1), by 5 3/4 lengths, while Restrainedvengence (40-1) checked in third.

“We were hoping for that, expecting that based on the way that he's been training, but it's always great to see it actually happen,” said Pletcher. “He took it to them. Just too much horse.”

The win is Pletcher's second in the Dirt Mile, following a victory with Liam's Map in 2015, and the Hall of Fame conditioner's 12th Breeders' Cup victory overall. It was Ortiz's third Breeders' Cup win of 2021, and his 14th overall.

Previously trained by the embattled Bob Baffert, Life is Good was moved across the country to Pletcher's barn after an injury took him off the Kentucky Derby trail in March. He returned in late August to run second to Jackie's Warrior in the G1 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at Saratoga, then got back in the winner's circle with an easy romp in the G2 Kelso on Sept. 25.

Though the pair of Japanese-trained entrants, Pingxiang and Jasper Prince, were both expected to show early speed, Ortiz sent Life Is Good hard out of the starting gates and made the lead before the clubhouse turn. Under mild pressure from Eight Rings, Life Is Good set fractions of :21.88 and :44.94 with his ears pricked, making it look easy.

Eight Rings dropped back a bit around the far turn as Ginobili took up the challenge on his outside. Life Is Good maintained an advantage of just over a length as he ticked off six furlongs in 1:08.96, then simply out-ran his rivals down the stretch. Ginobili kept on well to maintain second, hitting the wire 5 3/4 lengths behind the winner, while Restrainedvengence closed from the rear of the field to finish three-quarters of a length back in third. Eight Rings held on to be fourth, while Silver State was fifth.

Bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West, Life Is Good is out of the placed Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk. He was a $525,000 purchase at the Keeneland September sale, and was sent to Baffert's barn in Southern California for the early part of his career. Life Is Good won impressively on debut in late November at Del Mar, then won the G3 Sham and the G2 San Felipe before his injury.

With a second and two more wins to his name since his transfer to Pletcher's care, Life Is Good has amassed a total of five wins from six starts with earnings of $1,059,200.

Quotes from other connections:

Trainer Richard Baltas (Ginobili, second) – “We just ran into a better horse. We got a great trip and it looked around the turn that we were making a move and we're going to win it, but Life Is Good kicked clear. I mean, I'm pretty happy. I would be happier if we'd had won it, but Ginobili ran a great race.”

Jockey Drayden Van Dyke (Ginobili, second) – “With how fast they we were going, I thought it was going to set up perfectly for us. But the winner had another gear when we got to him but I am super happy with Ginobili. It was the kind of trip that we wanted and we got it. We were just second best today.”

Trainer Val Brinkerhoff (Restrainedvengence, third) – “He ran very good. We kind of got away bad. We thought we would be back, but not that far. I think if we had a little bit better start we might have gotten second. I don't think we would have beaten the winner. He ran a heck of a race.”

Jockey Edwin Maldonado (Restrainedvengence, third) – “My horse ran well and I'm happy we ran third. The winner was just too good.”

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