Of his one-two finish in the San Felipe, Baffert said, “We're trying to develop these horses, so it was good for both of them. Wine Me Up ran tough. It's like watching the 49ers Super Bowl game. Unfortunately, someone has to lose, but I'm proud of them both. They both showed up. That's all you can ask for.”

Wine Me Up was fastest out of the gate and had the lead in the early strides, but Imagination, the 4-5 favorite, strode up to challenge for the lead into the first turn.

Scatify (Justify), who broke from the rail in the four-horse field found himself in tight quarters off Wine Me Up's heels with Mc Vay (Constitution) pressing him from the outside. Rattled in the right quarters, he came out into the first turn, knocking Imagination and forcing Mc Vay wide into the bend. Hector Berrios took a strong hold of Scatify down the backstretch and that colt took back to the rear of the field.

Imagination, meanwhile, had recovered his momentum and took a length advantage over his stablemate as the half went up in :47.04. Wine Me Up moved back on even turns with the favorite and the two turned for home together. Imagination looked to be getting the better of his rival in upper stretch, but Wine Me Up along the rail battled back on even terms and it was a ding-dong battle to the finish.

“He broke out and we went to the clubhouse turn the guy behind me struck into me,” said winning jockey Frankie Dettori. “My horse got frightened, and I took him back to get him wide to get him to relax and get him back into the race. He fought a great duel. He was full of heart.”

Tom Ryan of SF Racing, co-owner of the winner, admitted he wasn't sure who had won the photo finish, but he found plenty to be positive about Imagination's effort.

“That was a great race,” Ryan said. “I didn't know which way it went at the wire. It was a little bit of a messy race early on, he had to recollect himself. He kind of got scared, these are young 3-year-old colts, they are learning their craft. It is amazing you could have a 12-horse field and nothing, and in a four-horse field anything can happen.

“It's good to see him have the confidence to put it back together and not back down from a fight and get there at the wire. I think there is a lot of potential in this horse. He is just learning as he goes, and I think the farther the better. He is a classy colt, he's always shown it, he looks it and thankfully his ability matches his looks.”

A $1.05-million Keeneland September yearling, Imagination opened his career with a pair of runner-up efforts at Del Mar late last year. He graduated going one mile at Santa Anita on New Year's Day and missed by just a neck to stablemate and 'TDN Rising Star' Maymun (Frosted) in a one-mile allowance Feb. 11.

Pedigree Notes:

Spendthrift's all-conquering Into Mischief was represented by the second and third-place finishers in Saturday's GII Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream Park and his son Timberlake put himself firmly on the Kentucky Derby trail this year with a win in the GII Rebel S. last weekend.

Magical Feeling, the fourth generation of this family bred by Peter Blum, is the dam of last year's GIII Monmouth Oaks winner and GI Acorn S. third Occult (Into Mischief). She has a yearling colt by Gun Runner, but aborted a Flightline foal for this year.

The cross of Into Mischief over Empire Maker mares has resulted in 29 winners from 43 starters and now has seven stakes winners, including Saturday's G3 Burj Nahaar winner Laurel River. As noted by Alan Carasso in Sunday's TDN, the cross has also been represented by GI Kentucky Derby hero Mandaloun, the Grade II winners Occult, Center Aisle and Taraz.

Bob Baffert stablemates #5 IMAGINATION ($3.80) and #2 Wine Me Up slugged it out down the stretch, but the former got a nose down on the line to win Santa Anita's $300,000 G2 San Felipe Stakes under @FrankieDettori! pic.twitter.com/qiNhshsuNg

— TVG (@TVG) March 3, 2024

Sunday, Santa Anita
DK HORSE SAN FELIPE S.-GII, $294,000, Santa Anita, 3-3, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.55, ft.
1–IMAGINATION, 120, c, 3, by Into Mischief
           1st Dam: Magical Feeling (GSW & GISP, $554,532), by Empire Maker
           2nd Dam: Magical Mood (GB), by Forestry
           3rd Dam: Good Mood, by Devil's Bag
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($1,050,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Robert E. Masterson, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine Donovan and Tom J. Ryan; B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Lanfranco Dettori. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-3-0, $256,800. *1/2 to Magical (Tapit), SW, $164,550 and Exulting (Tapit), MSW, $687,370; Full to Occult, GSW & MGISP, $451,450. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Wine Me Up, 120, c, 3, Vino Rosso–Deanaallen'skitten, by Kitten's Joy. ($115,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $300,000 2yo '23 OBSOPN). O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman; B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $60,000.
3–Mc Vay, 120, c, 3, Constitution–Dothraki Sea, by Union Rags. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($1,250,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). O-C R K Stable LLC; B-Band of Brothers (KY); T-John A. Shirreffs. $36,000.
Margins: HD, 6 3/4, 31. Odds: 0.90, 1.70, 9.90.
Also Ran: Scatify. Scratched: Nysos.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Out of an accomplished racemare, the victor is the fifth to get his picture taken for the dam and has a yearling full-brother waiting in the wings. That sibling is thus far the last registered offspring as Deanallen'skitten did not catch in 2023. She visited Highly Motivated for 2024. Wine Me Up is Vino Rosso's ninth winner among multiple on the day. 'Insights' runner Arthur (Uncle Mo) finished eighth while $1.25m FTSAUG purchase Mc Vay (Constitution) placed one above him. Sales history: $115,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $300,000 2yo '23 OBSOPN. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,200. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman; B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Bob Baffert.

Cheers to that! #4 WINE ME UP ($12.00) makes his first start a winning one in the 3rd at @DelMarRacing.

The 2-year-old son of @spendthriftfarm's Vino Rosso was ridden by @JJHernandezS19 for trainer Bob Baffert and owners Michael Pegram, Karl Watson, & Paul Weitman. pic.twitter.com/gQvtdSIpSV

— TVG (@TVG) September 2, 2023

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Also entered is $250,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale grad and $675,000 OBS April Sale purchase Arthur (Uncle Mo). Second dam SW Star of Goshen (Lord At War), who is a half-sister to MGSW Powis Castle (Rare Brick), is responsible for GI Santa Anita Derby champ and runner-up in the GI Kentucky Derby Pioneerof the Nile (Empire Maker). Trained by Keith Desormeaux, Arthur will be guided by Kent Desormeux. TJCIS PPS

6th-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 3:26 p.m.
Shifting to the Saratoga grass, Zverev (Oscar Performance) makes his first start after bringing $170,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale before fetching $330,000 at this year's OBS April Sale. The Cherie DeVaux trainee with Ricardo Santana up, is out of MGISW Balance (Thunder Gulch), who is a half-sister to Horse of the Year Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) and SW Where's Bailey (Aljabr)–dam to two-time GIII Yellow Ribbon H. heroine She's Not Here (Street Cry {Ire}) and her son, GSP Talk of the Nation (Quality Road).

Trained by Chad Brown and with Manny Franco in the irons, another interesting entrant here is $220,000 Keeneland September Sale graduate Walley World (More Than Ready). His dam Forced Family Fun (Uncle Mo), a half-sister to MGSP Cat Burglar (Unbridled's Song), were both produced by Be My Prospect (Forest Wildcat)–half-sister to MGSP Away (Dixieland Band), the dam of MGSW Eight Belles (Unbridled's Song). TJCIS PPS

7th-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 4:00 p.m.
Over on the Spa main, Justifiably So (Justify), a $375,000 Fasig-Tipton Yearling Sale purchase, is related to race six's Walley World in that he is out of that runner's second dam, Be My Prospect. The juvenile debuts for Nick Zito with Ricardo Santana at the controls.

Trainer Bill Mott and Junior Alvarado team with Godolphin's well-bred Jefferson Street (Street Sense). Out of an extended female family which includes first-crop sire MGISP Solomini (Curlin), the dark bay colt's dam Apiary (Bernardini) is a full-sister to GIII Go For Wand S. hero Indulgent and a half-sister to MGISW Frosted (Tapit). All are out of MGSW Fast Cookie (Deputy Minister), who is a half to Champion 2-year-old colt Midshipman (Unbridled's Song). TJCIS PPS

The post Saturday’s Racing Insights: $1.25M Constitution Colt Set For Juvenile Debut At Del Mar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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