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Baffert May Ship Gamine East Again To Prep For Kentucky Oaks

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was pleasantly surprised to see Gamine bounce out of her sensational 18 3/4-length domination of the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes on June 20 as quickly as she did.

Baffert, a five-time winner of the one-turn mile event at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., said the Grade 1, $1.25-million Kentucky Oaks on September 4 at Churchill Downs is the long-term goal for the Into Mischief bay, but that he would like to race once more before the prestigious event with a trip to Saratoga a possibility for his filly. The nine-furlong, Grade 1, $350,000 Coaching Club American Oaks is slated for July 18 at Saratoga.

Owned by Michael Lund Petersen, Gamine arrived at the Acorn off a win on debut at Santa Anita and a two-turn victory against winners at Oaklawn Park.

“For as fast as she ran, she looks really good,” Baffert said. “It really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be on her. After the Oaklawn race she came back and was a little light on me, but this time she came back looking really well. So we're excited about her. I haven't really thought of a next race for her. I'd like to find one race before the Kentucky Oaks, I just don't know yet. I may have to come back to Saratoga.”

Gamine earned 50 qualifying points towards the Kentucky Oaks following an Acorn win and is currently No. 12 on the Kentucky Oaks Leaderboard.

Bred in Kentucky by Grace Thoroughbred Holdings, Gamine was purchased for $1.8 million from the Fasig-Tipton Mid Atlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale last May. She is out of the stakes-placed Kafwain broodmare Peggy Jane.

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Bellafina Tops Great Lady M. Noms; Baffert Nominates Quartet To Los Alamitos Derby

Multiple graded stakes winner Bellafina heads the nominations for the Grade II, $200,000-guaranteed Great Lady M. Stakes while Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has four nominees to the Grade III, $150,000-guaranteed Los Alamitos Derby at Los Alamitos race course in Cypress, Calif.

The two races will be run for the seventh time at Los Alamitos Saturday, July 4.

Owned by Kaleem Shah and Mrs. John Magnier and trained by Simon Callaghan, Bellafina, a 4-year-old Quality Road filly out of the Malibu Moon mare Akron Moon, has earned all seven of her wins in graded stakes. She's banked $1,512,875 in 15 starts. Her successes include the Sorrento (GII), Del Mar Debutante (GI) and Chandlier (GI) in 2018, Santa Ynez (GII), Las Virgenes (GII) and Santa Anita Oaks (GI) in 2019 and the Desert Stormer (GIII) last month at Santa Anita.

The Great Lady M. will mark Bellafina's first start at Los Alamitos since she was second in her career debut July 4, 2018.

The other nominees are Lady T N T, idle since her 37-1 upset in the Grade III Charles Town Oaks last Sept. 21, Zusha, Artistic Diva, Amuse, Ava's Charm, Donut Girl, Hang a Star, Message, Road Rager, Saints Paynter, Sneaking Out and Unique Factor.

Baffert, who has won the Los Alamitos Derby the last three years with West Coast (2017), Once on Whiskey (2018) and Game Winner (2019), nominated Azul Coast, a first out winner at Los Alamitos last Dec. 8, Cezanne, who is entered in Thursday's fifth race, Thousand Words, a neck winner of the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity last Dec. 7, and impressive debut winner Uncle Chuck.

The Derby is part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby'' this year. The winner of the race will receive 20 points towards a berth in the Derby, which will be run Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs. There will also be eight points awarded to the runner-up, four to the third place finisher and two to the fourth place finisher.

The other Los Alamitos Derby nominees are Great Power, Rushie, third behind Honor A.P. and Authentic in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby June 6, Anneau d'Or, fourth in the SA Derby and second in last year's Los Alamitos Futurity, the maiden Cosmo, Hit the Road and the filly Stela Star.

Entries for both the Great Lady M. Stakes and the Los Alamitos Derby will be taken Wednesday, July 1.

Equibase past performances for the Great Lady M. Stakes

Equibase past performances for Los Alamitos Derby nominees

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Next Stop Saratoga For Tom’s D’Etat, Midnight Bisou After Dominating Performances At Churchill Downs

G M B Racing's brilliant $500,000 Stephen Foster (Grade II) winner Tom's d'Etat along with Bloom Racing, Madaket Stables and Allen Racing's ultra-classy $200,000 Fleur de Lis (GII) hero Midnight Bisou both exited Saturday's races at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., in good shape and will head to Saratoga in the coming days for their eight-week meet, according to their respective connections.

“It was just an unbelievable day on Saturday,” trainer Al Stall Jr. said. “To draw off like that, and almost break the track record, was unreal. He ran a sub 36-second final three-eighths. You don't see many route horses in the country that are able to do that, especially as geared down as he was in the final stages.”

Tom's d'Etat cruised to a 4 ¼-length win in Saturday's Stephen Foster, a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In Classic Division” race for the $7-million Breeders' Cup Classic (GI), which is scheduled for Nov. 7 at Keeneland. His connections will have all Breeders' Cup pre-entry and entry fees covered for the season-ending championship race.

Just one race prior to Tom's d'Etat, 2019 Eclipse Award-winner Midnight Bisou stylishly returned to the winner's circle with an emphatic 8 ¼-length victory in the Fleur de Lis.

“I can't say enough how thankful we are to Jeff Bloom, Sol Kumin and the Allens for keeping this brilliant mare in training for this year,” said Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who had a busy Sunday morning working 13 horses beneath the Twin Spires.

By winning the Fleur de Lis, Midnight Bisou secured a “Win and You're In” berth to the $2-million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (GI) on Nov. 7 at Keeneland. The question remains if she will point toward the Distaff or the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic.

Asmussen and Stall's string of horses are expected to ship from Churchill Downs to Saratoga in the coming days. With the disrupted racing schedule around the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many trainers and jockeys are opting to remain in Kentucky for the summer and ship to Saratoga as necessary. Jockeys Tyler Gaffalione and Ricardo Santana Jr. are among the local riders expected to ride at Saratoga following Keeneland's Summer Meet which spans July 8-12.

Most of the other jockeys in the Churchill Downs riding colony such as Rafael Bejarano, James Graham, Florent Geroux, Brian Hernandez Jr., Chris Landeros, Corey Lanerie and Julien Leparoux plan to ride the summer at Ellis and ship out of town if necessary.

Many local trainers will keep their string of horses in training at Churchill Downs including typical Saratoga-goers D. Wayne Lukas and Dallas Stewart.

Several of the West-Coast trainers currently stabled at Churchill Downs, including Peter Miller and John Sadler, are planning to return to California for the Del Mar meet.

Chad Brown, who was a new addition to the Churchill Downs backstretch this spring, is planning on remaining stabled in Barn 26 throughout the summer and fall, according to his local assistant Whit Beckman. Brown will still be a very strong presence at Saratoga with the majority of his string based in New York.

The Kentucky racing circuit with shift to Ellis Park on Thursday, July 2-Sunday, July 5. Then, Keeneland will run their abbreviated Summer Meet from Wednesday, July 8-Sunday, July 12 before racing continues throughout the month of July and August at Ellis Park.

Racing at Churchill Downs will return on Tuesday, Sept. 1 for the start of Kentucky Derby Week.

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Tonalist’s Shape Adds Blinkers, Zips :45.35 Half-Mile In Prep For Ashland

Slam Dunk Racing, Doug Branham and Legacy Racing Inc.'s Tonalist's Shape breezed a half-mile in 45.35 seconds Sunday at Gulfstream Park in South Florida in preparation for a likely start in the July 11 Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Kentucky Oaks (G1) hopeful followed up a pair of 'bullet' workouts with a 'breathtaking' four-furlong breeze that ranked second fastest of 58 recorded at the distance Sunday. Tonalist's Shape, who was ridden by assistant trainer Sabine Langvard, wore blinkers for the first time for Sunday's workout.

“She's never been a fast work horse but she's really coming into herself,” Joseph said. “Today was the first time we put blinkers on her because one of the owners said he'd like to try blinkers. She wore blinkers today and I thought today she had a breathtaking work.”

The 3-year-old daughter of Tonalist will likely race with blinkers while prepping for the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs in her next start.

“Most likely she'll run in the Ashland. We're going to nominate her for the [July 18] Coaching Club at Saratoga, but it looks she's going to the Ashland,” Joseph said.

Tonalist's Shape is coming off a sharp 3 3/4-length victory in the May 15 Hollywood Wildcat, her first win around two turns, rebounding from sustaining her first career loss in the March 28 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2). The Kentucky-bred filly had won her first five starts, including victories in the Forward Gal (G3) and the Davona Dale (G2) during the 2019-2020 Championship Meet at Gulfstream.

“The horse that finished third came back – I know she was well beaten – and ran second in the Grade 1 Acorn. [Fourth-place finisher] Up in Smoke came back to win a stake,” Joseph said. “The form for her last race held up well.”

Tonalist's Shape currently ranks seventh in qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks.

The Joseph-trained Ny Traffic, who ranks eighth in qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby (G1 at Churchill, is scheduled to breeze at Gulfstream Monday after missing a work last week.

“Last week for a day or two he wasn't quite acting right, like he was fighting off some kind of bug,” Joseph said. “He seems like he's over it and he's galloped the last few days. He's going to work tomorrow.”

Ny Traffic finished a length behind Maxfield while second in the May 23 Matt Wynn (G3) at Churchill Downs last time out. The 3-year-old son of Cross Traffic previously finished second, 1 ½ lengths behind Welles Bayou. in the Louisiana Derby (G2), and third in the Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds. In his first start for Joseph, the New York-bred colt scored a front-running 6 ¾-length romp in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Jan. 11.

The July 11 Blue Grass (G2) at Keeneland had been the target for Ny Traffic's next start.

“Ideally, we were thinking the Blue Grass, but the little delay in schedule makes the Blue Grass unlikely,” Joseph said. “So, he'll probably go in the Haskell or the Peter Pan.”

The Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park is scheduled for July 18, while the Peter Pan (G3) is slated for July 16 at Saratoga.

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