Baffert Has Bob Hope Surrounded

The always well-stocked Bob Baffert barn, fresh off its victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile last week with Corniche (Quality Road), has three more pricey and full-of-potential juvenile colts entered against just two other rivals in Sunday's seven-furlong GIII Bob Hope S. at Del Mar. Baffert already owns a record 10 Bob Hope trophies and has won four of the last six renewals.

Breaking from the rail is 'TDN Rising Star' Messier (Empire Maker), a 6 1/2-length second-out winner at Santa Anita Oct. 22. He now sheds blinkers off the graduation–a move Baffert has employed in the past with the likes of Bob Hope winner Mastery, Triple Crown winner Justify, champion juvenile Game Winner, etc. Drawn to Messier's right is $400,000 KEENOV weanling Kamui (Quality Road), who was second–demoted to third for interference–behind re-opposing Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah)–at Del Mar Aug. 21. The Baoma Corp. colorbearer aired by six lengths at Los Al Sept. 11. Winning Map (Liam's Map) rounds out the Baffert trio and boasts the field's top Beyer Speed Figure of 85. The $525,000 OBSMAR (:20 3/5) acquisition justified 2-5 odds when cruising clear to a 4 1/4-length debut victory in Arcadia Oct. 3.

The aforementioned Forbidden Kingdom returns to the main track after checking in third as the favorite in Santa Anita's Speakeasy S., a prep for the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Rock N Bye (Stay Thirsty) ventures for the first time out of Cal-bred company, where he annexed the local Graduation S. in August before two more stakes placings.

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Baffert To Saddle Three Out Of Five Entries In Sunday’s Bob Hope Stakes

Trainer Bob Baffert has Sunday's Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar surrounded.

The white-haired, Hall of Fame conditioner has not one, not two, but three of the five 2-year-olds in the lineup for the seven-furlong headliner that carries a $100,000 purse. It will go as the day's 8th race on a nine-race program that has a first post of 12:30 p.m.

The Baffert threesome consists of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, et al's Messier; Baoma Corp's Kamui, and HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud's Winning Map.

The rest of the compact lineup is filled by Lovingier, London or Zondio's Rock N Rye and MyRacehorse.com and Spendthrift Farm's Forbidden Kingdom.

However, trainer Walther Solis indicating Friday morning that Rock N Rye would be scratched from the Hope in favor of a stakes for California breds later on.

Baffert is the king of the 2-year-old set at Del Mar – and he's some degree of royalty at other tracks around the country in that regard, too. By way of example locally, he's won Del Mar's top race for 2-year-olds, the Del Mar Futurity, 14 times. When it comes to the Bob Hope, which has been run locally seven times, Baffert has headed to the winner's circle after it four times already.

Here's the full field in post-position order with riders and morning line odds:

  1. Messier (Flavien Prat, 8/5)
  2. Kamui (Abel Cedillo, 5/2)
  3. Winning Map (Mike Smith, 7/5)
  4. Rock N Rye (Umberto Rispoli, 15-1)
  5. Forbidden Kingdom (Juan Hernandez, 9/2)

Favored Winning Map has run only once, but, not surprisingly, it was a dandy. The gray colt by Liam's Map scooted six furlongs at Santa Anita in 1:10.20 on October 3 to win by better than four lengths at 2-5. He's put in a series of solid works since.

Messier clicked by more than six lengths in his second start October 22 at Santa Anita in the same 1:10.20 for six furlongs. He's a bay colt by Empire Maker.

Stablemate Kamui, a Quality Road offspring, was a six-length winner at Los Alamitos on September 11 in his most recent outing.

Forbidden Kingdom, a son of Triple Crown champion American Pharoah, scored at first asking at Del Mar on August 21, then came back to run third in the Speakeasy Stakes on the grass at Santa Anita on October 1. He's trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Richard Mandella.

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Sunday Insights: Expensive Breeze-Up Purchases Square Off

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

7th-SA, $61K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, post time: 7:03 p.m. ET
SIR LONDON (Malibu Moon) was led out unsold on a bid of $135,000 at the 2020 Keeneland January Sale, but improved over the next 17 months and was knocked down to agents Alex Elliott and Ben McElroy for $700,000 after breezing a furlong on his wrong lead in :10 flat (see below) at this year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale. The priciest of 24 juveniles (32 ring) for his late sire in 2021, Sir London is a half-brother to MSP Castellani (Quality Road) and GSP Seeking Her Glory (Giant's Causeway). His multiple Grade III-winning grand-dam is responsible for GSW Converge (Sidney's Candy) and SP Hot Dad (Sidney's Candy). Winning Map (Liam's Map) cost Pick View just $55,000 as a KEESEP yearling but blossomed into a $525,000 OBS March acquisition by Emmanuel de Seroux's Narvick International after a quarter-mile drill in :20 3/5. TJCIS PPs

 

 

'Rising Star' Back In Action at Churchill…
9th-CD, $141K, Alw/Opt. Clm., 3yo/up, 7f, 4:55 p.m. ET
Winchell Thoroughbreds' PNEUMATIC (Uncle Mo) earned 'TDN Rising Star' status for a fast-finishing allowance victory going a mile at Oaklawn last April and went on to complete the trifecta behind Maxfield (Street Sense) in the GIII Matt Winn S. the following month. Fourth to Tiz the Law (Constitution) in the GI Belmont S., the homebred made light work of seven rivals in the Pegasus S. at Monmouth Park in August and was last seen finishing well down the field in the GI Preakness S. exactly 52 weeks ago. TJCIS PPs

2019 OBS April Topper Makes Belated Bow…
4th-WO, C$123k, Msw, 3yo/up, 1mT, post time: 2:48 p.m ET
MILANO (Into Mischief) was purchased by DeMeric Sales for $300,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and was successfully resold at OBS April the following spring, fetching a sales-topping $1.3 million from Team Casse on behalf of owner John Oxley after the colt breezed two furlongs in :21 flat. The bay colt is out of an unraced half-sister to MSW & GISP By the Light (Malibu Moon), the dam of MGISW By the Moon (Indian Charlie) and GSP Wonderful Light (Tiz Wonderful). TJCIS PPs

Freakish First-Out Winner Takes Next Step…
7th-WO, C$101K, Alw, 3yo/up, 6fT, post time: 4:27 p.m. ET
ARTIE (Artie Schiller) had plenty of admirers as a 7-2 chance making his debut in a 6 1/2-furlong turf maiden Sept. 4 and was a clear last early after being steadied right out of the machine. But he traveled sweetly thereafter, pinched ground on the turn and exploded through the lane while switching his leads back and forth to graduate by 9 1/2 lengths in fast time (video), good for an 89 Beyer Speed Figure. The 8-5 morning-line favorite has gate six with Kazushi Kimura back in the irons. TJCIS PPs

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