LOS ALAMITOS: BAFFERT SEEKS THIRD CONSECUTIVE STARLET-FUTURITY SWEEP

By Robert Mieszerski —-

CYPRESS, Calif. – Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will try for a third consecutive sweep of the Starlet and Los Alamitos Futurity Saturday.

Baffert, who completed the significant parlay with Chasing Yesterday (Starlet) and Improbable (Futurity) last year after winning the Starlet with Dream Tree and Futurity with McKinzie in 2017, will have two representatives in both of the graded races for 2-year-olds.

Baffert, who has won the Starlet – which is restricted to fillies – five times, is scheduled to run Bast and Gingham in the Grade I and High Velocity and Thousand Words in the Grade II Futurity, a race he has captured 11 times, including all five at Los Alamitos.

Before transferring to Los Alamitos in 2014, the Starlet and Futurity were run at Hollywood Park (1981-2013).

Post time Saturday is 12:30 p.m. The Futurity is the fourth of nine races and has a scheduled post time of 1:58 p.m.
while the Starlet goes about 90 minutes later as the seventh race.

The Starlet, whose past winners include Althea, Very Subtle, Goodbye Halo, Sardula, Serena’s Song, Surfside, Blind Luck, Take Charge Brandi and Abel Tasman, is part of the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks’’ series. The winner Saturday will receive 10 points towards earning a berth in the Kentucky Oaks next May 1 at Churchill Downs.

Won previously by stars such as Snow Chief, A.P. Indy, Best Pal, Real Quiet, Point Given, Lookin At Lucky and Shared Belief, the Futurity is part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby’’ series. Saturday’s winner will receive 10 points towards securing a spot in the starting gate next May 2 in Louisville.

A daughter of Uncle Mo and the Arch mare Laffina owned by Baoma Corporation, Bast has won two of her four starts and banked $552,200. Both of her wins have come in Grade I races – the Del Mar Debutante Aug. 31 and the Chandelier four weeks later at Santa Anita.

In her most recent outing, the $500,000 yearling purchase was third in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, defeated two lengths by British Idiom.

Owned by Sarah Kelly and Jane Wiltz, Gingham has not been worse than second in four starts while banking $60,200. The Quality Road filly out of the Pulpit mare Chapel graduated in her last outing, winning by 1 ½ lengths as the 3-5 choice Oct. 31.

Trained by Simon Callaghan for Kaleem Shah, Inc., Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, Donna Veloce was second, a neck behind British Idiom, in the Juvenile Fillies in her second career start.

The Uncle Mo filly, who was purchased for $800,000 in March, broke her maiden by 9 ¼ lengths in her Sept. 28 debut at 6 ½ furlongs. She’s out of the Montjeu mare Coin Broker.

Callaghan is seeking his second win in the Starlet. He won with Abel Tasman in 2016.

Roadrunner’s Honor will try two turns for the first time Saturday. The Honor Code filly out of the Seeking the Gold mare Wild Idle is 1-for-2 with earnings of $36,000 for Roadrunner Racing and W.C. Racing Inc. and trainer Doug O’Neill.

The $100,000 March purchase scored at first asking Oct. 12 before checking in fourth in the Desi Arnaz Stakes Nov. 10 at Del Mar.

Trained by Jeff Mullins for Karl Pergola, K P Dreamin was well beaten in the BC Juvenile Fillies after finishing third in the Chandelier. The Union Rags filly out of the Point Given mare Litigating is 1-for-4 with earnings of $96,260.

From inside out, the field for the Starlet Stakes: Roadrunner’s Honor, Geovanni Franco rides, 120 pounds; Bast, Drayden Van Dyke, 120; Donna Veloce, Flavien Prat, 120; Gingham, Abel Cedillo, 120 and K P Dreamin, Ruben Fuentes, 120.

A $1 million buy at the 2018 Keeneland September sale, Thousand Words was a debut winner Oct. 26 for Spendthrift Farm LLC and Albaugh Family Stables LLC.

A Florida-bred son of Pioneerof the Nile – winner of the 2008 Futurity at Hollywood Park – and the Pomeroy mare Pomeroys Pistol, Thousand Words earned $30,000 for his victory.

High Velocity is 2-for-2 for owners Gary and Mary West with earnings of $90,000. The Quality Road colt out of the Dixie Union mare Ketel Twist scored by two lengths Oct. 13 before capturing the Grade III Bob Hope Nov. 16 at Del Mar.

A son of Medaglia d’Oro and the Tapit mare Walk Close, Anneau d’Or finished second at 28-1, beaten a head by fellow outsider Storm the Court in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Nov. 1.

Owned by Peter Redekop B.C. Ltd. and trained by Blaine Wright, Anneau d’Or made his dirt debut in the Juvenile. He broke his maiden by eight lengths on the Golden Gate Fields turf in his Sept. 29 initiation. He’s banked $358,000.

Third in the BC Juvenile, Wrecking Crew will be seeking his first stakes win for Gary Hartunian’s Rockingham Ranch and David A. Bernsen LLC and trainer Peter Miller.

The son of Sky Kingdom and the Yes It’s True mare Truelladeville has yet to be worse than third in his four race career while earning $316,600.

After breaking his maiden July 27, Wrecking Crew was runner-up in both the Grade II Best Pal and Grade I Del Mar Futurity before completing the trifecta at 39-1 in the BC Juvenile.

From inside out, the field for the Los Alamitos Futurity: Anneau d’Or, Juan Hernandez rides, 120 pounds; Wrecking Crew, Abel Cedillo, 120; Thousand Words, Flavien Prat, 120 and High Velocity, Drayden Van Dyke, 120.