Oaklawn Barn Notes: Baffert Taking Aim at Southwest with Spielberg

By Robert Yates —-

Baffert Taking Aim at Southwest with Spielberg

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has captured one of Oaklawn’s four Kentucky Derby points races with a horse named after an Olympic gold medalist, another with a horse named after a professional tennis icon and a third with a horse named after a celebrated soccer manager.

Now, it’s that fourth race receiving the “star” treatment. The Southern California-based Baffert, who has dominated Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby prep series the last decade, will send out Spielberg in Saturday’s $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3), a 1 1/16-mile event the trainer’s already won four times.

Spielberg is named for Steven Spielberg, a two-time Academy Award winner for best director. Purchased for $1 million at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Spielberg – the horse – will be making his first start since a disappointing fourth-place finish in his 3-year-old debut, the $100,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 30 at Santa Anita.

Spielberg was not originally nominated to the Southwest, which was scheduled to be run Feb. 15 before severe winter weather postponed the race twice. After losing eight live racing dates, Oaklawn announced Feb. 17 that nominations to all postponed stakes would be reopened and close Feb. 19. Spielberg, a son of Union Rags, was among a handful of horses nominated during the two-day window and one of seven entered Tuesday morning. He was to be flown Wednesday to Arkansas.

“I really don’t plan too far out,” Baffert said Tuesday afternoon. “His last race, he just never really got into it. Struggled all the way around there. But he came back and worked well and so I thought, ‘You know what? I know it’s going to be a short field and the races are sort of on top of each other.’ I thought I would give him another chance. It’s an easy ship, so we’re just going to send him up there and see if he fits with those.”

Spielberg had a productive 2-year-old campaign, finishing second and third, as a maiden, in the $250,000 Del Mar Futurity (G1) at Del Mar and $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita, respectively, and winning the $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Dec. 19 at Los Alamitos.

Spielberg was beaten 11 ¼ lengths in the two-turn Robert B. Lewis. In his only other poor performance, Spielberg finished fourth, beaten 9 ½ lengths, in the $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes (G3) Nov. 15 at Del Mar. The colt was coming off a Nov. 1 maiden victory at Del Mar.

“He just never got engaged in the race,” Baffert said of the Robert B. Lewis. “One of those races where he just didn’t show up. He came out of it fine. We thought he was doing well going in. He’s done that before. He did that at Del Mar. He ran in a stake and just didn’t show up.”

Baffert won the Southwest in 2010 with Conveyance – the trainer’s first Oaklawn starter in roughly nine years – in 2012 with Castaway and Secret Circle (split race) and in 2013 with Super Ninety Nine. The late Bob Holthus, Oaklawn’s all-time winningest trainer, captured the Southwest a record five times.

Baffert also won the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) in 2012 with Bodemeister, who was named after Olympic gold medal winning skier Bode Miller. Baffert won Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Derby points race, the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes, in 2018 with Mourinho, who was named after three-time Premier League champion soccer coach Jose Mourinho.

Baffert won the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) last year with Nadal, named after Rafael Nadal, who has a record-equaling 20 career Grand Slam men’s singles tennis titles. Nadal returned to win the second division of the Arkansas Derby last May.

The Southwest will offer 17 points to the top four finishers (10-4-2-1, respectively) toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby. Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby points series continues with the $1 million Rebel (G2) March 13 and the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 10.

The Southwest anchors Saturday’s 11-race program that begins at 12:15 p.m. (Central). Probable post time for the Southwest, which goes as race 10, is 4:58 p.m. The projected field from the rail out: Essential Quality, Luis Saez to ride, 119 pounds; Saffa’s Day, Ricardo Santana Jr., 117; Last Samurai, Jon Court, 117; Jackie’s Warrior, Joel Rosario, 119; Santa Cruiser, Richard Eramia, 117; Woodhouse, David Cabrera, 117; and Spielberg, Martin Garcia, 119.

Unbeaten Essential Quality was the country’s champion 2-year-old male for trainer Brad Cox, while Jackie’s Warrior was a multiple Grade 1 winner last year for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Both horses have been based this winter at Fair Grounds and will be making their 2021 debuts in the Southwest.

Baffert said unbeaten Concert Tour (2 for 2) is already “penciled in” for the 1 1/16-mile Rebel, a race the trainer has won a record seven times. Also pointing for the Rebel is runaway Smarty Jones winner Caddo River, another Cox trainee, and locally based Grade 2 winner Keepmeinmind for trainer Robertino Diodoro.

Kimari Springs into Action

World traveler Kimari bids for her second career Oaklawn stakes victory in Saturday’s $200,000 Spring Fever for older females at 5 ½ furlongs.

Campaigned by owner David Mowat (Ten Broeck Farm) and trainer Wesley Ward, Kimari opened her 2020 campaign with a 1 ¾-length victory in the $100,000 Purple Martin Stakes for 3-year-old filly sprinters last April at Oaklawn.

The Purple Martin was supposed to be Kimari’s first step toward a Breeders’ Cup appearance in November at Keeneland, but the daughter of Munnings only made two other starts last year. She finished second in the Commonwealth Cup (G1) in June at the famed Royal Ascot meeting in England and returns to dirt after finishing third in the $400,000 Music City Stakes September 15 at Kentucky Downs.

“Our goal was going to be the Breeders’ Cup, whether it be the sprint on the grass or the filly or mare sprint or the dirt sprint, one of the three we were looking at,” Ward said Tuesday afternoon. “We just thought the race at Kentucky Downs was going to be a good prep for her and a good amount of time to put her wherever we wanted. Didn’t quite run the race we wanted to see.”

Ward said Kimari came out of the grass sprint with a “very, very minor” leg injury that was detected following a radiography. No surgery was required, Ward said, but it was decided to give Kimari a break following discussions with Ben McElroy, who bought the filly and is Mowat’s racing manager.

“We decided to send her over to his farm, kind of forego the Breeders’ Cup, unfortunately, even though it was here at our home track,” Ward said. “Then he sent her back down to Florida and we put a couple of months of galloping into her before we started her breezes. Every breeze has been better than the next.”

The Purple Martin marked the 2020 debut for the versatile Kimari, who completed her 2-year-old campaign with a fourth-place finish against males in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) in November 2019 at Santa Anita. Kimari is already a two-time stakes winner on grass and finished second, beaten a head, in the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) in June 2019 at the Royal Ascot meeting. In her only other dirt start, Kimari crushed males by 15 front-running lengths in her career debut in April 2019 at Keeneland.

Ward said the Spring Fever, which will mark Kimari’s first start against older horses, is a prep for the $300,000 Madison Stakes (G1) April 3 at Keeneland.

“She can run on both surfaces,” Ward said. “After the Madison, we’ll kind of make a plan, sit down and see if maybe Royal Ascot – we move forward again towards a race there or if we forego Royal Ascot this year.”

Kimari, a winner of 4 of 8 lifetime starts, is among nine horses entered in the Spring Fever, the final major local prep for the $250,000 Carousel Stakes April 10. Probable post time for the Spring Fever, which goes as the eighth of 11 races, is 3:52 p.m. (Central).

The projected Spring Fever field from the rail out: Cashcheckorcharge, David Cabrera to ride, 115 pounds; Sunny Dale, Martin Garcia, 115; Amy’s Challenge, Alex Canchari, 115; Casual, Ricardo Santana Jr., 122; Headland, Francisco Arrieta, 115; Ain’t No Elmers, David Cohen, 115; Shesomajestic, Ramon Vazquez, 115; Best Kept Secret, Kelsi Harr, 115; and Kimari, Joel Rosario, 115.

Amy’s Challenge won the 2019 Spring Fever and exits a second-place finish in the $150,000 American Beauty Stakes Jan. 30 at Oaklawn for trainer Mac Robertson. American Beauty winner Frank’s Rockette finished second to Kimari in the Purple Martin. Amy’s Challenge also ran second in the 2019 Madison.

Cover Photo by Mark Zerof