The Bob Baffert stable will have a busy Saturday during the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park, with entries in six of the nine championship races for what is the 40th anniversary of the series.
Baffert is the all-time leading Breeders’ Cup trainer by earnings with over $39 million and his 18 wins is second only to D. Wayne Lukas.
Baffert’s day Breeders’ Cup day will start in the Dirt Mile (G1) with National Treasure, who drew the outside post in the field of nine for race 3. National Treasure was third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), and this year the 3-year-old colt won the Preakness S. (G1). National Treasure will be ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat as he seeks his first win since the Preakness.
In race 5, the Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), Baffert brilliant speedster Eda drew post 3 of nine who will traverse seven furlongs. Eda had a seven-race winning streak snapped in the Sept. 29 Chillingsworth S. (G3) at Santa Anita. Since then the four-time graded stakes winner has had four excellent workouts. The 4-year-old filly will be ridden by Juan Hernandez.
Race 6, the Mile (G1), Du Jour, owned by Baffert’s wife Jill and Debbie Lanni, drew post 8 in the full field of 14 in what is always one of the most contentious races of the day. Du Jour’s final tune up for Saturday’s contest was a 2 ¼-length win in the Del Mar Mile (G2), where he earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 102.
Adare Manor will try to extend her five-race winning streak in race 7, the $2 million Distaff (G1). Her current streak includes four graded stakes victories, three of them at Santa Anita, most recently a 5 ¼-length win in the Zenyatta S. (G2) on Oct. 1. Adare Manor, who has been worse than second only twice in 13 starts, will be ridden by Hernandez.
In the ninth race on the card, Baffert will go for a record fifth win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) with Arabian Knight, who drew post 12. With just four races in his career, Arabian Knight is the most lightly-raced of the 13 entries. In just that time, however, the 3-year-old colt was a blowout winner of the Southwest S. (G3) and defeated older horses in the Pacific Classic (G1). The Zedan Racing Stables colt, who cost $2.3 million as a 2-year-old, will be ridden by Prat.
The day wraps up with the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), race 11, with Speed Boat Beach among the favorites in the field of nine. Owned by long-time Baffert clients Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Speed Boat Beach was a graded stakes winner on the turf in 2022. In his lone start this year, the 3-year-old colt was beaten just a head by Sprint foe Dr. Schivel in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2). Mike Smith will be aboard when the colt breaks from post 7.