Ax Man got some welcome class relief in Sunday's Santana Mile and responded with a rousing 4 1/2-length win for his owner/breeders Hal and Patti Earnhardt.

Making just his second start since facing the likes of Maximum Security and Higher Power in last summer's San Diego H. (G2), Ax Man went for the lead soon after the break on Sunday, with Major Cabbie pushing him through a half-mile in :46.83. Approaching the quarter pole, Ax Man shook clear of the field and drew off in the stretch to win comfortably in 1:36.56 on a fast track.

“It reminds me, I won this race with his sire Misremembered (2011), who stands here in California, so it’s not too late for you guys out there,” said Baffert. “It’s really that I’m happy for Hal Earnhardt and Patti, they have been with me since day one, since ’83 and it’s been real quiet for them. Ax Man was really training well for this, freshened him up a bit. He was running against Maximum Security and all those good horses, so I just got him away from there. We’ll give him a little time, he ran pretty hard today but we’ll freshen him and pick our spots with him. He’s been a lot of fun at the barn, he deserved one of these wins because he was hooking some monsters earlier.” 

Ax Man, 6, won the Sir Barton S. at three and has placed in a trio of another three black type races. He  has earned $357,797. He is out of the Earnhardt's top-class broodmare Shameful, also the dam of Indian Blessing, who was champion 2-year-old filly and champion female sprinter at three.