Goal Oriented gives Baffert record seventh Malibu S. (G1) win

Goal Oriented became the final Grade 1 winner of 2025 Dec. 28 at Santa Anita Park with a gallant victory over stablemate Midland Money in the Malibu S. (G1).

With the win, Bob Baffert has won the Malibu on seven occasions, dating back to 2011, when The Factor gave the Hall of Fame trainer his first win in the race.

In the Malibu, Goal Oriented was cutting back to a one-turn race for the first time since his April 6 debut win, also at Santa Anita. In no rush early, he was last of seven down the backstretch. Going into the turn, Goal Oriented began to make up ground while three-wide. Stablemates Midland Money and Madaket Road were in front turning for home, but Goal Oriented’s powerful strides were too much as he rolled by in the final furlong, winning by a length in 1:20.97 for the seven-eighths on a fast track.

“ ‘Goal’ we know is a good horse and Madaket [Road] looked like he was going to take it for a while. And my other horse [Midland Money, second] ran really big. I’m just happy that it turned out that we won it. I told Joel [Rosario] not to rush Goal Oriented. We slowed him down and took off the blinkers and he responded.”

Goal Oriented’s ownership group includes SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Tom Ryan, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan.

Third in both the Haskell (G1) and Pennsylvania Derby (G1) earlier this year, Goal Oriented is now 3-0-2 in seven starts and has earned $624,460. The dark bay colt was bred in Kentucky by Runnymede Farm LLC & CWC Investment 2, LLC and sold to his owners for $425,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September sale.