Baffert exacta in Grade 1 Triple Bend

On a day loaded with upsets at Hollywood Park, Bob Baffert pulled off an exacta when E Z’s Gentelman and Sangaree ran 1-2 in the Grade 1 Triple Bend Handicap, leaving 3-2 favorite Gayego in their wake. 

The $250,000, seven-furlong race was being run for the 59th time at the Inglewood, Cal. track. A field of seven went postward, with Gayego gathering most of the bettors’ attention. When the gate sprung, M One Rifle, who was very keyed up in the paddock, shot straight to the front, with E Z’s Gentleman tracking him through a first quarter mile in a sensible 22.82 seconds. Jockey Martin Pedroza began to edge closer as he moved up the rail around the turn, poking the 5-year-old bay’s head in front near the top of the stretch.

Sangaree was employing different tactics after breaking in the fifth spot. Sixth after a half-mile, he was three or four wide around the turn, passing horses as he tried to run down his stablemate. Though he cleared the rest of the field, he could not catch E Z’s Gentleman, whose victory also marked career win no. 1,000 at Hollywood Park for Pedroza. The final margin was 1 3/4-lengths in a time of 1:21.11, less than a second off the track record.

E Z’s Gentleman has blossomed this year, earning a career-high Beyer Speed Figure in each of his last three starts, topped by the 108 in the Triple Bend. This was his first career stakes win, coming on the heels of a second in the Los Angeles H. (G3) and a third in the Potrero Grande H. (G2) earlier this year.

His career record now stands at 15-4-1-2, with earnings of $299,711. He has only been out of the money once in seven starts in 2010. He is owned by Arnold Zetcher, who purchased the son of Yankee Gentleman for $240,000 at the 2007 Barretts’ 2-year-old in training sale.

The win was the second in a row in the Triple Bend for Baffert and the third of his career. The Hall of Fame trainer won with Zensational in 2009 and with Letthebighossroll in 1996.