Baffert wins Hollywood Park training title
Bob Baffert wrapped up his first-ever Hollywood Park Spring/Summer Meet title with 36 wins for the meet, which ended July 17. The Arizona native completed a personal sweep of sorts with the win at the meet, the only one missing on his resume on the major Southern California circuit.
Baffert’s number of meet titles at the other four stops on the circuit: Santa Anita nine times, Del Mar seven, Oak Tree five, and Hollywood Park Autumn twice.
Baffert also leads the meet with eight stakes wins, with the highlight being his one-two finish in the $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) by First Dude and Game on Dude. The stablemates nearly finished in a dead heat. Other graded stakes winners during the meet were Irish Gypsy in the Grade 2 A Gleam H. and 3-year-old Coil in the Grade 3 Affirmed H.
The highlights continued at the meet on when Baffert became the eighth trainer to win at least 500 races at Hollywood Park – he reached the milestone with Glamorista on July 4.
In the post-meet media poll, Baffert was predictably named trainer of the meet and First Dude older male horse of the meet.