LOS ALAMITOS

CASH CALL FUTURITY

(GRADE 1) & STARLET

STAKES (GRADE 1)

IT’S good to be Bob Baffert. Even when he loses, he wins.

Solomini and jockey Flavien Prat crossed the wire in front in the Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity last Saturday for the Hall of Fame trainer, but stewards disqualified the two-year-old colt for bothering third-place Instilled Regard. In between was McKinzie, trained by – you guessed it – Baffert. Mike Smith guided the son of Street Sense for Karl Watson, Michael Pegram and Paul Weitman.

The decision was controversial to say the least. Even Baffert was confused by it.

“I didn’t think there was going to be a change, (McKinzie) had a rough trip around the first turn and he got a little tired at the end. Prat rode a great race just sitting behind them. Unfortunately, (Solomini) will lay on horses in the lane and you have to be careful with him. Prat might have gotten a little over aggressive. It’s really too bad they took him down. He was the better horse today.’’

Purchased for $170,000 at Keeneland September Sales, McKinzie crushed nine rivals in his debut at Santa Anita in October. He improved his record to 2-2.

Thirty-four minutes after the Futurity, it was still good to be Baffert. Dream Tree dominated the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes for Baffert and Phoenix Thoroughbreds and jockey Drayden Van Dyke.

Purchased for $750,000 at Fasig-Tipton Florida March Two-year-old Sale, the daughter of Uncle Mo won her debut by a nose at Santa Anita in October. In her next start, she won the Desi Arnaz by a nose at Del Mar in November. Stretched around two turns for the first time, Dream Tree stalked Yesterday’s News to improve her unbeaten career to 3-3.

“The plan was to sit with her today. The first race, she had blinkers and she was rank and she won from a little off the pace,” Baffert said. “I wasn’t sure about two turns, but after she came back and worked the way she did is why I changed my mind and decided to run her in this spot.”