Saratoga

BY Labor day in the first week of September and the close of Saratoga and Del Mar’s summer meets, we have generally seen a batch of good two-year-olds emerge and last weekend had four Grade 1s up for decision.

The Asmussen/Santana run of Group 1 winners extended over the weekend.

There was particular satisfaction for Asmussen as his two impressive juvenile winners were by his Horse of the Year Gun Runner.

At Saratoga, Monday’s Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes was won by Gunite, the colt racing clear to win by over five lengths from the Todd Pletcher-trained favourite Wit, completing the seven furlongs in 1m 23.08secs.

The fillies’ Grade 1 on the Sunday was won in impressive style by Echo Zulu, Gun Runner’s first Grade 1 winner as she motored to a four-length victory in the Spinaway Stakes.

“I can’t measure how much I wanted to have Gun Runner’s first Grade 1 winner,” Asmussen said. “Obviously, he’s a tremendous sire but somebody had to be first and I’m glad it was us.”

Echo Zulu overcame stumbling at the start, led and continued to pour it on to six furlongs in 1m09.50sec, and the favourite widened the margin over runner-up Tarabi in the final furlong, crossing the wire under Ricardo Santana Jr. in 1m 22.51sec to remain unbeaten in his two starts.

Del Mar

Another new set of two-year-olds and it was Bob Baffert back in the winners’ enclosure. Baffert picked up the two juvenile Grade 1s last weekend.

In the Grade 1 TVG Del Mar Debutante Stakes for fillies over seven furlongs, Grace Adler was the second Baffert choice in a field of eight.

The Curlin filly, under Flavien Prat, started slowly as stablemate and favourite Eda, slugged it out with Elm Drive through speedy early fractions to a half mile in 44.37secs.

But heading into the turn, Grace Adler moved out to the middle of the track, and blazed home first by 11 and a quarter lengths from Dance To The Music. The winner finished in 1m23.76secs.

Bob Baffert was winning the race for a record 10th time. “Grace Adler is a really good filly and when she started to make her move, you could tell by (announcer) Trevor Denman’s voice that she was really making up the ground.

“They’re both good fillies. It’s just too bad that (Eda) got caught up in a speed duel.”

Grace Adler cost $700,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase.

On Monday, the Twirling Candy colt Pinehurst gave Baffert a 15th win in Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity.

American Xperiment, from the Asmussen stable, broke first, with Pinehurst quickly surging to the front. Mike Smith had Pinehurst travelling well to 44.77secs for a half-mile.

Pinehurst widened his advantage to won by four and a half lengths in a time of 1m 23.55secs for the seven furlongs on a fast track. Finneus ran on well for second.

“I knew he was plenty quick. When you ride for Bob, you ride with confidence. He puts so much foundation under them, and they all come running,” Smith said.

CAN a horse win the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in only his third start was the unlikely question thrown up after the eighth race, an allowance optional allowance race at Del Mar last Sunday?

Flightline, a previously once-raced son of Tapit, trained by John Sadler earned 114 Beyer figure when he ran the six furlongs in 1m 08.05secs, the fastest six furlongs at Del Mar since 2016. He won by 12 and three-quarter lengths, cruising home under Flavien Prat on his first run since his debut win at Santa Anita last April.