BOB Baffert has twice before had two of the favourites heading into the Kentucky Derby, American Pharoah and Dortmund in 2015, and Point Given and Congaree in 2001. He might well be heading for a similar scenario next summer.

This year he seems to have more talented two-year-olds than ever before and one of them, Improbable, helped Baffert continue his unprecedented success in the $300,000 Grade 1 Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity on Saturday.

The son of City Zip romped to a five-length victory under Drayden Van Dyke as the 1/9 favourite, giving the trainer his fifth consecutive victory in the Futurity and a record 11th overall.

Improbable raced in third much of the way until the top of the stretch, when he drew even with his stablemate Mucho Gusto and then drew away in the stretch for a mile and half a furlong in 1m 41.18secs.

“Improbable has a long stride like Justify,” Baffert said. “He’s just a smaller version. I’m not saying he’s at Justify’s level yet, but he’s a really good horse.”

Improbable, who went into the race off a victory in the Street Sense Stakes on the Breeders’ Cup undercard at Churchill Downs, is now unbeaten in his three runs.

Also in the Baffert barn is Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Game Winner, the promising Godolphin-owned Coliseum and Mucho Gusto, who finished second on Saturday. Then there’s Roadster, third when favourite in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity, and maiden winners headed by Magic On Tap and Tale Of The Union.

STARLET

There was a Baffert/Kentucky Derby connection with the winner of the Starlet Stakes as Chasing Yesterday, a daughter of Littleprincessemma, therefore half-sister to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, rallied to win the $300,000 Grade 1 Starlet by a head in a three-horse driving finish.

Doug O’Neill’s 30/1 shot, Enaya Alrabb, finished second, and Baffert’s other filly, Mother Mother, was third.

The Tapit filly was also ridden by Drayden Van Dyke and went off favourite, she finished the mile and a half a furlong in 1m 42.59secs, winning for the fourth time in five starts for Jane Lyons’ Summer Wind Equine.

Baffert was repeating last year’s Futurity and Starlet wins in the same year, winning the CashCall with McKinzie and the Starlet with Dream Tree. It was Baffert’s fifth Starlet victory.

“I didn’t think [she] was going to get there because she had been so wide. She’s a nice filly, but he [Van Dyke] really sat patient.

“He loves this filly and he had a lot of confidence in her,” Baffert said afterwards.