Baffert Duo Spielberg, Medina Spirit Take On Competitive Field In Bob Lewis Sponsored by:
Spielberg and jockey Flavien Prat, outside, overpower The Great One in the Los Alamitos Futurity
Although Bob Baffert will be packing a heavy one-two punch with Spielberg and Medina Spirit, Saturday s Grade 3, $100,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes has attracted a very competitive field of eight sophomores, with no clear-cut standout. To be contested at a mile and one sixteenth over Santa Anita s main track, the Lewis is a key prep to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 3. Originally titled the Santa Catalina, the Lewis will be run for the 83rd time on Saturday.
Pletcher Tandem Of Prime Factor, Amount Jump Into Holy Bull Off Sharp Debut Wins Sponsored by:
Prime Factor won his career debut under wraps for trainer Todd Pletcher
WinStar Farm LLC and CHC Inc. s Prime Factor and Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable s Amount are scheduled to bring a combined total of two races of experience into Saturday s $200,000 Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
Jumping from maiden special weight company into a graded-stakes may be a lot to ask of lightly raced 3-year-olds, but their trainer, Todd Pletcher, has a history of success with late-developing colts during the winter months at Gulfstream.
Baffert Looking For Spielberg To Supply Him A Ninth Victory In Robert B Lewis Stakes - Horse Racing News paulickreport.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from paulickreport.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Spielberg Snatches Victory From Jaws Of Defeat, Gives Baffert Seventh Consecutive Los Alamitos Futurity Sponsored by:
Spielberg nails The Great One on the wire in the Los Alamitos Futurity
Trainer Bob Baffert ran his winning streak to seven in the Los Alamitos Futurity on Saturday, but it wasn t easy.
Spielberg, a $1-million yearling purchase by Union Rags, needed every inch of the 1 1/16 miles of the Grade 2 race at the Cypress, Calif., track to catch the front-running 30-1 long shot The Great One, but jockey Flavien Prat got him up in the final jump. The victory was the 13th in the Futurity for the Hall of Fame trainer since Real Quiet won in 1997, when the race was run at Hollywood Park. The Inglewood, Calif., track ran its last race in 2013 and is now the site of an NFL football stadium. Baffert horses have won every running since the race moved to Los Alamitos in 2014.
Red Flag, an impressive winner of the Grade III Bob Hope in his stakes debut Nov. 15 at Del Mar, will try two turns for the first time in the $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity Saturday.
A Grade II at 1 1/16 miles, the Futurity will be run for the seventh time at Los Alamitos after having its first 33 renewals at Hollywood Park (1981-2013).
Post time Saturday is 12 Noon. The Futurity is the fourth of 10 races and has a scheduled post time of 1:28 p.m.
Won in the past by stars such as Snow Chief, A.P. Indy, Best Pal, Real Quiet, Point Given, Lookin At Lucky and Shared Belief, the Futurity is part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby’’ series. The winner Saturday will receive 10 points towards securing a spot in the starting gate next May 1 at Churchill Downs.