Homebred Magic On Tap became the latest success for Summer Wind Equine May 29 with a two-length victory in the $200,000 Triple Bend Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park.
The 5-year-old son of Tapit earned his first graded victory for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, picking up the pieces when stablemate Eight Rings failed to fire. Magic On Tap is Tapit's 91st graded/group winner worldwide.
With 8-5 choice Eight Rings empty a furlong from home, Magic On Tap rallied three-deep to claim the score at odds of 5-1. Ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez, who collected his second consecutive stakes win on the day after winning the Charles Whittingham Stakes (G2T) with Award Winner, the gray runner got seven furlongs in 1:23.54 on a fast track.
As expected, grade 1 winner Eight Rings rocketed out of the gate to lead five rivals in his first start since last August. He was quickly engaged by Lambeau, who posted swift fractions of :22.10 and :45.03 before weakening to last.
With a quarter mile left to run, Magic On Tap moved up from third to claim the advantage. Despite remaining on the left lead, he carried on to an impressive win. Shooters Shoot rallied from last but could not reach the winner. Exaulted ran third, followed home by Eight Rings and Lambeau.
"My horse, he helped me a lot," Hernandez said. "He broke really sharp and I was behind the speed all the race then when I hit the quarter pole, I asked him to go and he responded really well.
"It looked like he was playing; he was looking around. He never changed leads. I asked him a couple of times and he didn't want to do it, so I let him alone because he kept running. It didn't matter if he changed leads or not, he just kept going."
Magic On Tap cut back in distance after running fourth by 23 3/4 lengths in the April 17 Californian Stakes (G2) at 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita. In the Triple Bend, he paid $13.20 on a $2 win ticket.
"I was afraid of a speed duel, where we would wear each other out," Baffert said. "Eight Rings was coming off a layoff, so with fractions like that, it was crazy. I threw the other horse (Magic On Tap) in there. I was looking for an allowance race for the horse and then I decided to throw him into the stakes race.
"He is bred to be a good one. It was good to get a stakes win for him after he disappointed in the Californian. He is still a little green, but he has been working really well.
"I was disappointed for Eight Rings, but you gotta get the trip. I thought we could run one-two today."
Magic On Tap improved his overall mark to three wins and two seconds from six starts, with earnings of $228,800. He was bred in Kentucky out of the late grade 1-winning Street Sense mare Aubby K, who died in 2019. Her last foal was a Tapit filly, now a 2-year-old named Definitive.
