Baffert Enters Three in Try for 18th Del Mar Futurity

It doesn't seem possible that one trainer could win a stakes 20 times, but Bob Baffert is closing in on that number. He won his 17th Del Mar Futurity (G1) in 2023 and has three very viable candidates for an 18th victory in the Sept. 8 edition of the seven-furlong race. The three Baffert runners have started a total of four times, all of them victories. Gaming and Citizen Bull each won their debuts, while Getaway Car, the probable favorite, added the six-furlong Best Pal Stakes (G3) Aug. 11 to his successful maiden win. Getaway Car and Citizen Bull race for the large group of partners headed by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables. Those are the three entities often listed when the group buys horses at auction. Getaway Car, a son of Curlin, cost $700,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, while Citizen Bull, a son of Into Mischief, brought $675,000 at the same sale. Getaway Car has won both of his races by daylight, crushing maidens by 3 1/4 lengths and graded company by 5 1/2 lengths. "This guy's been a lot of fun," Baffert said. "He has a great name. He's doing well, and he's fast. He's always been very forward, no issues training him and he has a beautiful stride." For the seven-furlong Futurity, Getaway Car gets the combination of Baffert and jockey Juan Hernandez. That partnership has helped put the trainer and jockey on top of their respective leaderboards at the Del Mar meeting, which ends with the Futurity card. Overall at all tracks this year they've teamed together 123 times and as a team boast a 38% win rate, including a 62% win rate for the past 30 days (ending Sept. 4). Citizen Bull gets the services of Mike Smith from post 7 after Martin Garcia piloted him in his debut. The colt won that 5 1/2-furlong race by three-quarters of a length. "I thought he would need the race," Baffert said. "But he ran well. We think he's pretty good." Gaming, Baffert's third entry, races for Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. The son of Game Winner was relatively inexpensive at $250,000 at the Ocala Breeders' March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Baffert trained Game Winner, champion 2-year-old male of 2018 and hero of that year's Del Mar Futurity, as well as the American Pharoah Stakes (G1) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). "You just hope they win for their sires. It's like watching your kids grow up," Baffert said. Besides his 17 overall Del Mar Futurity wins, Baffert has won the past three editions of the race with Prince of Monaco, Cave Rock, and Pinehurst. Trainer Peter Miller won the 2019 Del Mar Futurity with Nucky and has two horses entered in this year's field. Brother Tony, by Unified, ran third to Gaming in that maiden event and gets jockey Reylu Gutierrez from post 4. R Heisman won the restricted Graduation Stakes at Del Mar and ran second in the open Everett Nevin Stakes at Pleasanton. Miller has given the call on R Heisman to Umberto Rispoli from post 3 in the Futurity. Doug O'Neill has trained two Del Mar Futurity winners: Stevie Wonderboy in 2005 and Nyquist in 2015. Both were voted champion 2-year-old male in their respective seasons. This year O'Neill brings Calumet Farm's Rank to the Futurity. Still a maiden after two starts, Rank will be ridden by Antonio Fresu from post 5. Calumet and O'Neill combined on Mixto to win the Aug. 31 Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) at Del Mar. Trainer Tim Yakteen has entered McKinzie Street, to be ridden by Kazushi Kimura from post 6. The son of McKinzie has started once, winning a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race by 3 1/2 lengths at Del Mar July 28. "The nice thing is he has a tactical way about him and he does have a good mind," Yakteen said. As part of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series, the Del Mar Futurity offers $30,000 to the winner, $15,000 to the runner-up, and $7,500 to the third-place finisher to apply toward entry fees for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 1 at Del Mar.