Like a human's comfort food when on the road, a healthy snack has helped Baeza feel right at home during his preparations for the June 7 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.
The only problem for his doting connections? Kentucky Derby (G1)-placed Baeza is quite specific about his snack—liquified carrots—and as a 3-year-old Thoroughbred in training he's pretty hungry.
With that in mind, 10 pounds of carrots are prepared each morning at the John Shirreffs barn for the lightly raced runner who finished second in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and third in the Kentucky Derby in his previous two starts. There can be no shortcuts for Baeza, who started enjoying his "smoothie" in Southern California and feels at home with the familiar treat each morning since arriving at Saratoga May 29.
Shirreffs and wife Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs said Baeza is specific about the preparation of his snack. The carrots are fed into a blender and processed to the point of being liquified. The scene at the aging green barn with some peeling paint June 5 on the Saratoga backstretch was plenty familiar to the Shirreffs team. Baeza arrived back from his morning exercise on the main track and then walked the shedrow of the quiet barn. As he walks, the bright orange "smoothie" is poured into a small feed bucket and then exercise rider Frankie Herrarte does the honors of lifting the temporarily heavy blue bucket and holding it as Baeza enthusiastically devours his post-exercise snack.
Ingordo-Shirreffs figures the thought of this favorite healthy snack is somewhere in the back—or maybe even the front—of Baeza's mind as he powers through his training each morning; similar to a human runner thinking about how much they'll enjoy a smoothie after a morning run.
As defined by Baeza, the motivating reward is specific. Lacking that desired baby-food consistency and texture, regular carrots aren't really his thing. Carrot juice sees him turn up his nose. And so the barn continues to put in the effort each morning, as evidenced by a bright orange section of lawn covered by carrot residue outside Barn 83 on the Oklahoma Training Track side of the Saratoga backstretch.
On Thursday morning Baeza enthusiastically slurped up his favorite snack, leaving nothing but a bright orange cone covering his muzzle; the picture of a very happy horse, right at home.
