Baffert Exacta in Los Al Futurity

Mor Spirit | Benoit Photo

Michael Lund Petersen's Mor Spirit (Eskendereya) came charging late to collar stablemate Toews on Ice (Archarcharch) and provide Hall of Famer Bob Baffert with his record eighth victory in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity Saturday. The juvenile follows in the footsteps of luminaries such as Dortmund (Big Brown) (2014), Liaison (2011), Lookin at Lucky (2009), Pioneerof the Nile (2008), Point Given (2000), Captain Steve (1999) and Real Quiet (1997).

Hammered down to 3-5 favoritism, Mor Spirit caboosed the bunched up field early with just I'malreadythere (Crown of Thorns) trailing in the rear. Running two wide, he maintained that position as 25-1 shot Frank Conversation (Quality Road) ticked off opening splits of :23.09 and :47.12 while under pressure from Toews on Ice. Going well under a motionless Gary Stevens, the dark bay readily responded when popped the question at the top of the lane, and unleashed a powerful rally to take down his stablemate and win going away.

“Gary knows how to ride this horse,” commented Baffert, who became the all time leading trainer at Los Alamitos by stakes wins Saturday. “In the race at Churchill Downs [ the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Nov. 28] I didn't want to take a chance of taking him back and getting mud kicked in his face, so we sent him up in there. I just told Gary today ride him like you usually do and let him sit and finish. Turning for home it was a good feeling. I knew I was going to win the race, just didn't know with which one. This is the time of the year when you want to see something like this.”

Baffert continued, “It was a little disappointing when this horse got beat last time. It looks like we've got him figured out, so now we just can sit back and pick some spots for him. [Toews On Ice] ran game. The race shaped up different than I thought it would with [Frank Conversation] showing speed, but Martin [Garcia aboard the runner-up] didn't panic and just sat there. He rode a good race, He just got run down by a good horse.''

“I'm super excited about this colt,” Stevens remarked. “The way the race looked like it might set up, I wouldn't have been surprised if we were sitting last early. He's very intelligent and he settled nicely for me. I just let him gallop until the eighth pole. He's really progressed since his first start and he's going to get better and better with more experience and distance.''

Second on debut going 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita Sept. 27, Mor Spirit scored a decisive 4 1/4-length graduation over the reopposing Urlacher (Discreet Cat) going a mile in Arcadia Oct. 23. The ridgling finished second last time behind GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Airoforce (Colonel John) in a sloppy renewal of Churchill's GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Nov. 28.

An $85,000 FTKOCT yearling, Mor Spirit blossomed into a $650,000 Fasig-Tipton March juvenile after breezing a furlong in :10.1. His MSW & GSP dam Im a Dixie Girl has not produced a foal since Mor Spirit, but was bred back to Eskendereya this year.
Saturday, Los Alamitos
LOS ALAMITOS FUTURITY-GI, $350,500, LRC, 12-19, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.54, ft.
1–#@&MOR SPIRIT, 121, r, 2, by Eskendereya
1st Dam: Im a Dixie Girl (MSW & GSP, $167,320), by Dixie Union
2nd Dam: Im Out First, by Allen's Prospect
3rd Dam: Sequins, by Northern Fashion
($85,000 Ylg '14 FTKOCT; $650,000 2yo '15 FTFMAR).
O-Michael Lund Petersen; B-Elkstone Group, LLC (PA); T-Bob
Baffert; J-Gary L. Stevens. $210,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-2-0,
$288,400. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree[bullet ad=”allied-bloodstock-shell”][bullet ad=”lanni-hillndale-purchased”]
2–Toews On Ice, 121, c, 2, Archarcharch–Wild Forest Cat, by
D'wildcat. ($110,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP; $340,000 RNA 2yo '15
BARMAR). O-Karl Watson, Michael E. Pegram & Paul Weitman;
B-Lakland Farm (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $70,000. [bullet ad=”burleson-farms-consigned-by”]
3–I'malreadythere, 121, g, 2, Crown of Thorns–Wildfire Ruby,
by Wild Event. O-Steve Melen, Richard A. Robertson, Steve
Taub & Jerry Hollendorfer; B-Thomas J. Lane (FL); T-Jerry
Hollendorfer. $42,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 6, 1. Odds: 0.70, 2.50, 25.40.
Also Ran: Urlacher, Frank Conversation, Hollywood Don, Sorryaboutnothing.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

 

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