By Alan Carasso
Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman's Explora (Blame) atoned for a runner-up effort to her stablemate Bottle of Rouge (Vino Rosso) in the GI Del Mar Debutante with a comprehensive success in Saturday's GII Oak Leaf Stakes, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar on Friday, Oct. 31.
Named a 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard when romping in her 5 1/2-furlong debut at Del Mar Aug. 17 and fractionally disappointing after making the running in the Debutante, the $22,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic breezer was getting the blinkers off this time and was trapped out a bit wide at the first corner, leaving she and Juan Hernandez no choice but to punch the breeze three wide as 'Rising Star' stable companion Himika (Curlin) showed the way through a half in :46.98.
Felt for by Juan Hernandez at the three-eighths pole, Explora raced upsides of Himika at the head of the stretch and she kicked on nicely through the final furlong to take it by 4 1/4 lengths. Debutante third La Wally (Constitution) rounded out the exacta ahead of longshot La Ville Lumiere (City of Light). Himika trailed home last of the sextet.
“She relaxed really good today and she's improving a lot,” Hernandez said. “Before, she just wanted to break fast and go to the lead. But today she learned how to settle behind the pace and then responded when I asked.”
Added trainer Bob Baffert, winning the Oak Leaf for a record-extending 14th time: “At the quarter pole, I was wondering if she was really relaxing or not running, but we found out she was relaxing. When it was time to go, she took off. That was our plan today was to get her to relax and not go for the lead right away.”
Interestingly, none of the 13 previous winners has doubled up in the Juvenile Fillies.
Pedigree Notes:
Explora is the 53rd black-type winner and 24th group/graded winner for Blame, who was also represented as a broodmare sire by GI First Lady Stakes upsetter Simply in Front. Daughters of the much-missed Bernardini have now accounted for 126 SWs, 63 of those at the group/graded level.
In the name of their Mesingw Farm, Steve and Denise Smith went to $75,000 to acquire the winning Collections Choice carrying the filly that would become Explora at the 2022 Keeneland November Sale. They parted company with the family in 2024, first selling the Blame filly at Keeneland September before accepting a bid of $24,000 from the Korean-based K.O.I.D. for Collections Choice, then carrying a foal by Beau Liam. The mare produced a colt on Feb. 10 of this year.
Explora's dam Model, a daughter of 2002 G1 1000 Guineas runner-up Snowfire, was a stakes winner and was placed three times at Grade I level, including the 2008 GI Juddmonte Spinster Stakes when contested on a synthetic track at Keeneland.
EXPLORA ($2.80) put on a show in the $200,000 Oak Leaf Stakes (G2) at @Santaanitapark. @BobBaffert trains the daughter of Blame (@claibornefarm). @JJHernandezS19 was up on the 2YO for the @LanesEndFarms @BreedersCup #WAYI race for the Juvenile Fillies . pic.twitter.com/W0RGtVKms8
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) October 5, 2025
Saturday, Santa Anita
OAK LEAF S. PRESENTED BY OAK TREE RACING ASSOCIATION-GII, $200,500, Santa Anita, 10-4, 2yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:44.13, ft.
1–EXPLORA, 122, f, 2, by Blame
1st Dam: Collections Choice, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Model, by Giant's Causeway
3rd Dam: Snowfire (GB), by Machiavellian
'TDN Rising Star', presented by Hagyard.' 1ST BLACK TYPE
WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($22,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP;
$350,000 2yo '25 EASMAY). O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson
and Paul Weitman; B-Mesingw Farm, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert;
J-Juan J. Hernandez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 3-2-1-0,
$228,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–La Wally, 122, f, 2, Constitution–Moonstone, by Gemologist.
($300,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP). O-Muir Hut Stables LLC; B-Gage Hill
Stable II, LLC, W. S. Farish & Ken Langone (KY); T-Mark Glatt.
$40,000.
3–La Ville Lumiere, 122, f, 2, City of Light–Malibu Drive,
by Malibu Moon. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($250,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP; $475,000 2yo '25 OBSMAR).
O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Sabby Racing LLC and Ken T.
Reimer; B-Corser Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Michael W.
McCarthy. $24,000.
Margins: 4 1/4, 1 1/4, 8 1/4. Odds: 0.40, 3.60, 31.70.
Also Ran: Banzai Betty, Himika, Heaven's Bolt. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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