The highly regarded 'TDN Rising Star' Mastery (Candy Ride {Arg}) will put his undefeated mark on the line against four foes in Saturday's GI Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity.
Produced by a half-sister to Jump Start, the blinkers come back on for the GIII Bob Hope S. hero's first attempt around two turns. He turned heads with a powerful debut win with the shades on at Santa Anita Oct. 22 prior to his facile score without blinkers in the seven-furlong Bob Hope Nov. 19. The Cheyenne Stable colorbearer is the 1-2 morning-line favorite in the Futurity.
“We knew he was a nice horse when he broke his maiden, but from what we saw [in the Bob Hope], he could be something,” Hall of Famer Bob Baffert said. “The second out is so important. They can run well in the first outing and then take a step back. We didn't have him super cranked first out and [the Bob Hope] was a lot of him.”
Jockey Mike Smith added, “He's got a beautiful stride–big, long and powerful. He'll go two turns, too. These seven eighths races can be tougher than a two-turner.”
Baffert, represented by the last two winners of this race with Dortmund (2014) and Mor Spirit (2015) as well as three others since 2008, will also saddle game Santa Anita two-turn debut winner Show Me Da Lute (Midnight Lute). The Karl Watson and Paul Weitman homebred, produced by two-time Grade I heroine Tough Tiz's Sis (Tiznow), led at every pole in his unveiling in Arcadia Oct. 29.
Rockingham Ranch's Bobby Abu Dhabi (Macho Uno) also showed some ability after pressing the early pace while perched three deep in his debut score going 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar Nov. 19. The $85,000 KEESEP yearling turned $335,000 OBSAPR juvenile is trained by Peter Miller.
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