LOS ALAMITOS : Baffert One Who Enjoys His Work

Trainer Bob Baffert often says funny things, and always says things funny.

The 37-year-old conditioner with the prematurely gray hair, ever-present sunglasses and disarming country drawl keeps his stable in stitches with a steady flow of hyperbole.

A blend of Will Rogers, Tim Conway and Steve Martin, Baffert looks as though he would be as comfortable spinning yarns from a porch in the hinterland as from the back of a stable pony.

The Arizona native has 35 quarter horses with assistant Laura Meier at Los Alamitos and 15 thoroughbred stabled with assistant Haitham Yakteen at Santa Anita.

“He’s serious about business,” said Yakteen, an associate for four years. “But his philosophy is, if you’re not having fun at what you’re doing, you shouldn’t be doing it.”

Baffert grew up on a chicken and cattle ranch in Nogales, Ariz.

“We had a quarter horse mare named Baffert’s Gypsy,” recalled Baffert. “I galloped her before school and rubbed her legs three hours each night. She won 15 races and earned something like $3,000.

“I had a friend who knew a trainer who was struggling at a bush track in New Mexico. He asked him why he didn’t quit and do something different. The guy looked at him and said, ‘What? And get out of show business? No way!’

“Once it gets in your system, it’s hard to get out. I’m not a gambler, but I love the action. I love winning and I love having a good horse.”

Baffert began training at Sonoita and Rillito in Arizona.

“It’s sad that Rillito closed, but it was the best thing to happen to me because it forced me to come to Los Alamitos, which I had been reluctant to try, in 1983,” Baffert said.

He has been one of the track’s leaders since and branched into thoroughbreds two years ago.

“I’ve had a lot of good horses, but three stand out,” he said. “Kelly’s Coffer, Gold Coast Express and Thirty Slews.

“Kelly’s Coffer was the first good horse I had in Arizona. She won, like, 30 races and $260,000.”

Gold Coast Express became Baffert’s most important horse, earning World Champion honors in 1986 as a 3-year-old.

“When Bill Mitchell turned him over to me, it was like hitting the lottery,” Baffert said. “I was so nervous the first time I ran him I nearly threw Danny Cardoza, his jockey, over the horse when I gave him a leg up in the paddock.

“Gold Coast Express taught me a lot about training. With a good horse, no matter what you do to him, he will still win.

“My biggest thrill in racing was when he won the Champion of Champions to become World Champion. Cash Rate looked unbeatable, and he upset him.”

Gold Coast Express, a 7-year-old palomino gelding, now serves as Baffert’s pony at Santa Anita.

“I can say I have the fastest horse on the grounds,” Baffert said.

“It will take a court order to get him back. I just love that horse. He’ll lead the post parade for the Breeders Championship races Nov. 17 at Los Alamitos.”

Baffert bought Thirty Slews, a 3-year-old thoroughbred gelding, at a Kentucky yearling sale.

“I’d never been to Keeneland but something about him caught my eye,” the trainer said. “I didn’t know anything about breeding, but he looked like a big perfect quarter horse.”

Baffert spent $30,000 for the Slewpy colt, a grandson of Seattle Slew.

After two impressive sprint victories last winter at Santa Anita, Baffert took Thirty Slews to Keeneland for the Lexington Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.

“I got Derby fever,” Baffert admitted. “I stretched him too early and overtrained him and he still ran third.”

Thirty Slews, sidelined several months with bruised feet, is scheduled to return Nov. 24 at Hollywood Park in the Underwood Handicap.

“I want to run him in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs next year,” Baffert said. “I just want to race him lightly for big money until then.”

Baffert has enjoyed stakes success with thoroughbreds Frosty Freeze, Broadways Top Gun and unbeaten Theresa’s Pleasure, who won the $100,000 California Cup Juvenile Fillies race Saturday at Santa Anita.

Baffert wore a suit in the winner’s circle, looking as misplaced as Pavarotti at the Grand Ole Opry.

“I got her from Lester Smith, an old quarter horse owner,” Baffert said of Theresa’s Pleasure. “He’s 87, and his caretaker, Theresa Silva, had to do a ‘Mrs. Genter,’ explaining the race to him.

“Theresa’s Pleasure stands only 14 hands high and looks like a quarter horse. She has a strong body, though, like that gymnast, Mary Lou Retton. Watching her run is like watching Mary Lou Retton run a mile.

“I brought Gold Coast Express up to the Champion of Champions off a two-month layoff and did the same with her. Still, I didn’t know if she could get a mile and a sixteenth. I asked the stewards if they would let me pack an oxygen tank on her back for the last eighth.”

Baffert’s quarter horse contingent is headed by 3-year-old gelding Ourautograph, winner of a division of the recent Garden Grove Handicap, and Miss Striking Jet, Dash For Time, Star In His Crown and Merriette.

Baffert is developing a thoroughbred division to increase the stable’s income. He has won 60 quarter horse races this year for purses of $500,000 and 20 thoroughbred races for $650,000.

Baffert learns quickly.

“I was stabled next to Ron McAnally at Del Mar and that was really educational for me,” he said. “He didn’t know it, but I was really watching him closely, and he’s really sharp. I pick up on everything.”

Including the best show biz delivery this side of the Pecos.

Los Alamitos Notes

Trainer Blane Schvaneveldt plans to saddle Wicked Wind, Dash For Speed and Wicked Dash in the $125,000 Breeders Championship Classic Nov. 17. Phillips Ranch’s Wicked Wind, ridden by Luke Myles, scored a three-quarter-length upset in the $25,000-added Charger Bar Handicap at 350 yards Saturday. Dash for Speed, the 3-10 favorite, finished fifth. The 5-year-old mare carried high weight of 127 pounds in her first start since July.

“She had been training better than ever but you go stacking weight on them, and they can get beat,” said Schvaneveldt of Dash for Speed, a two-time champion. “And that other filly can run.” Wicked Wind carried 120. All will carry 122 in the Breeders Championship Classic. Wicked Dash, 5, and Wicked Wind, 4, are full sisters. A third full sister, 3-year-old Wicked Willa, won the Phoenix Derby Saturday afternoon for Schvaneveldt with jockey Roman Figueroa.

Schvaneveldt has added an impressive 2-year-old to his stable in Easy Martini, who won the $22,250-Grade III Cypress Handicap Thursday by half a length over Kipadeucy in his California debut. “I’ve had him about six weeks,” Schvaneveldt said. “He had been running in Oregon and Washington and looks like an awful nice horse.” Easy Martini scored his ninth victory in 10 starts.

The Dream Doctor heads a list of 10 qualifiers for the $46,729 California Sires Cup Derby Saturday. The Dream Doctor recorded the fastest qualifying time of 20:01 for the 400 yards last Wednesday. Also qualifying are Here Comes The Band, Casady Cash, Dr. Keen, Requestmesomecash, Nets Cat, His Legacy, Lantys Pennant, Zooks Shestheone and Natural Summit.