Baffert Takes Two Top Spots in the Feature

There was only one way the $108,900 California Breeders’ Champion Stakes could have turned out better for trainer Bob Baffert.

He could have finished 1-2-3 with his three entrants in the seven-furlong race restricted to 2-year-olds bred in California.

Instead, Baffert had to settle for 1-2 as heavily favored In Excessive Bull held off 24-1 shot Photarc and 10-1 outsider Bagshot to win by a head Saturday at Santa Anita. Peary Mason, Baffert’s other contestant, finished sixth in the field of 12.

Running again 13 days after finishing a distant third over a speed-biased track as the 9-10 favorite in the Hollywood Futurity, In Excessive Bull led every step of the way and managed to hold on for his third win in five starts.

Owned by Hal Earnhardt, the 2-5 choice and 122-pound high-weighted horse completed the seven furlongs in 1:22 over a good track and gave jockey Corey Nakatani his first winner of the three-day old meeting.

Although he wound up with the exacta Saturday, Baffert nearly saw a replay of last year’s Cal Breeders’ when Cavonnier, the prohibitive choice, lost in a photo to Ready To Order. Of course, Cavonnier went on to have an even more difficult loss when beaten by a nose by Grindstone in the Kentucky Derby five months later.

Bagshot, who trailed through a 44 2/5 half-mile, was beaten by a nose and a head for first place but looked like a winner not far from the wire.

However, In Excessive Bull, who has been odds-on in each of his starts, was able to hold on and now will get some time off, according to his trainer.

“I won’t run him for another month or so,” said Baffert, who has his share of quality 2-year-olds. In addition to the three who ran Saturday, he also has Del Mar Futurity winner Silver Charm, who will probably make his 1997 debut in February.

“A lot of people were questioning why I was running this horse back so quick,” Baffert said. “But that’s why there are $100,000 races--to run good horses like this. I hope we can keep him together. If I run him in the [Kentucky] Derby, I know we can run him right back in the Preakness, so we’ve got that out of the way.”

Winless with his first 12 mounts at Santa Anita, Nakatani was impressed with In Excessive Bull’s performance.

“He ran great,” he said. “We were down on the inside, which isn’t bad, but it’s not especially great when you’re sprinting like this. He didn’t run like I thought he would [in the Futurity], so I was hoping he’d regain his old form.

“He was giving away a lot of weight today and he’s a nice horse.”

Jockey Alex Solis thought he and Bagshot, who has been beset by bad luck in a couple of his earlier races, should have won.

“It was unfortunate that I had to go so wide,” Solis said. “He should have won it today. They were all dying in front of me, but they were down on the rail. Very unfortunate.”

Golden Bronze, who dogged the winner most of the way, finished fourth, three-quarters of a length behind Bagshot. Then came Renteria, Peary Mason, Devoted Pirate, Princely Price, I Can Go, Ceenme, Crimson Look and Apakhabar.

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Perfect in four races around one turn, Advancing Star is the 4-5 favorite to remain unbeaten when she runs against eight other 3-year-old fillies in the $125,000 La Brea Stakes today at Santa Anita.

Winless in three tries at 1 1/16 miles, the daughter of Soviet Star has won her four sprint races by an average of more than five lengths. Most recently, she won the Ski Goggle at Hollywood Park by four lengths, completing the 7 1/2 furlongs in 1:27 3/5.

Returning to the track where she broke her maiden by eight lengths more than 14 months ago, Advancing Star will break from the outside post and will again be ridden by Gary Stevens.

Belle’s Flag, who lost for the first time when beaten by half a length in the Bayakoa Handicap earlier this month, is also perfect in one-turn races. She is three for three sprinting and will be ridden by Corey Nakatani for trainer Darrell Vienna.

The remainder of the field in the seven-furlong La Brea, which is the first leg of the three-race La Canada series, includes Tiffany Diamond, Saratoga Flower, Solana, Elsa, Ticket To Houston, Hidden Lake and Torchera.

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Tom Cruiser, who has never been worse than third, won for the fifth time in 12 starts, easily winning the $65,400 Ack Ack Handicap Saturday.

In a field reduced to three after five scratches, the 4-year-old son of Time For A Change tracked the slow pace set by 1-2 favorite Beau Jingles, then kicked away in the final furlong under Julio Garcia to win by three lengths in 1:41 4/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

Owned by Stanley Bell and trained by Eduardo Inda, Tom Cruiser paid $6 as the 2-1 second choice. Beau Jingles was second, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Earthrise.

Horse Racing Notes

Laffit Pincay, who turns 50 today, won for the 8,497th time Saturday when Seal Your Fate took the first. . . . David Flores had two winners Saturday, capturing the fifth with Queen Of Money, who is trained by Bob Baffert, and the ninth with Chubby Dubby.