Baffert Makes His Mark

Caffe Latte’s come-from-behind, 1 1/4-length win in Saturday’s $400,000 Ramona Handicap was a record-setting run on all fronts.

Caffe Latte’s time of 1:47 for 1 1/8 miles on grass was the fastest running ever for the Ramona, which became a turf race in 1970. Moreover, the Irish-bred filly gave Bob Baffert his 11th stakes win at the meet, enabling the silver-haired trainer to break the record he set in 1998 and equaled last year.

Baffert also won the last race Saturday, giving him three wins on the card and 30 for the season. That’s the most wins at Del Mar since Farrell Jones saddled 35 in 1963. The Del Mar record of 47 was set by Red McDaniel in 1954.

With three days left to the current 43-day season--today, Monday and Wednesday--Baffert will have a chance to add to his career total of 51 stakes wins. He saddles Purely Cozzene, the 7-2 morning-line favorite, in today’s Del Mar Derby and on Wednesday he’ll take three shots, with Flame Thrower, Arabian Light and Glorious Bid, as he tries to win the Del Mar Futurity for the fifth consecutive year.

Caffe Latte’s Ramona win was a much-needed boost for jockey Brice Blanc, who has struggled here this season, winning only three races. Blanc had ridden Caffe Latte before, last season when she was trained by Julio Canani, but he was aboard Saturday because of a collarbone injury that has sidelined Corey Nakatani.

Tout Charmant finished second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Alexine. Coupled with Tout Charmant, Caffe Latte paid $4.60, earning $240,000. The 1-2 finishers are both owned by Bob McNair, principal owner of the newly formed Houston Texans of the NFL.

Horse Racing Notes

Blanc will be at Woodbine in suburban Toronto today, riding Kahal for trainer Neil Drysdale in the $1-million Atto Mile. Expected favorite in the Atto is Ladies Din, winner of Del Mar’s Eddie Read Handicap in his last start. . . . In another Del Mar stake, Forest Camp, the 1999 Del Mar Futurity winner, made his first start in eight months and won the Pirate’s Bounty Handicap by four lengths. . . . At Belmont Park, stakes winners were favored Fantastic Light in the Man o’ War and Critical Eye, at 24-1, in the Gazelle Handicap.