Baffert Will Keep Title

With 10 days left in Santa Anita’s winter-spring meet, one thing is certain.

Bob Baffert will win his sixth consecutive training title at Arcadia and seventh in the last eight years.

Baffert has 40 victories through the first 75 days of the season, 12 more than his closest pursuer, Bill Spawr, and 15 more than Bobby Frankel. Spawr was the last trainer other than Baffert to win a Santa Anita title. He led the standings with 28 wins during the 1995-96 meet.

With 207 starters, Baffert has run 55 more horses than Spawr and 84 more than Frankel, and he’ll add to that figure today when he sends out Skip To The Stone and Bay Head King in the second race.

An optional claimer at a mile on the dirt, the race drew only three other entrants and all of the participants have something in common. They are winless in 2002, having combined to go 0 for 8.

A 4-year-old son of Skip Trial, Skip To The Stone is 0 for 2 since joining the Baffert barn and has lost four in a row since winning the Bay Shore a year ago at Aqueduct.

Running without blinkers for the first time since his second start on Jan. 20, 2001, Skip To The Stone is the likely pacesetter and will be ridden for the first time by Patrick Valenzuela.

Bay Head King is also 0 for 2 for Baffert and is winless in his last five. His third and most recent victory came July 18 at Belmont Park. He could be closest to his stablemate early.

The other three starters in the field are Most Likely, winless in his last 12 since the beginning of 2001; Kachamandi, who is 0 for 2 since coming to the United States from South America, and Dig For It, who is 0 for 2 in 2002 and only one for 21 in his career at Santa Anita.

Race of the day: Victory Ride, one of the top 3-year-old fillies in the country last year, will make her first start of the year in the $100,000-added Madison Stakes at Keeneland. The seven-furlong race is the eighth on the card.

Who’s hot: Jason Lumpkins. The jockey got off to a good start at Bay Meadows. After five days of racing, he is on top of the standings with seven wins.

Who’s not: Jockey Adalberto Lopez. He is off to an 0-for-18 beginning at Bay Meadows.

Exotically speaking: A pick four singling Bright Sunday in the fifth, using Golden Spin and Mada Moon in the sixth, Nick Of Time, Honesty Pays and Painted Avenue in the seventh and Leather Tough, Willie Cruise and Hasta Lavista Baby in the eighth.

Winners: Previous day/meet Total: 4/209. Money: Previous day/meet Total: $17/$1,214.40. Total money bet: $1,290.