Mixed Results for Baffert, Gomez
Sunday was always likely to be a good day for Bob Baffert and Garrett Gomez.
As trainer and jockey, respectively, of the favorites in both of the day’s major races at Santa Anita -- Too Much Bling in the San Vicente Stakes and Pussycat Doll in the La Canada Stakes -- chances were good that the pair would be smiling by late afternoon.
They were, but only for a while.
Too Much Bling went to the lead early, then had enough left to hold off the challenge of Peace Chant in the $150,000 San Vicente to win by 1 1/2 lengths, covering the seven furlongs in 1:22.50 on a fast track.
The victory was Baffert’s fifth in the most recent 10 editions of the Grade II race.
“I thought for sure the No. 1 horse [Peace Chant] was going to blow by us, but for him to hold on like he did just shows quality,” Baffert said of the Ohio-bred gray colt, who paid $3.60, $2.60 and $2.20 as the 4-5 favorite.
“It’s good when you’ve got a horse like that.”
Good, certainly, for the partnership that owns the Rubiano-Rose Colored Lady offspring.
Peace Chant, ridden by Edgar Prado, and longshot New Joysey Jeff, with Alex Solis aboard, rounded out the top three.
Then came the La Canada.
Pussycat Doll came into the 1 1/8 -mile stake having won three of her previous four races, but she hit the wall before the field of five had run half a mile. She had nothing left by the stretch and faded to fourth, almost 10 lengths behind the winner.
She was overtaken for third by Sharp Lisa just before the wire, bad news for those who had wagered almost $98,000 on Pussycat Doll to at least show.
Instead, Patrick Valenzuela romped home by 1 3/4 lengths aboard the Kentucky-bred Seafree, who went off at 9-2 in the $200,000 Grade II stake. Play Ballado finished second under Prado and Sharp Lisa third under Corey Nakatani.
Seafree, a bay filly by Chief Seattle out of Queen Randi, fought off Pussycat Doll’s early challenge and went the distance in 1:50.04, paying $11.20, $5.20 and $14.40.
Owned by Edmund Gann and trained by Bobby Frankel, Seafree had been scheduled to run in Saturday’s Grade I Santa Maria Handicap, but Frankel, in a late change of heart, opted for Sunday’s La Canada instead.
It proved to be a wise choice.
“This filly today, Bobby did a heck of a job getting her to go a mile and an eighth,” Valenzuela said. “His training came into play.”
And what of Baffert’s Pussycat Doll?
“His horse stopped,” Valenzuela said.
Well, not really, but the daughter of 1998 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet was not heard from after the early going and weakened noticeably in the stretch.
Neither Baffert nor Gomez had a ready explanation.
“She didn’t run her race,” Baffert said. “She didn’t show up today. I guess I’ve got to take the blame for that one.”
Said Gomez: “I don’t know. I have no explanation for it, really. It wasn’t like she just got tired or something. I was done early. I got to about the half[-mile pole] and I was in trouble.”
Pussycat Doll had never been asked to run a mile and an eighth before, but Gomez discounted that.
“You can’t even throw distance into the equation,” he said, “because we barely made it three-quarters of a mile.”
Baffert and Gomez at least had the San Vicente victory to show for Sunday’s work, and that was something.
Too Much Bling made it all worthwhile.
“I didn’t want to ride him the way the race set up,” Gomez said. “I didn’t want to be on the lead with him but ... I had no choice.”
Gomez gave the winner “a little bit of a breather” on the backstretch and that left Too Much Bling with enough to hold off Peace Chant in the stretch.