IT’S OFFICIAL

The July 28, 2015 Edition

You know how sometimes when a song pops into your head for no apparent reason and you find yourself wondering why this particular tune suddenly and randomly entered into your consciousness?   And then you realize that your brain had just delved deep into your memory bank to retrieve a unique lyric from that song that helps explain your current state of mind?

It happened to me last Saturday immediately following the conclusion of the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar.

“I don’t know where we went wrong but the feeling’s gone and I just can’t get it back”

 – Gordon Lightfoot, 1970, “If You Could Read My Mind”.

I realized quickly that – thankfully - the lyric didn’t apply to me on any level, but rather to Bayern, a brilliant race horse on his best day.  Unfortunately, Bayern hasn’t had a best day since last November.

The devout front-running colt had come this close to being named champion 3-year-old in 2014, but top honors went to California Chrome after the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner finished the year on a high note with a victory in the Gr. 1 Hollywood Derby during the autumn meeting at Del Mar.  

Had California Chrome not participated in this late November turf event, or if he had failed to win it, voters wouldn’t have needed much arm twisting to throw their support to the Bob Baffert-trained colt, who had constructed a fairly impressive resume that included a pair of victories over California Chrome, in the Pennsylvania Derby in September and then in the most prestigious non-restricted race in North America, the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

With no trophy in hand, Bayern certainly would race as a 4-year-old.  He likely would be bigger, stronger, faster, and better, and his connections had every right to believe that the son of Offlee Wild could become a dominant member of what used to be called the older “handicap” division. A minor setback delayed his seasonal debut until the Derby under card at Churchill Downs May 2, when he reappeared at odds of 4/5 in the Churchill Downs Handicap at seven furlongs. 

Bayern finished last.

Okay, toss it out, he was rusty.

Bayern’s next start, in the Met Mile on Belmont Stakes day in early June would be contested over the same main track and on the same Saturday that he had been the most impressive 3-year-old to run on the 2014 Belmont Stakes program when he demolished his rivals in the seven furlong Woody Stephens Stakes.  Baffert was expecting, or at least hoping, that this time he would see that Bayern.

That Bayer didn’t show up.  This Bayern ran last again.

Back home in California last Saturday in the middle distance San Diego Handicap, Bayern would surely be able to inherit his preferred role as the controlling speed.  He had trained like his old self over the new Del Mar dirt surface and the competition was below standard, at least compared to what Bayern had been used to facing.  Baffert was confident that this time, finally, the old Bayern would return.

Today, the prevailing school of thought is that the old Bayern is gone forever. 

Jockey Gary Stevens, aboard the eventual winner, Catch A Flyer, told reporters after the race “I could see Martin (Garcia, aboard Bayern) was out of horse at the three-eighths pole.”

Garcia, himself, didn’t disagree while adding, “He (Bayern) didn’t try.  I don’t know if something’s wrong, but he didn’t try.”

From my perch in the press box, I saw the race exactly the same way.  I stopped watching Bayern at the quarter pole when some horse named Appealing Tale put him away.  In deep stretch I was fixated on Catch a Flight’s dramatic late surge that produced a thrilling head victory over Appealing Tale, who had kicked clear at the furlong pole and seemed headed for an upset win. 

Five minutes after the race was declared official and after Gordon Lightfoot had made his guest appearance in my subconscious, it dawned on me that Bayern actually had finished third, and he was beaten only a length and one-half for the whole thing.  What?   Sure looked to me that he was out of gas entering the far turn, just as Stevens had observed.  And if he “didn’t try” as Garcia insisted after the race, wouldn’t he have  thrown in the towel and stopped completely, just  as he done in last year’s Travers or in his most recent start in the Met Mile?

Fooled me.  Fooled Gordon Lightfoot.

So maybe, Bayern isn’t quite done, yet.   Maybe it’s not too late for Baffert to figure out what went wrong, and that Bayern’s feelings aren’t gone, and that he will get it back.  

Maybe it’ll happen in the Awesome Again Stakes.  Santa Anita’s track is a lot kinder to speed, right?  I hope it happens.  Gotta brush up on my playlist.

BABY TALK – In last week’s column we identified Pretty N Cool as the first “future star” of the Del Mar season.  This past week we were treated to two more.  On Saturday, in his second career start, Exaggerator, a son of Curlin, overcame what appeared to be insurmountable traffic trouble on the turn to wear down first-timer Miner’s Light with a superior turn of foot.  According to the chart, Exaggerator made up three lengths from the eighth pole to the wire to gain the nose decision, and since the final furlong of the six furlong event was clocked in 12.18 seconds, the Keith Desormeaux-trained colt must have come home in 11 and small change.  The Beyer number of 77 is good, but really doesn’t do him justice.  Exaggerator is the third foal from the Canadian stakes-placed sprinter Dawn Raid (Vindication), whose first two foals haven’t amounted to much.  Dawn Raid is a half-sister to Canadian champion mare Embur’s Song; it’s a decent family but nothing more.

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On Sunday we received our first glimpse of Songbird, a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro who had been whispered by the private clockers as the best of the babies from Jerry Hollendorfer’s barn and was expected to win her debut despite having to leave from the dreaded rail in the six furlong sprint.  This was a loaded field that also included Songbird’s stablemate Tiz a Tommy Town, an excellent runner-up in her debut, and the first-timer Treasuring, who had performed up to expectations in the a.m. for Baffert.  

Breaking like a seasoned pro, Songbird quickly established a clear lead and never allowed any of her talented rivals to get close, eventually winning by more than six lengths in 1:11.03 over the deep, dull strip.  She earned an 84 Beyer number; by comparison, the 3 ½ lengths victory by Off the Tracks in the Schuylerville at Saratoga on Friday was assigned an 83.  Songbird was produced by Ivanavinalot, a terrific Florida-based sprinting filly in 2002-03 and a graded stakes winner of $647,300.  Now 15 years old, the daughter of West Acre has yet to produce a stakes winner but she is the grand dam of the nice sprinter Mico Margarita, a graded stakes winning earner of $480,251.

THIS WEEK’S DEL MAR BLACK BOOK

Admiral Jaxon (July 26, 3^rd race) – was ruled a non-participant due to being loaded into the gate after the field already had been dispatched.  The second-time starter therefore spotted the field an insurmountable head-start in the one mile event but, remarkably, managed to rally and finish fifth under the wire.   There seems little doubt that the Mullins-trained gelding would have won the race had he been permitted to leave with his field.  He’ll get a do-over against a similar bunch next time.

Chief of Staff (July 24, 2^nd race) – was victimized by an anti-inside track bias and did as well as he could when settling for second (more than seven lengths clear of the rest) in a strong entry-level state-bred allowance main track miler won by Missing Groom.  Son of Majestic Warrior should have no trouble winning this condition next time over a track that is playing fair to his front-running style.

Flaming Vixen (July 22, 4^th race) – first-time starter by Elusive Warning was very green early and dropped far back during the early stages of this M40000 California-bred juvenile filly sprint, but began to figure things out mid-way on the turn and then took hold to finish full of run behind runaway winner Gypsy’s Rule.  Wound up third, beaten nearly eight lengths, but galloped out strongly and was actually in front of the pack by the time the field hit clubhouse turn.  Baltas-trained filly should improve a ton off the race and will appreciate the stretch out to six furlongs or even farther. 

Soresca-IRE (July 23, 7^th race) – finished off the board (beaten more than eight lengths) in a mini-marathon first-level optional claimer but may very well prove to be a timely $40,000 claim by Little Red Feather Racing and trainer Phil D’Amato.  Irish-bred filly, a nice winner of a starter handicap last month at Santa Anita, lagged to the top of the lane, attempted to rally but was blocked and shut off, then steadied again mid-stretch while trying to launch another bid in a nightmarish trip.  With clear sailing next time she can beat this level of competition.  Smart connections will find the proper spot.

Treasuring (July 26, 7^th race) – This is going to be a very nice filly for Baffert; her troubled third place finish behind future star Songbird gave only a hint of what she’ll be capable of doing down the road.  Full sister to Gr. 1 winner Streaming settled in mid-pack, steadied and lost her position in heavy traffic on the turn, then found room along the rail into the lane and finished strongly to be third in a fast, highly-rated  sprint.  It will take something extraordinary to deny her a diploma the next time she’s led over.

Wonderful Lie (July 26, 10^th race) – her fate was sealed when she drew the impossible 12-post at a mile on turf, but the Blacker-trained filly actually made a race of it and only paid the price of her wide-throughout trip in the final furlong, when she weakened to wind up seventh but only beaten three lengths.  Daughter of Bedford Falls can be effective on any surface and will be hard to handle against a similar first-level allowance filly and mare field next time if she’s fortunate enough to draw a decent post.