Del Mar Futurity winner Drill will target Norfolk at Santa Anita

DEL MAR, Calif. – A few days before Del Mar’s meeting began, trainer Bob Baffert cited a few unraced 2-year-old colts he expected to do well at the meet. One of the horses, a Lawyer Ron colt, had yet to be named, but Baffert said the name Volt had been submitted to the Jockey Club.

That name was not approved, nor a second name. Eventually, Baffert and the owners of the colt settled on the name Drill. Good things apparently come in threes with this colt, because his third name is what will go down in the record books as the winner of Wednesday’s Del Mar Futurity, which was his third start this summer.

Drill, overcoming a late bump that turned him sideways, prevailed in the closing-day Del Mar Futurity under jockey Martin Garcia, giving Baffert his record 10th win in the race, all in the last 16 runnings. Drill came out the race in good shape, Baffert said Thursday morning, and he was on his way to Santa Anita, where he will race next in the Grade 1, $250,000 Norfolk Stakes on Oct. 1 as a final prep to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs.

“I was nervous because I told Martin to take him back and make one run,” Baffert said Thursday morning. “He always showed us he was going to be a nice horse. He’s still a little green.”

The Del Mar Futurity is a Win and You’re In race for the BC Juvenile. Drill is not yet nominated to the Breeders’ Cup. According to Breeders’ Cup spokesman Jim Gluckson, the owners -- Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman – must pay $100,000 by Oct. 24 to nominate Drill to the Breeders’ Cup program. If they pre-enter him in the BC Juvenile, the Breeders’ Cup puts up a $10,000 travel allowance to get Drill to Louisville, Ky.

In the Norfolk, Drill will likely have a rematch with Creative Cause, who crossed the wire third in the Del Mar Futurity but then was moved up to second because of the disqualification of Majestic City, who came out sharply in the final yards under David Flores and knocked into Creative Cause, who in turn bumped into Drill.

Majestic City, who crossed the wire second but was moved back to third by the stewards, came out of the race in good shape, according to Jeff Bloom, the managing partner of Bloom Racing Stable, which owns Majestic City.

Bloom said a decision would be made later on where Majestic City runs next, and whether he will be pointed to the BC Juvenile, at 1 1/16 miles, or the inaugural BC Juvenile Sprint, at six furlongs.

“We’ll keep all options open for his next start, either at Santa Anita or on the road,” Bloom said.