One month before the Breeders’ Cup, trainer Bob Baffert knew that Splendora could handle the bright lights. By convincing her connections that she was ready, Baffert was offering a bold vote of confidence for a 4-year-old filly who had never won in graded stakes company. But with a Hall of Fame trainer in her corner, it was only so surprising when she hustled forward from fifth under jockey Flavien Prat and surged past stablemate Hope Road to win the Grade 1 PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint by 4 3/4 lengths. “She loves this track and she was working really well at Santa Anita,” Baffert said in the winner’s circle at Del Mar. “I knew that seven-eighths was going to be perfect for her.” In a four-race stretch leading up to her Breeders’ Cup triumph, Splendora did not try seven furlongs, running in three routes and a six-furlong allowance. She showed plenty at Del Mar, however, earning back-to-back victories at the track and a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure in the $100,000 Tranquility Lake on Sept. 1. Between her unbeaten record at Del Mar, now 4 for 4, and Baffert’s hopes at the distance, the stars could not have aligned better for the trainer’s rising star sprinter in the biggest race of her career. Before she was a West Coast champion, however, Splendora was just another bright face in Baffert’s stacked barn, a promising runner in search of a breakthrough. Bred in Maryland by The Elkstone Group, Splendora was sired by Audible and is out of the stakes-winning mare Miss Freeze, by Frost Giant. She was purchased for $125,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton July sale by Sweetwater Trading, agent to Talla Racing and Rockingham Ranch. :: Full list of 2025 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories The filly made one start late in her juvenile season, but her career did not begin in earnest until October 2024, when she returned to win a maiden special weight by 5 3/4 lengths under Juan Hernandez, who rode her for most of her 4-year-old campaign. Two months later, she made her stakes debut in the Grade 1 La Brea, finishing second by 2 3/4 lengths. That runner-up finish kickstarted a trend that extended well into 2025, as Splendora went on to run in three more graded stakes through May. In a pair of Grade 2 races, the Santa Maria and Santa Margarita, she ran beyond a mile and finished second again behind stablemates Richi and Seismic Beauty. When Baffert eased away from graded stakes, her improvement was jolting, a lightning strike taking its rightful place before the thunder. Her six-furlong allowance victory in July was the first hint of Baffert’s long-term intentions. After the Tranquility Lake at a mile, the trainer was all but set on trying the Breeders’ Cup. When her time came, she was ready. Owned by Talla Racing throughout her career, Splendora earned $722,400 in 2025. Previously best known for winning the 2021 Santa Anita Derby with Rock Your World, Michael Talla called her Breeders’ Cup victory his best day as an owner. Back on the work tab for Baffert ahead of 2026, there could be many more great days to come. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.