American Anthem, West Coast give Baffert aces for Woody Stephens, Easy Goer

ELMONT, N.Y. – Bob Baffert has four horses entered on the Belmont Stakes card Saturday. They are all favored on the morning line and will have Mike Smith aboard.

In the two undercard stakes for 3-year-olds, the Woody Stephens and the Easy Goer, Baffert will start American Anthem and West Coast. He also has Kentucky Oaks winner Abel Tasman in the Grade 1 Acorn and Mor Spirit in the Grade 1 Met Mile.

“I’m real happy with all of them,” said Baffert, who will be in from California to saddle. “We’d like to run the table, but we’ll just have to send them out there and see how it goes.”

American Anthem comes into the Grade 2, $500,000 Woody Stephens off a strong win in the Laz Barrera Stakes at Santa Anita. Both races are seven furlongs.

Baffert gave American Anthem an opportunity this spring to earn his way to the Kentucky Derby, but the son of Bodemeister finished 10th in the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park and 12th in the Santa Anita Derby.

“Once the Derby fever was over, we figured we’d turn him back in distance and try the seven furlongs,” Baffert said. “I still think he will go two turns, but this seems right for him now.”

Baffert won the Woody Stephens in 2014 with Bayern.

When West Coast closed stoutly to finish second by a head to Belmont Stakes starter Senior Investment in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, Baffert thought he would be running West Coast in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. But West Coast’s May 20 victory over older optional-claiming runners at Santa Anita wasn’t as impressive as Baffert had hoped, and he altered course to target the $150,000 Easy Goer at 1 1/16 miles.

“West Coast was my Belmont horse. I mean, I was all in on the Belmont with him,” Baffert said. “But when he won last time, he didn’t do it the way we really wanted. I think he’s still developing.”

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American Anthem tracked a hot pace in the Barrera and then came home well to win by 1 3/4 lengths, earning a 98 Beyer Speed Figure. There is plenty of speed for him to chase in the 11-horse Stephens, and he should get a good trip from post 8.

His toughest challengers look to be Recruiting Ready, who has won three in a row; Wild Shot, who sprung an 8-1 upset over a wet track in the Pat Day Mile on Derby Day at Churchill Downs; and Long Haul Bay, who has impressed while winning his first two starts.

Recruiting Ready showed promise at 2, finishing second to Classic Empire in the Bashford Manor and to Gunnevera in the Saratoga Special. But he lost his way in Florida over the winter, prompting Horacio De Paz, the private trainer for Sagamore Farm, to bring him home to Maryland to regroup.

Recruiting Ready, a fast son of Algorithms, has since won a Laurel Park optional claimer, the Bachelor Stakes at Oaklawn, and the Chick Lang on Preakness Day at Pimlico.

“His confidence is so high,” De Paz said. “Now when he hits the stretch, he knows to go on. He’s just enjoying himself out there.”

Recruiting Ready will be trying to win his first race beyond six furlongs.

“He should go to the front or be close to it,” De Paz said. “Distance is the question at this level. I’m sure he could get seven furlongs at a different level, but this is a tough race.”

Wild Shot, trained by Rusty Arnold, pressed a fast pace and then took control of the Pat Day Mile in upper stretch en route to a four-length win. He will have to prove he can replicate that performance over a fast track.

Long Haul Bay handled a significant class jump to take the Grade 3 Bay Shore by 3 1/4 lengths, one start after winning his debut over New York-bred company. Fine-tuned by Chad Brown in the two months since the Bay Shore, he will be taking on tougher rivals once again.

In the Easy Goer, West Coast will face Outplay and Sonic Mule, who are trained by Todd Pletcher, and Local Hero, conditioned by Steve Asmussen.

Outplay has good speed at this distance and has won a Parx optional claimer and an Aqueduct maiden race in his last two starts. Sonic Mule won a pair of one-turn stakes early last winter at Gulfstream Park and was fifth most recently in the Pat Day Mile. He will have to overcome post 1.

Local Hero finished third in both the Louisiana Derby and Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds over the winter. In the Pat Day Mile, he was steadied several times with his head cocked inward while racing in traffic early along the inside and finished seventh. He is a very dangerous horse in this race.