Baffert: Can the Man to LosAl Derby, Bayern to Haskell
Can the Man, the winner of the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita on June 7 in his 2014 debut, will be supplemented for $10,000 to the $500,000 Los Alamitos Derby on July 5, trainer Bob Baffert said on Saturday.
The Grade 2 Los Alamitos Derby is the main race of the Los Alamitos summer Thoroughbred meeting, which begins on Thursday.
Can the Man is part of an outstanding, but strong, small field in the Los Alamitos Derby, run over 1 1/8 miles.
The other leading candidates are Shared Belief, the champion 2-year-old male of 2013; Candy Boy, who finished 13th in the Kentucky Derby; and Top Fortitude, who won the Grade 3 Laz Barrera Stakes at Santa Anita in May.
Shared Belief was plagued by foot problems earlier this year. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Shared Belief won his 2014 debut in a sprint against older horses at Golden Gate Fields on May 26. Shared Belief is unbeaten in four starts.
Top Fortitude was later second to the Baffert-trained Bayern in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens Stakes over seven furlongs at Belmont Park on June 7.
Baffert confirmed that Bayern will make his next start in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 27.
Bayern and Can the Man race for Kaleem Shah. Bayern won his first stakes in the Woody Stephens.