Baffert finishes one-two again in Gold Cup, winner Mr Fisk vanned off

ARCADIA, Calif. – Mr Fisk scored his first Grade 2 victory Monday at Santa Anita, but the winner’s circle was sedate after trainer Bob Baffert won the 1 1/4-mile Hollywood Gold Cup for the tenth time. The winning horse was not part of the post-race ceremony.

Jockey Kazushi Kimura felt something amiss with Mr Fisk ($7 favorite) as he galloped out following the 2 1/4-length win. Kimura pulled Mr Fisk up on the clubhouse turn. The colt was vanned off the track and transported to the Baffert barn for further evaluation.

“He started acting like he was a little bit sore,” Kimura said. “I decided to jump off.”

Kimura’s first inclination was that whatever was affecting the colt’s left front was not serious.

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Baffert trainees finished one-two in the Gold Cup; front-runner Reincarnate held second by 2 1/4 lengths over third-place finisher Judge Miller. The remaining order of finish was Subsanador, Mixto, Arrowthegreat, and Oviatt Class. Ashcroft scratched.

“Right now, it sounds minor,” Baffert said immediately after the Gold Cup, referring to Mr Fisk. “Nothing obvious, so that’s good.”

The incident dampened the mood, as Baffert had the top two finishers in the Gold Cup for the third time. He finished one-two with First Dude and Game on Dude in 2011; followed in 2012 by Game on Dude and Richard’s Kid. This year’s winner Mr Fisk and runner-up both ran well.

“I’m proud of the both [of them],” Baffert said. “It’s too bad we can’t celebrate in the winner’s circle, but the horse looks like he is going to be fine. That’s the good news.”

It was a good trip for Mr Fisk, who Kimura also rode to a decisive victory in the Grade 3 Californian. The extra furlong of the Gold Cup was not an issue for Mr Fisk, sired by Arrogate and produced by long-distance turf mare Plein Air. Both were trained by Baffert.

Mr Fisk saved ground in fourth position, angled outside at the top of the lane, and ran away late. He completed the race in 2:03.01, the slowest final time since the Gold Cup relocated from Hollywood Park to Santa Anita in 2014. Still, the Beyer Speed Figure came up decent, 101, a career best for Mr Fisk..

The victory by Mr Fisk was his fifth from 11 starts; he has earned $369,700 for owner Sunny Brook Stables.

Reincarnate’s jockey Juan Hernandez initially figured he would set the pace. “That was the plan. When the outside horse [Subsanador] broke better than me, I was trying to stay behind him,” Hernandez said.” Then I tried to go around, but when I grabbed my horse, he took off.”

Reincarnate scooted inside to set the pace into the clubhouse turn, and set comfortable fractions thereafter. He went the half-mile in 47.25 and six furlongs in 1:12.19. “He tried to fight back ,I just got beat by a better horse,” Hernandez said.

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