Baffert has Cave Rock, Hejazi for American Pharoah Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. - The undefeated stakes winner Cave Rock and the expensive colt Hejazi will form trainer Bob Baffert’s powerful team in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes for 2-year-olds at Santa Anita on Oct. 8.

The $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes at 1 1/16 miles is a key prep for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland on Nov. 4.

Cave Rock won his debut in a maiden special weight race by six lengths at 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 13, and followed with an equally impressive win in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity by 5 1/4 lengths at seven furlongs on Sept. 11.

On Saturday at Santa Anita, Cave Rock worked five furlongs in 1:00.20, his first major exercise since the Del Mar Futurity.

Hejazi, purchased for $3.55 million at a 2-year-olds in-training in May, is a maiden after two starts. Hejazi was second to the Baffert-trained Speed Boat Beach by 1 1/4 lengths in a maiden special weight race at 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar on Sept. 10.

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Speed Boat Beach set a track record of 1:01.86 in the Sept. 10 race, and will remain in sprints, with a start scheduled for the $100,000 Speakeasy Stakes at five furlongs on turf on Sunday, Baffert said.

Speed Boat Beach worked five furlongs in 58.40 seconds on the infield training track at Santa Anita on Saturday.

The winner of the Speakeasy Stakes receives a fees-paid berth to the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint on Nov. 4, while the winner of the American Pharoah receives a berth in the BC Juvenile.

Baffert has his typical deep team of juveniles this year, and plans to send Carmel Road and possibly Newgate to Keeneland for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 8, another prep for the BC Juvenile.

Carmel Road, who worked five furlongs in 1:00 on Sunday, won a maiden special weight race at a mile by 8 3/4 lengths in his second start at Del Mar on Aug. 26. Newgate was fourth in the Del Mar Futurity, and worked six furlongs in 1:13.40 on Sunday.

Baffert said he does not have race plans for Havnameltdown, who won the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes at six furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 14 and was second in the Del Mar Futurity.

“I don’t know if he’ll go two turns,” Baffert said.

The Baffert-trained Jackstown, who won his debut at 5 1/2 furlongs in a maiden special weight race at Del Mar on July 31 in his lone start, is out of training.

Among fillies, Baffert plans to start Home Cooking in the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 8. Home Cooking was second as the 7-10 favorite in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante for 2-year-old fillies at seven furlongs on Sept. 10, leading to the final strides before losing by a head to And Tell Me Nolies.

Home Cooking worked five furlongs in 1:01.40 on Sunday.

Royal Ship, third in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Sept. 3, worked five furlongs in 59 seconds on Sunday, the fastest of 52 works at the distance. Trainer Richard Mandella said Sunday that Royal Ship “would probably” run in Saturday’s Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita.

Mandella considers the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes as a prep for the BC Dirt Mile at Keeneland on Nov. 5.

Country Grammer, second in the Pacific Classic and the winner of the $12 million Dubai World Cup in March for Baffert, worked six furlongs in 1:13.20 for the Awesome Again on Sunday.

Tripoli, the winner of the 2021 Pacific Classic, worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 on Sunday for the Awesome Again. Trained by John Sadler, Tripoli is winless in two starts this year, including a sixth in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap behind Royal Ship at Del Mar in July.

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