Baffert high on juvenile filly Mother Mother

DEL MAR, Calif. – The filly Mother Mother could provide Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert with his first 2-year-old winner of the Del Mar summer meet when she debuts in a maiden special weight race at six furlongs on Sunday.

By Pioneerof the Nile, Mother Mother has caught Baffert’s attention in training at Santa Anita and Del Mar in the last month. Baffert said on Friday that he held Mother Mother out of a five-furlong maiden race on Wednesday to avoid the highly regarded Brill, who won as the favorite.

“I was going to run her the other day, but I didn’t want to run against Brill,” he said. “There are some nice 2-year-olds in California.”

Mother Mother will be ridden by Drayden Van Dyke and starts from post 3 in a field of eight.

“I wish I’d drawn the outside,” Baffert said. “We want a big W. We want a nice race. Three-quarters is a little demanding.”

Tapwater, a Tapit filly, will start from the outside post for trainer Richard Mandella, who said the distance may be too short for her.

“I think she’ll need a mile to do her best,” Mandella said.

Mandella expects Tapwater to be a factor in the stretch, and thinks she might even win.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if she did,” he said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if she finished nicely.”