Baffert holding Cavalieri for Del Mar meet

ARCADIA, Calif. – The undefeated filly Cavalieri, a notable absentee from the nominations for Sunday’s Grade 2 Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita, will not race until the Del Mar summer meeting, according to trainer Bob Baffert.

Cavalieri, who won the Grade 1 Beholder Mile for fillies and mares at Santa Anita on March 8 in her last start, has not had a published workout since mid-April.

“I’m going to wait for Del Mar,” Baffert said on Sunday.

Owned by the Speedway Stable of Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner, Cavalieri is a four-time winner. After the Beholder Mile, Baffert praised Cavalieri, saying “we always knew she would be a superstar.”

:: Playing Santa Anita? Get the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports available now.

The Del Mar summer meeting runs from July 18 to Sept. 7. The main race of the meeting for fillies and mares around two turns is the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Aug. 2. The winner of the $400,000 Hirsch receives a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar on Nov. 1.

Baffert is expected to have a leading presence in the $200,000 Santa Margarita, run at 1 1/8 miles. He has three nominees, including Richi who was second in the Beholder Mile and won the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes at 1 1/16 miles by 4 1/2 lengths at 3-5 on April 19.

Baffert has also nominated Seismic Beauty, the 10-length winner of an allowance race at a mile on April 18, and Splendora, who was second in the Santa Maria.

Other candidates are Alpha Bella, who was fifth in the Beholder and has finished second in four graded stakes for fillies and mares since August; and Where’s My Ring, who was third behind 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna at Oaklawn Park on April 12.

Where’s My Ring was trained by Val Brinkerhoff through the Apple Blossom, and has since been transferred to trainer Peter Miller by owner Michael McMillan. Where’s My Ring is under consideration for the Santa Margarita or the Grade 3 Shawnee Stakes, a $275,000 race at 1 1/16 miles for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs on May 31.

– additional reporting by Brad Free

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.