Baffert runners stand out on Thursday card

CYPRESS, Calif. – A 2-year-old filly fresh off a smashing debut and a 3-year-old comeback colt foiled at odds-on will attract much of the wagering attention Thursday at Los Alamitos.

Quality Response, a runaway debut winner, is favored in race 5, the $75,000 Phone Chatter Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. Coliseum, a former Derby prospect, is favored in his race 9 comeback, an allowance sprint. Bob Baffert trains both, Joe Talamo rides both.

Wagering value in the sprint stakes is minimal. Quality Response opens at 6-5; Paid Informant is 7-5. The 6 1/2-furlong race, postponed from the previous weekend due to insufficient entries, attracted five runners. There is no show wagering.

Los Alamitos also tweaked the multi-race betting menu Thursday due to the placement of an Arabian race as the first race. The pick five will begin in race 2, and the early pick four will begin in race 3. First post for the nine-race card is 1 p.m.

Quality Response was the less regarded of two Baffert-trained maiden fillies when she made her debut Sept. 1 at Del Mar. While stablemate Scarlet Lips, the favorite, lacked speed and focus finishing second, Quality Response broke like a shot and won for fun.

“She was very, very impressive,” Talamo said. “And actually I was kind of easing her up the last part. She wasn’t stopping at all going five and a half, so six and a half I think will suit her pretty well.”

Quality Response drew post 4, while main rival Paid Informant is stuck on the rail. Paid Informant won her debut in a $150,000 maiden claiming race by more than three lengths. The others in the Phone Chatter are Mean Sophia, Convoluted, and Aqua Seaform Shame.

Coliseum has not started since finishing third as the odds-on favorite Feb.10 in a Grade 2 sprint stakes at Santa Anita. He began the season as one of the most highly regarded 3-year-olds in California after winning his debut by 6 3/4 lengths as a 2-year-old.

However, the gray son of Tapit broke slowly and misfired in both his starts afterward. “He never has been really good out of the gate,” Baffert acknowledged.

Coliseum has been posting fast workout times at Los Alamitos with Baffert assistant Mike Marlow.

“He’s been training there, he’s aware of that track,” Baffert said, adding that the colt’s layoff was for his frame of mind, rather than anything physical. “He didn’t need anything; it was more of a mental thing,” Baffert said.

Coliseum is the 9-5 favorite in the entry-level allowance sprint at six furlongs. His main rivals include come-from-behinder Coil Me Home and comeback dropper Threefiveindia, a first-time gelding.

In addition to Quality Response and Coliseum, Baffert also entered second-start maiden Gingham in race 6. The 2-year-old filly, runner-up in her career debut racing one mile last month at Del Mar, is the 7-5 favorite under Mike Smith.