Baffert's 3-year-olds begin to make some noise

ARCADIA, Calif.- Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s 3-year-old division came alive on Saturday.

After a largely disappointing first five months of the year by his standards, Baffert’s 3-year-olds won stakes at Belmont Park and Santa Anita. Bayern was a convincing winner of Saturday’s $500,000 Woody Stephens Stakes over seven furlongs at Belmont. Six hours later, Can the Man, unraced since October, won the $100,000 Affirmed Stakes over 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita.

Kaleem Shah owns both Bayern and Can the Man.

“I finally won a race,” Baffert said in the winner’s circle at Santa Anita.

Baffert has won three Kentucky Derbies, five runnings of the Preakness Stakes, and one Belmont Stakes. This year, he had minimal participation in those races, finishing ninth in the Kentucky Derby with Chitu and ninth in the Preakness Stakes with Bayern. Baffert did not have a runner in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes.

The wins on Saturday suggest the stable could have a leading role in major stakes for 3-year-olds in coming months. Bayern is nominated for the $500,000 Los Alamitos Derby over 1 1/8 miles on July 5, while Can the Man would have to be supplemented to that race for $10,000. The Grade 2 Los Alamitos Derby replaced the Swaps Stakes from Hollywood Park as the leading dirt race of the summer in Southern California. The Swaps was worth $150,000 in 2013.

In addition, races on other circuits are possible for those horses later in July and August.

Can the Man emerged from his win in the Speakeasy Stakes over six furlongs last October “body sore,” Baffert said.

“He wasn’t a Kentucky Derby-type of horse,” Baffert said. “We freshened him up to bring him back for the summer racing.”

In the last month, Can the Man had four bullet workouts over six furlongs at Los Alamitos and Santa Anita in preparation for the Affirmed Stakes. Can the Man was near the front throughout the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes over 1 1/16 miles, and won by 1 1/4 lengths over Friends with KMill.

“It was impressive for him to do that off a layoff,” Baffert said.

Baffert was equally delighted with Bayern’s win in New York. Bayern moved to the fore of Baffert’s team of 3-year-olds with an allowance race win by 15 lengths in February, but missed the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 8 because of a bruised foot.

Bayern was later third in the Arkansas Derby and finished first in the Grade 3 Derby Trial at Churchill Downs only to be disqualified and placed second for interference in the stretch. In the Preakness Stakes, Bayern had trouble early in the race.

“We’ve been waiting for something like that since he won here so handily,” Baffert said. “He just needed some racing. At Pimilco, he didn’t have a chance at the start. He’s got so much ability.”

The victories by Bayern and Can the Man gave Baffert 10 stakes wins with 3-year-olds this year. The group did not include New Year’s Day, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November who was retired in December.

Some of Baffert’s stakes winners from earlier in the year are in the initial stages of comebacks.

Midnight Hawk, who won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita in January, was scheduled to be shipped to Baffert’s stable at Los Alamitos on Sunday. Midnight Hawk was second in the Illinois Derby at Hawthorne on April 19 and had been turned out in Kentucky in recent weeks.

Indianapolis, unraced since winning the San Pedro Stakes for sprinters in January, breezed a quarter-mile on Friday, Baffert said. Chitu is being rested at Santa Anita while dealing with a lingering foot issue that surfaced after the Kentucky Derby, the trainer said.

The Los Alamitos stable includes Tap It Rich, who was fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November and has not raced since February; and the filly Streaming, who won the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet Stakes last November and was diagnosed with a bone chip in a knee following a seventh-place finish in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds in February.

Hoppertunity, who won the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in March and was second in the Santa Anita Derby behind California Chrome, had a bone chip removed from an ankle last month.

Awesome Baby, another filly, won three stakes earlier this year and is currently being given a break, Baffert said.