Baltas, weary of close-but-no-cigar luck, hopes to break out in California Cup

ARCADIA, Calif. – The frustration of watching his horses frequently run well but often finish second and third boiled over for trainer Richard Baltas in late December.

“Second and third. Second and third. That’s all I ever run,” Baltas could be heard saying in Santa Anita’s largely deserted box seat area after a recent major race.

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It has been a frustrating start to the winter-spring meeting for Baltas, one of California’s leading trainers. Through Sunday, the ninth racing day of the nearly six-month season that ends June 20, Baltas had started 34 horses with 2 wins, 10 seconds, and 3 third-place finishes.

“It’s been tough,” he said Sunday. “I’ve had 10 seconds. What are you going to do?”

Those sort of trends can quickly be reversed. Saturday at Santa Anita, Baltas plans to have two starters in the statebred stakes that make up the California Cup program – North County Guy in the $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic at 1 1/8 miles, and She’s Devoted in the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint at six furlongs.

North County Guy, a 6-year-old gelding, won an allowance race at 1 1/8 miles on turf here in October, and was 10th of 12 in the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup at 1 1/2 miles on Nov. 27 at Del Mar.

Owned by Bruce Sands and Nancy Messineo, North County Guy must be supplemented to the Unusual Heat Turf Classic for $25,000 because he was not nominated to the Golden State Series of stakes for statebred runners for $300 early in his 2-year-old season. The hefty $25,000 fee allows North County Guy to remain eligible for Golden State Series stakes for the rest of his career.

Despite the lack of recent wins, Baltas has watched several of his horses run well in stakes. On Dec. 26, opening day of the season, Baltas won the Lady of Shamrock Stakes with Nasty and finished second in the Grade 1 American Oaks with Going to Vegas and in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes with Idol.

On Jan. 2, Bob and Jackie and Next Shares were second and third in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes for Baltas.

“It’s frustrating,” Baltas said. “A couple were head bobs.”

As for his impassioned response to the recent setbacks, Baltas says that is part of his personality.

“That’s me,” he said with a smile. “That’s who I am. I talk too much.”

Baltas, 59, finished 2020 with 75 wins from 447 starters and stable earnings of $5,157,398. In 2019, Baltas had career-best marks of 91 wins and stable earnings of $7,349,015.

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In coming weeks, the stakes winners Bodhicitta, Neptune’s Storm, Venetian Harbor, and Vertical Threat will return to the stable after recent breaks, giving the barn depth in both turf and main-track stakes.

“Those are all good horses,” Baltas said.

Next Shares, a four-time stakes winner best known for winning the Grade 1 Shadwell Mile at Keeneland in October 2018, worked a half-mile on turf in 51.40 seconds on Sunday at Santa Anita for a scheduled start in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park.

Baltas has the foundation for a successful second half of January, and perhaps a strong 2021.

“Maybe I’ll have a good year,” he said.