California 3-year-olds target top summertime stakes
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CYPRESS, Calif. - Off they go.
Several leading 3-year-olds based in California are bound for the nation’s top summertime stakes for that age group at Monmouth Park and Saratoga in coming weeks, including Reincarnate and Skinner, who were first and second in Saturday’s $125,000 Los Alamitos Derby.
Reincarnate, who was 13th in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 6, and Skinner, third in the Santa Anita Derby on April 8, are candidates for the Grade 1 Travers Stakes, a $1.25 million race at 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga on Aug. 26.
Reincarnate, trained by Bob Baffert, won the second stakes of his career in the Los Alamitos Derby. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Reincarnate led throughout to win by 2 1/2 lengths as the even-money favorite.
“I’ve always thought the Travers would be a good spot for him,” Baffert said on Sunday. “It’s a good time to have him rolling.”
Owned by a large partnership that includes SF Racing and Starlight Racing, Reincarnate won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at a mile at Santa Anita in January and was later third in both the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes in February and Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park before the loss in the Kentucky Derby.
In the Kentucky Derby, Reincarnate was near the front to the turn before fading. The Los Alamitos Derby was Reincarnate’s first win at 1 1/8 miles.
“He was training like his old self,” Baffert said. “I was hoping he would run like he did and we’re excited about that.”
Baffert has won the Travers Stakes three times, most recently with West Coast in 2017. West Coast won the Los Alamitos Derby in his final start preceding the Travers Stakes and later finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. West Coast was named champion 3-year-old male that year.
Skinner was scratched from two stakes in the months after a half-length loss in the Santa Anita Derby.
Skinner was withdrawn from the Kentucky Derby on May 5 because of a reported elevated temperature, and was scratched from the $100,000 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita on June 5 after trainer John Shirreffs said the colt “didn’t jog sufficiently well” in the days before the race.
In the Los Alamitos Derby, Skinner closed from fourth in a field of five to be closest to Reincarnate at the finish.
“I was very happy with the race,” Shirreffs said. “I thought he ran really well. It was pretty difficult with not a lot of pace.”
Shirreffs said the Travers gives Skinner a chance to prove his status in the national division at a distance the colt may prefer.
“I think he’s a really good horse,” Shirreffs said. “When we went to Churchill Downs, we felt good about him. The added distance and a (prep) race should be a plus. This was a big step.”
Skinner will be the first stakes runner at Saratoga for Shirreffs since Smart Transition was sixth in the 2015 Travers.
Baffert has his typical deep team of 3-year-olds. Arabian Knight, unraced since a win in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park in January, is an intended starter in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational, a $1 million race at 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds at Monmouth Park on July 22.
On Saturday at Santa Anita, Arabian Knight worked seven furlongs in 1:24.60.
Baffert was less specific about plans for Arabian Lion, who won the Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs at Belmont Park on June 10 for his second consecutive stakes win.
“He’s my backup Haskell horse,” Baffert said. “There are some spots for him.”
National Treasure, the winner of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 20, but sixth in the Belmont Stakes on June 10, has worked twice in recent weeks for an undisclosed start.
“I haven’t picked anything out for him,” Baffert said.
The Haskell field will include another California shipper in Geaux Rocket Ride, who won the Affirmed Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on June 4 in his last start. Geaux Rocket Ride worked seven furlongs in 1:25.60 at Santa Anita on Sunday.
Trainer Richard Mandella said Geaux Rocket Ride has maintained the form that led to his first stakes win in the Affirmed in recent weeks.
“He’s come back to where he was last time,” Mandella said. “I thought he was pretty good last time. He gives us no reason not to think up, up and up.”
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