Can the Man all the way in Affirmed Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Can the Man showed no effects from a layoff of almost eight months while winning the second stakes of his career in Saturday’s $100,750 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita.

Sent off as the 9-5 favorite, Can the Man led throughout the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes over 1 1/16 miles, setting a slow pace and winning by 1 1/4 lengths over 5-2 Friendswith K Mill.

The Affirmed Stakes was Can the Man’s first start since a win in the Speakeasy Stakes over six furlongs last October, and it was his first win around two turns.

“It was a tough spot for him,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “I didn’t like running two turns off a layoff. We had some strong works in him. He showed he could handle it.”

The win gave Baffert and owner Kaleem Shah a nationwide stakes double Saturday. Earlier in the day, they won the $500,000 Woody Stephens Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters with the highly promising Bayern.

Can the Man, by Into Mischief, was timed in 1:44.27 and paid $5.80. Jockey Martin Garcia guided Can the Man to the front at the start and dueled briefly with 14-1 Frensham through an opening quarter-mile in 24.28 seconds. Can the Man led on the backstretch and continued to set a modest pace – a half-mile in 48.83 seconds and six furlongs in 1:12.56.

Can the Man extended his lead from a half-length on the turn to 2 1/2 lengths with a furlong remaining.

“I loved it,” Baffert said of the slow pace. “At the break, he could have opened up 10 lengths on them. He got a little tired at the end.”

Friendswith K Mill, seventh behind California Chrome in the Santa Anita Derby in April, finished a head in front of 7-1 Forever Juanito. Big Tire was fourth, followed by Arkenstone, Frensham, Lolo El Canonero, and Rebranded.

Can the Man was purchased for $320,000 at the Barretts May Sale of 2-year-olds in training in 2013, the most expensive hip at that sale. Can the Man has won 3 of 5 starts and earned $216,000.

Last summer, Can the Man was third behind Tamarando in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity over seven furlongs, finishing in front of California Chrome, who was sixth. Can the Man was later fourth in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes over 1 1/16 miles before his win in the Speakeasy.

Baffert said Can the Man was “body sore” after the Speakeasy Stakes, which led to the layoff. In recent weeks, Can the Man had four bullet workouts over six furlongs at Los Alamitos and Santa Anita leading to Saturday’s comeback.