Cave Rock's 101 Beyer ties best for juvenile this season

DEL MAR, Calif. - The 2-year-old Cave Rock was hardly a stone’s throw from the starting gate in Saturday’s seventh race at Del Mar when jockey Juan Hernandez thought the race was over.

“He broke like a rocket,” Hernandez recalled Sunday morning. “I thought he would win in the first couple of jumps.”

Cave Rock did win, but the performance was much better than Hernandez, trainer Bob Baffert or owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman could have anticipated.

Leading throughout, Cave Rock won a maiden special weight race at 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.81 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 101. Without urging, Café Rock beat eight rivals by six lengths and paid $4.40 as the favorite.

Cave Rock set a strong pace of 22.10 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 44.55 for a half-mile, leading by three lengths on the turn before drawing away by a wider margin.

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“He was very professional,” Hernandez said. “I felt the pace was a little quick, but I didn’t pressure him.”

The Beyer Speed Figure equaled the highest of the year for a juvenile. Munnys Gold, trained by Todd Pletcher, won a maiden special weight race at five furlongs in 56.60 seconds at Monmouth Park on June 17, earning a 101 figure. Munnys Gold is currently sidelined with the hope of a return in the autumn, Pletcher said recently.

Cave Rock, by Arrogate, was purchased for $550,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale in 2021 and is out of Georgie’s Angel, who won the Grade 3 Schuylerville at Saratoga in 2011.

Cave Rock had a series of fast gate workouts in late July and early August, leading to Saturday’s highly anticipated debut.

“He’d been working really well,” Baffert said. “I’m glad it turned out. I loved him when I bought him and he came through.”

Baffert said he had second thoughts whether he started Cave Rock in the right race over the weekend. The Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds at six furlongs was the main race on Sunday’s program.

“When he hit the wire, I thought, I should have run in the stakes,” Baffert said.

Cave Rock is likely to start in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs on Sept. 11.

Cave Rock finished clear of the first-time starter Practical Move, while Abeliefinthislivin finished third. Ultimate Gamble, a $1.75 million purchase at Keeneland last September, finished fourth, beaten 12 1/2 lengths.

Practical Move closed from sixth to be a clear second.

“I thought he ran great,” trainer Tim Yakteen said.

Ultimate Gamble was second by a length early, but faded through the stretch. Trainer Mark Glatt noted that Ultimate Gamble displaced his soft palate “a little” during the race.

“We ran in a very fast race,” Glatt said. “It was nice to see him pop the gate and be involved. He didn’t want to press a fast horse sprinting, going 44 and change.”

By Medaglia d’Oro, Ultimate Gamble is considered a better prospect for longer races.

“I think he’ll have very nice route speed,” Glatt said.