Citizen Bull possible for Shared Belief
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Citizen Bull, the champion 2-year-old male of 2024, may run in the $125,000 Shared Belief Stakes for 3-year-olds at Del Mar on Aug. 31, trainer Bob Baffert said on Thursday.
Citizen Bull is winless in his last three starts, the most recent of which was a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes for 3-year-old at seven furlongs at Saratoga on June 7. Citizen Bull won the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes at a mile at Santa Anita in February and was later 15th of 19 in the Kentucky Derby on May 3.
In the last month, Citizen Bull has repeatedly recorded fast workouts. On Sunday at Del Mar, Citizen Bull worked five furlongs in 59 seconds, the fastest of 65 recorded works at the distance.
The Shared Belief Stakes is run at 1 1/16 miles.
“I’m looking [at the Shared Belief],” Baffert said.
Plans for Gaming, second to Citizen Bull in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar last November, have not been finalized although Baffert spoke highly of the colt’s recent training on Thursday.
Gaming won the Affirmed Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on June 7, ending a five-race losing streak since the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity last September. On Thursday at Del Mar, Gaming worked six furlongs in 1:11. He had a fast five-furlong work in 58 seconds on July 28, the quickest of 42 recorded works at the distance.
Baffert said he has “a lot of options” with Gaming.
“He’s doing really well,” he said. “He’s really turned the corner. I’ve got him back to his form that he had last year.
“I think that win turned him around. He would lose his cool in the paddock.”
Gaming races for the partnership of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. Citizen Bull races for a partnership that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables.
There are no race plans for Rodriguez, who won the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct in April and was fourth behind top 3-year-old Sovereignty in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes at Saratoga on June 7.
Rodriguez worked as recently as mid-July at Santa Anita.
“We’ll freshen him up,” Baffert said.
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