Du Jour gives Baffert a rare graded win on grass in the American Turf Stakes
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The race Bob Baffert comes to win on Kentucky Derby Day is, you know, the Kentucky Derby. He’s got six of those.
Baffert, with a Quarter Horse background, is a dirt trainer. Turf? The last five years, before Saturday, Baffert had started 25 horses in graded turf stakes and come away with one winner. But on this Derby Day, Baffert had the best 3-year-old grass horse at Churchill Downs, as Du Jour, under a sweet ride from Flavien Prat, won the Grade 2, $500,000 American Turf.
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There’s a Baffert listed as trainer of Du Jour and another one, Natalie J. Baffert, Bob’s wife, as part owner with Debbie Lanni. It was bloodstock agent Donato Lanni who spotted Du Jour at a 2-year-old in training sale in spring 2020. Baffert signaled the auctioneer, who hammered down the colt, by Temple City out of the Bernardini mare Guiltless, for a robust $280,000.
“Donato Lanni, he found this horse at the sale,” Baffert said. “He said, ‘You now, it’s a turf horse.’ I didn’t think he was going to bring that much money. I got caught up in the bidding.”
Saturday, Du Jour did not get caught up in a taxing pace, with Prat settling the colt in 10th as the 14-horse field hit the first turn. Up front, rail-drawn Excellent Timing was flying, zipping the first quarter mile in 22.86 seconds while hotly pursued by Next. Winfromwithin, a 5-1 shot, settled into the pocket in third as Prat bided his time. The half mile went in 47.31 and a furlong later Excellent Timing threw in the towel, backing out of contention in the No. 2 path. Royal Prince, who was the third horse back racing along the fence, went for an outside run at the three-furlong pole, leaving a large gap at the fence for Prat and Du Jour.
Du Jour, moving up with alacrity, had run into striking position by the quarter pole. Winfromwithin had taken the lead in upper stretch, threatening to go clear, but Prat moved his mount outside, attacked, took the lead at the sixteenth pole, and got home by 1 1/2 lengths.
Du Jour had won a turf maiden and a first-level allowance on grass at Santa Anita but got ideal trips in short fields both starts. He had to take on much more – more horses, a more complicated journey -- in the American Turf and handled it.
“He was comfortable in a bigger pack,” Prat said. “He did really well.”
Du Jour ran 1 1/16 miles on firm ground in 1:42.49 and paid $13.20; he was given an 88 Beyer Speed Figure. Luck of the Draw finished second, Winfromwithin held third. Favored Annex was within range in upper stretch but couldn’t produce the needed surge and checked in eighth.
Luck of the Draw raced several lengths behind Du Jour in the early and middle stages, followed him into the stretch and rallied in his wake to the furlong grounds.
“Great trip, saved all the ground, we were trimming the bushes,” said his rider, Florent Geroux. “The winner was a spot in front of me and I just couldn’t catch him.”
Du Jour finished a solid second on turf in his career debut before Baffert gave him a shot on dirt. He finished a decent third, but Baffert relented, putting him back on turf in February.
Baffert said: “I was talking to Chad Brown,” the noted East Coast-based trainer who has legions of top grass horses, “and I said, ‘Hey, Chad, watch this horse -- he’s pretty good and I may have to send him to you in New York.’”
That’s a Baffert joke, but Prat told Baffert that Du Jour acts like a horse who wants to run farther than he raced Saturday. “He thinks me may want to go a mile and a quarter,” Baffert said.
Same distance as Baffert’s favorite race, the Kentucky Derby – but on grass.