Eight Rings coming around

ARCADIA, Calif. – Eight Rings, winner of the Grade 1 American Pharoah last fall, has not been seen since he was a dull sixth of eight in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 1, but he worked Friday as though he’s coming back the right way.

In company with the older sprinter Ax Man, Eight Rings more than held his own when completing a five-furlong work in 1:00.20 under Joel Rosario.

Eight Rings was one of several stakes-class runners his trainer, Bob Baffert, worked in recent days, including Kentucky Derby prospect Authentic and Game Winner, the champion 2-year-old male of 2018 who is on the comeback trail.

Authentic went a half-mile in 47.60 seconds on Wednesday.

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“Just cruised,” said Baffert, who said Authentic and his fellow unbeaten stablemate Thousand Words are both being pointed to the Grade 2 San Felipe on March 7.

Game Winner on Thursday had his first official work of the year. He was credited with three furlongs in 36.60 seconds, but he went out a half-mile.

Baffert said his intended comeback target with Game Winner is the Alysheba at Churchill Downs, a race stablemate McKinzie won last year.

Game Winner has not raced since winning the Los Alamitos Derby last July. He spent some downtime in Kentucky at Dell Ridge Farm before coming back in, Baffert said.

Roadster, last year’s Santa Anita Derby winner, likely will be shortened up following a poor effort in the San Pasqual on Feb. 1. He sharpened his speed with a half-mile drill in 47.20 on Wednesday.

“Right now, I’m looking at the San Carlos,” Baffert said, referring to the Grade 2 race on March 7 at seven furlongs, the same distance at which Roadster finished second to Omaha Beach in the Malibu on Dec. 28. “He ran so poorly last time. Never showed any interest. His one-turn races have been really good. He might be a Met Mile type.”