Holmby bests stablemate Sea's No Joke as Baffert continues Desi Arnaz dominance
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Bob Baffert scored a predictable one-two finish in the $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes on Saturday at Del Mar, as the 1-5 favorite Holmby kicked clear of Sea’s No Joke by 2 1/4 lengths in a casual bounce-back victory. The stablemates ran with one another all the way and were never seriously challenged by three rivals behind.
Baffert remains dominant in the local ranks despite a sparse crop of 2-year-olds in California this year. He has now won seven editions of the Desi Arnaz, including two when the race was run as the Moccasin Stakes. His last two victories have come with jockey Juan Hernandez in the saddle, as they also connected with Nothing Like You in 2023.
Holmby, the more experienced runner of Baffert’s pair this year, was predictably bet down in the field of five juvenile fillies, having finished a distant second in the Grade 2 Oak Leaf at Santa Anita last month. Baffert said he expected her to improve while cutting back to seven furlongs, and she earned her first victory since taking the Grade 3 Sorrento in August. She completed the seven-furlong distance in 1:23.89 and paid $2.60 to win.
Sea’s No Joke, a last-out maiden winner at Santa Anita, did an admirable job keeping pace on the outside of her classy stablemate, vying for the early lead under Emisael Jaramillo through an opening quarter-mile in 22.52 seconds. The 3-1 second choice even managed to poke a head in front while completing the half-mile in 45.15, but Holmby and Hernandez eventually reasserted themselves on the inside and kicked clear on the far turn.
Before the race, Baffert said Holmby was probably best suited to one-turn races for the time being, but Sea’s No Joke proved herself around two turns in her maiden victory and could soon stretch out again. The trainer named the Grade 2 Starlet, a 1 1/16-mile race at Los Alamitos, as her likely next start on Dec. 5.
Grammy’s Girl, a 51-1 longshot trained by Mick Ruis Sr., made a mild move from last to finish 5 1/2 lengths behind Sea’s No Joke in third. Though she remains a maiden, she managed to run down the 5-1 third choice Mo Chuisle, who made an early move toward the Baffert-trained leaders before fading. Vino Vino Vino, another maiden, brought up the rear in the short field.
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