Del Mar

Laurel River will go straight to Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile

Steve Andersen|Sep 22, 2022

Laurel River wins the Pat O'Brien at Del Mar Aug 27 2022

Benoit Photo Laurel River, the 3 3/4-length winner of the Pat O'Brien, was one of a handful of Awesome Again nominees to work in recent days.

The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland on Nov. 5 will be the next start for Laurel River, the dazzling winner of the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 27.

Trainer Bob Baffert said on Thursday that Laurel River will be better suited to a 10-week gap between starts rather than adding a race to his early-autumn calendar, such as the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 1.

“I’m going to wait for the Dirt Mile,” Baffert said. “He runs better fresh.”

Owned by Juddmonte Farms, Laurel River is unbeaten in two starts this year. He won an allowance race at a mile by 4 3/4 lengths at Del Mar on July 31 and the first stakes of his career in the $252,500 O’Brien Stakes.

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Sent off at 6-1 in the O’Brien, the 4-year-old Laurel River overcame a touch of traffic before pulling clear to win by 3 3/4 lengths over American Theorem, the winner of the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at six furlongs at Del Mar in July.

Laurel River worked five furlongs in a sharp 59.60 seconds at Santa Anita on Monday.

“He worked a little fast,” Baffert said.

Baffert plans to have two starters in the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes at 1 1/8 miles – Country Grammer, the winner of the $12 million Dubai World Cup in March, and Defunded, who was sixth in the O’Brien Stakes.

Country Grammer was second by 19 1/4 lengths to Flightline in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Sept. 3. Flightline will not start in the Awesome Again and will have his next race in the BC Classic on Nov. 5.

Defunded was scheduled to start in the $75,000 Los Alamitos Special at 1 1/16 miles on Saturday, but the race was canceled after failing to draw sufficient entries.

Defunded was second in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita, but struggled at Del Mar, finishing seventh in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap in July before the loss in the O’Brien Stakes.

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