Santa Anita: Awesome Baby fires fresh in Santa Ysabel

ARCADIA, Calif.- The promise Awesome Baby showed as a 2-year-old is becoming reality in the early months of her 3-year-old season.

Awesome Baby won her second consecutive stakes in Saturday’s $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita, leading throughout the race over 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-old fillies. On Jan. 4, Awesome Baby won the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Stakes over 6 1/2 furlongs.

The victory could lead to a start in the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks over 1 1/16 miles on April 5 for Awesome Baby.

Ridden by Mike Smith in the Santa Ysabel, Awesome Baby ($6.20) led by a length on the backstretch, and extended her advantage through the stretch to win by 2 3/4 lengths over 5-2 Artemis. Swiss Lake Yodeler, the 3-2 favorite, finished third in the field of five, followed by Saintly Joan and Be Proud.

Anniversary Kitty, Sweet Bliss, and Tiz Kissable were scratched earlier in the day.

Awesome Baby ran 1 1/16 miles on a wet-fast track in 1:41.58. She gave trainer Bob Baffert his third win of the day on a rainy afternoon.

Baffert said the eight-week break between starts for Awesome Baby benefited the filly.

“Sometimes, you’ve got to give them more time,” he said. “She’s a light-framed filly.”

Baffert had concerns before the race about how Awesome Baby would run around two turns. She was seventh as the even-money favorite in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante over seven furlongs last August and a well-beaten fifth of seven in the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes over 1 1/16 miles here last September.

Baffert said that Awesome Baby “took a step back” late in her 2-year-old season.

In the Santa Ysabel, Awesome Baby set a decent pace of 23.44 and 46.44 seconds. Artemis got within a half-length for a few strides on the backstretch but was never closer.

Awesome Baby races for Kaleem Shah. By Awesome Again, Awesome Baby, purchased for $200,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale, has won 3 of 5 starts and earned $230,250.