Shirreffs working Baeza as though Derby will be next race

ARCADIA, Calif. – The best 3-year-old who is not already qualified for the Kentucky Derby worked an easy half-mile Monday morning at Santa Anita in preparation for a potential Derby start.

Baeza, runner-up to Journalism in the Santa Anita Derby, needs defections to make the Kentucky Derby lineup. He ranked 24th on the points list as of Monday morning, and only 20 horses can start. Trainer John Shirreffs is proceeding as if Baeza will get in. Monday’s workout was slow, by design.

Exercise rider Camille Lafaye was aboard Baeza for the solo drill, timed by clockers in 50 seconds. It was the first work for Baeza since his highly rated runner-up finish April 5 in the Santa Anita Derby. Baeza worked by himself at 6:35 a.m. and was full of himself leaving the track.

“He’s happy, energetic,” Shirreffs said while watching Baeza bounce off the track on his toes after the drill.

Shirreffs initially planned to work Baeza on Wednesday, but he moved the work to Monday “because it works into the flight schedule.” Baeza will have one more workout at Santa Anita and is tentatively scheduled to ship to Kentucky on April 24. His final workout for the Kentucky Derby, if he makes the field, would be at Churchill Downs.

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“We can get there and have a couple days before he has to work,” Shirreffs said.

Baeza, sired by McKinzie and sibling to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage and 2024 Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch, has improved in each start. He finished ninth in his debut on turf in December at Del Mar, followed by a runner-up finish behind subsequent Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez in a maiden dirt race in January at Santa Anita.

In this third start, Baeza won a Santa Anita dirt route by 4 3/4 lengths. He then earned a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure finishing second in the Santa Anita Derby. Baeza is owned by Lee and Susan Searing’s CRK Stable and breeder Grandview Equine.

Baeza earned only 37.5 qualifying points in the Santa Anita Derby because Churchill Downs reduces available points for small fields. Only five started. If six runners had contested the Santa Anita Derby, Baeza’s runner-up finish would have earned 50 points and he would already be in the Kentucky Derby field.

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