Sweet Azteca, Ag Bullet will continue racing, Baltas says
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DEL MAR, Calif. – Sweet Azteca and Ag Bullet are not done yet. Notwithstanding uncertainty following the Breeders’ Cup, plans call for both Grade 1 winners to continue their racing careers, trainer Richard Baltas said Sunday morning.
Sweet Azteca was scratched from the BC Filly and Mare Sprint by regulatory veterinarians due to an issue with her right front. Ag Bullet, runner-up in the BC Turf Sprint, was scheduled to be sold last week at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Mixed sale. Ag Bullet did not meet her reserve, and returned to Del Mar, where she could make her next start in the Grade 1 Matriarch.
Baltas said Sweet Azteca “is going to stay in training. She’s sound, she looks great, we don’t know exactly where she’s going to run yet, we’ll see how she does and let her tell us what to do.”
Beyond the issue with her foot, Sweet Azteca had an entrapped epiglottis that required corrective throat surgery. “She was coughing after all the jogging (for vets); she was entrapped,” Baltas said. “It was just a minor throat (procedure). We un-entrapped her.”
A seven-time winner of $667,200 from 14 starts, 5-year-old Sweet Azteca is owned by breeder Pam Ziebarth. Sweet Azteca won both starts for Baltas in 2025 and was the program favorite for the Filly and Mare Sprint before she scratched.
Ag Bullet finished second in the BC Turf Sprint, then shipped to Kentucky to be sold. She did not meet her reserve. “We’re going to keep her, and race her,” Baltas said. “Maybe breed her next year. We’ll see how it goes.”
Ag Bullet has won eight races and $2,941,228 from 16 starts for owners Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran. Ag Bullet will be nominated to the Matriarch, a one-mile turf race in which she finished third in last year. The Matriarch is scheduled for Nov. 30.
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