Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will primarily be
focused on the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Saturday,
when he seeks his first victory in that race with CashCall Futurity and
Preakness winner Lookin at Lucky.
But his stable will also be busy at Hollywood Park
the same day with Prayer for Relief in the $100,000 Real Quiet Stakes for
2-year-olds.
Live racing begins with an 11:15 a.m. first post. The
Real Quiet is the ninth of 10 live races. The second day of Breeders’ Cup
simulcasts will begin at 10:50 a.m. with the first of eight races.
Although Lookin at Lucky has won nine of 12 starts,
he has not been very lucky in post position draws for big races, pulling 13 in
the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last year, the rail in the Kentucky Derby in May and
outside post (12) in the Classic.
Although the Real Quiet is named after the Hall of
Fame champion that Baffert trained, the white-haired trainer hasn’t had much
luck there in the race. Bob and John finished first in the 2005 inaugural but
was disqualified and placed third for interference.
Baffert still seeks his first victory in the Real
Quiet and may pray that Prayer for Relief ends the drought. The Jump Start colt
has won once in three starts and leaves from post two in a field of 10 under Alonso
Quinonez.
Two rival trainers in the Real Quiet will also have
Breeders’ Cup entrants Saturday. Jerry Hollendorfer, who has Dakota Phone in
the Dirt Mile, will send out Jakesam, an impressive 6 ¼-length winner at the
Real Quiet distance of 1 1/16 miles on Cushion Track in his last start.
Trainer Doug O’Neill, who has Quick Enough in the
Turf Sprint, will be represented by a duo of Dime and Divine Child in the Real
Quiet.
Real Quiet, who died in a paddock fall at a breeding
farm in Pennsylvania this autumn, was inducted
into the Racing Hall of Fame at Saratoga
Springs in August. He sandwiched victories in the
Hollywood Futurity in 1997 and Hollywood Gold Cup in 1999 around a 3-year-old
championship campaign that included wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness
Stakes in 1998.