Trainers
Bob Baffert and John Sadler, who split victories in the 2-year-old
championship Landaluce and Hollywood Juvenile stakes on Saturday at
Hollywood Park, figure to battle for prominence in the younger divisions
again at Del Mar.
Baffert has 30 nominees and Sadler 19 to the
season-ending Del Mar Futurity. Sadler has 22 fillies nominated to the
Debutante and Baffert 18.
“Potentially, this could be one of my
best years, colts and fillies,” Sadler said Monday morning in the Del
Mar stable area. “Fillies especially, we seem to have more fillies than
colts. We should be busy in most of the 2-year-old races.”
Sadler, who has yet to win a Futurity, won the Hollywood Juvenile with Scherer Magic, a recent $50,000 claim, on Saturday.
The
victory was part of a strong close to the Hollywood Park meeting for
Sadler. From July 1 through closing day on Sunday, Sadler won with 11 of
21 starters. In addition to the Hollywood Juvenile, Sadler took the
Grade I American Oaks with Lady of Shamrock and A Gleam with Switch,
both of whom could run here later in the meeting.
Baffert, who has
won the Futurity a record 10 times and saddled six Debutante winners,
appears to have a candidate for either race with undefeated (2-for-2)
Landaluce winner Executiveprivilege.
In the aftermath, Baffert
likened the filly's talent to that of 2009 Futurity and Eclipse Award
Juvenile and Three-Year-Old champion Lookin At Lucky, also owned by Karl
Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman.