Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert
amps up his assault on the April 7 Santa Anita Derby (Grade I) and Triple Crown
events beyond on Saturday when sending out his most accomplished Kentucky Derby
prospect, Liaison, in Santa Anita’s Grade II, $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes
for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.
The Lewis is one of three Grade II
stakes to be contested on Saturday’s Strub Stakes Day, a reference to the
track’s historic $200,000 Strub Stakes at 1 1/8 miles for 4-year-olds which is
headed by trainer Steve Asmussen’s Tapizar, already deemed a leading candidate
for the March 3 Santa Anita Handicap. The $150,000 Arcadia, at one mile on
turf, completes the afternoon’s graded stakes tripleheader.
But as is the norm when spring is
approaching, the general attention of the racing public turns to the
3-year-olds, and Baffert is almost certain to be center stage as his
accomplishments include nine Triple Crown victories and wins in 6 of the last
16 Santa Anita Derbies.
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Liaison – sired by 1998 Santa Anita
Derby winner Indian Charlie and owned by Arnold Zetcher, whose Midnight Interlude
won the event last year – returns to action following a seven-week respite
after his triumph in Hollywood Park’s Grade I, $750,000 CashCall Futurity. He
will face seven of his contemporaries on Saturday.
The neck victory over Lewis entrant
Rousing Sermon was the third win in four starts for Liaison and followed a
half-length score over Rousing Sermon in Hollywood Park’s $100,000 Real Quiet
Stakes. Both races were contested at the Lewis distance of 1 1/16 miles, and
both were raced over Hollywood Park’s artificial Cushion Track surface.
Liaison, however, demonstrated his affinity for Santa Anita’s dirt strip when
breaking his maiden by 2 ½ lengths at seven furlongs last Oct. 14 in his only
previous exposure to a surface he must handle in the major challenges that lie
ahead.
Liaison worked six furlongs in a
snappy 1:11.80 at Santa Anita last week in preparation for Saturday’s
assignment. “He just keeps moving forward,” Baffert noted of the bay colt who
earned $469,560 as a 2-year-old.
Rafael Bejarano, aboard for all four
of Liaison’s races, will rejoin the $290,000 yearling sales purchase in the
Lewis, formerly run as the Santa Catalina. It was renamed in 2007 to
memorialize the popular owner and philanthropist who had been one of Baffert’s
major clients prior to his passing in 2006.
A winner of four Santa Anita riding
titles but yet to win his first Santa Anita Derby, Bejarano seems confident
about his future with Liaison. “He’s just going to improve off of this race,”
Bejarano said following the CashCall. “I’m really happy with this horse.
(Baffert) has done an awesome job with him.”
Liaison nonetheless has twice been
stretched to get the better of Rousing Sermon, who flew home from 11th
to miss by a neck in the Futurity. His rally fell one-half length short when
second to Liaison in the Real Quiet. Rousing Sermon, like Liaison, has won his
only previous start on dirt in Santa Anita’s $100,000 California Cup Juvenile
Stakes on Oct. 29.
Trained by recent Hall of Fame
inductee Jerry Hollendorfer for Mr. & Mrs. Larry D. Williams, the homebred
son of Lucky Pulpit retains the riding services of Joe Talamo. Rousing Sermon
raced six times as a 2-year-old while posting a 2-2-2 record for earnings of
$274,000. “We’re all ready to go,” Hollendorfer said following a recent drill
at Santa Anita.
Liaison will be joined in the Lewis
lineup by stablemate Sky Kingdom, fourth in the Futurity and the winner of a
Santa Anita allowance race by 4 ½ lengths on Jan. 12. “I hate to run them
against each other,” commented Baffert, who said his options were few. Martin
Garcia will ride the son of Empire Maker who has won 2 of 5 starts for Westrock
Stables.
The complete field for the Robert B.
Lewis Stakes, with jockeys and weights in post position order: Isn’t He Clever,
Corey Nakatani, 118; Liaison, Rafael Bejarano, 123; Groovin’ Solo, Victor
Espinoza, 118; I’ll Have Another, Mario Gutierrez, 118; Sky Kingdom, Martin
Garcia, 118; Rousing Sermon, Joseph Talamo, 118; Empire Way, Joel Rosario, 118,
and Chips All In, Alonso Quinonez, 118.