Baffert ships East with A Z Warrior, wins G1 Frizette

Bob Baffert’s latest 2-year-old star is the filly A Z Warrior, who shipped to Belmont Park from her California base to score a comfortable 1 3/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Frizette on Oct. 9.  The one-mile Frizette was the first start on convention dirt for the Zayat Stables homebred, who was second in the Grade 3 Sorrento at Del Mar on Aug. 6 and fifth in the Grade 1 Darley Debutante at the same track on Sept. 4.

A Z Warrior went off at nearly 4-1 in a Frizette field that featured Grade 1 Spinaway S. winner R Heat Lightning as the 9-5 favorite. While the top choice was languishing in fifth in the early stages, A Z Warrior was sitting just a length off the early leader Coax Liberty, who cut a half-mile in :46.25 seconds. Engaging the leader at the 3/8’s pole, A Z Warrior surged to the front easily, opening up by four lengths in mid-stretch. Alan Garcia geared down the daughter of Bernardini in the final stages, stopping the clock in 1:35.68.

A Z Warrior was tabbed a “TDN Rising Star” after a front-running maiden score at Hollywood Park July 15. Her record now stands at 4-2-1-0, with earnings of $239,600.

“I knew the fractions weren’t real fast, but she was very comfortable and relaxed in my hands,” jockey Alan Garcia said. “Turning for home, she really took off, but towards the end I said, ‘We don’t want to use her up for this one.’ We wanted her to come back safe and sound and take the next step.”

The next step will be the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). “We leave these decisions up to Bob Baffert, but he’s been saying all along that she’s a dirt filly,” said Brad Weisbord, finance and racing manager for Zayat Stables. “We think this filly is special, and we look forward to running her in the Breeders’ Cup.”