Richi (CHI) tops Pleasant in 1-2 Las Flores S. (G3) finish for Baffert

Bob Baffert had the top two finishers in Saturday’s $100,000 Las Flores S. (G3) at Santa Anita Park when the Chilean import Richi bested stablemate Pleasant by 1 ½-lengths.

Richi, who was the 2-year-old champion and a multiple Grade 1 winner in her homeland, had started just once since joining Baffert’s barn last year – in the June 2 Desert Stormer S., where she was second.

Freshened since then, Richi rewarded her connections with a big effort to defeat Pleasant, who was third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) in November. Don’t Bring Crazy was fastest early, with Pleasant pressing her and Richi just behind the top pair. Richi bided her time until just before turning for home, when she slipped up the fence to take a narrow lead over Pleasant turning for home. Richi was going the better of the two down the lane and stopped the timer in 1:09.05 for the six furlongs on a fast track.

“She’s completely changed since she has been here,” Baffert said. “She was really light, and they ran her really long distances. Maybe that was all they had there. Since coming here, I took the blinkers off and she has filled out and changed a lot since August–since Del Mar we freshened her up. She was training really well and I think she will settle and she should be able to go long.”

Richi is owned by the partnership of Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. (J. G. Sikura) and Stud Vendaval, Inc. and is 7-3-0 in 11 starts.