A Grade 1 triple at Del Mar

The Baffert barn was hitting on all cylinders at Del Mar on Labor Day weekend, winning three of the meets biggest Grade 1 races. Sunday, Sept. 5th, Zensational started it off with an expected victory in the Pat O’Brien S. before Richard’s Kid sprung an upset in the Pacific Classic five races later to cap a huge day for the newly-elected Hall of Famer. The weekend only got better a day later when top 2-year-old Lookin At Lucky captured the Futurity.

“It’s like the good old days,” said a happy Baffert, who now has five Grade 1 wins at the Del Mar meeting.

Zensational, who entered the $300,000 O’Brien off back-to-back Grade 1 wins, showed his usual brilliant speed, opening up a sizeable early lead from the start and kicking on in the stretch. The Zayat Stables color-bearer was never threatened in any part of the seven-furlong event, bounding across the wire an easy 2 ¼-length winner in 1:22.31 over the local Polytrack.

Later in the card, Baffert sent out two hopefuls in what is perhaps the biggest single race of the Del Mar meet – the $1 million Pacific Classic S. – but neither of the two came into the race with the buzz of other higher-profile names in the field. Misremembered, the Swaps winner who was bred and owned by Baffert, and Richard’s Kid, a 4-year-old that Baffert purchased for owner Arnold Zetcher just a few months ago, carried the hopes of their trainer in this year’s Pacific Classic – a race he won 10 years ago with General Challenge.

It was Richard’s Kid who would run the best race of his life in the 10-furlong Classic, rallying from well back to collar Grade 1 winner Einstein at the sixteenth pole and win by neck at odds of 24-1. The final time was 2:02.39, earning Richard’s Kid a 107 Beyer Speed Figure.

Baffert didn’t even have 24 hours to celebrate his pair of Grade 1 wins from Sunday before he added another on Monday when the promising juvenile Lookin At Lucky remained undefeated in the Del Mar Futurity. The win gave Baffert his record ninth Futurity winner, which included a seven-year span from 1996-2002 where a runner from the Baffert barn took down the prestigious race.

Lookin At Lucky scored a comfortable win in the seven-furlong heat, stopping the clock in 1:22.85. Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, he moved his record to a perfect 3-for-3.

Zensational, Richard’s Kid and Lookin At Lucky will all be part of a strong group of runners for Baffert that will participate at the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita in early November.

Baffert’s other Grade 1 wins of the meet came with Charles Fipke’s Internallyflawless in the Del Mar Oaks and Zensational in the Bing Crosby.