Prince of Monaco leads 1-2 Baffert finish in Del Mar Futurity (G1)

Bob Baffert wrapped up a stellar Del Mar meet with the top two finishers in the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity (G1) on Sept. 10, with the more heralded Prince of Monaco besting a very game Mirahmadi by three-quarters of a length.

Baffert has won the seven-furlong race a record 17 times, including seven in a row from 1996-2002, as well as the three most recent runnings.

Prince of Monaco, who was an easy winner of the Aug. 13 Best Pal S. (G3), was the heavy favorite in the Futurity. Mirahmadi broke the best in the field of six, and led through a half-mile in :44.75, with Prince of Monaco stalking in second. Just before entering the stretch, Prince of Monaco moved off the fence and swooped past Mirahmadi in upper stretch. The eventual runner-up fought back, but could not get past the winner, who stopped the timer in 1:22.65 on a fast track.

“It was the right kind of trip we were looking for,” said Baffert’s long-time assistant Jimmy Barnes. “We weren’t sure about Mirahmadi, where he was going to be placed in the race, but he left there running. (Flavien) Prat just got comfortable on the inside and when he needed to get to the outside he did and he accelerated. He’s pretty push button, pretty straightforward. I’m very proud of both of them.”

Prince of Monaco and Mirahmadi are both owned by a partnership headed by SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables. The winner, who is undefeated in three starts, has earned $327,000.