Baffert Goes for Record 12th American Pharoah Stakes

Perhaps the only thing certain about the Oct. 7 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita is that trainer Bob Baffert can’t duplicate his feat in last year’s edition. Baffert trainees in 2022 took the first four spots in the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 2-year-olds, led by Cave Rock . But this year Baffert has entered “only” two: Muth  and Wine Me Up .

A Baffert Exacta wouldn’t be surprising. He has won the race a record 11 times. Souvenir Copy  in 1997 was the first, when the race was known as the Norfolk Stakes and was part of the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting. Baffert didn’t win the race the one year it was held at Hollywood Park, but he captured it the first time it was called the FrontRunner at Santa Anita in 2012, with Power Broker .

Baffert-trained American Pharoah   won in 2014, the year before the colt went on to Triple Crown fame, and four years later Santa Anita renamed the race for the champion. Of the five American Pharoah runnings, Baffert has won four.

The Baffert barn, as always, runs extremely deep. Prince of Monaco  and Mirahmadi , the one-two finishers in the Sept. 10 Del Mar Futurity (G1), are bypassing the American Pharoah. Instead, Muth and Wine Me Up will get a shot at a “Win & You’re In” berth for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), a perk of the American Pharoah. The Del Mar Futurity is part of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen rather than the “Win & You’re In” program.

Muth has made headlines ever since he topped the 2022 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s March 2-year-old sale at $2 million. Owned by Zedan Racing Stables, he brings a classy pedigree that will likely keep improving. His sire, Good Magic  , got 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage  in his first crop. Muth is the first foal out of the winning Uncle Mo   mare Hoppa , whose 2022 filly by Violence   sold for $385,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September yearling sale.

Sent away as the 3-10 favorite in his debut June 18 at Santa Anita, Muth powered home 8 3/4 lengths on top under Juan Hernandez. He finished second under Hernandez to Prince of Monaco in the Aug. 13 Best Pal Stakes (G2).

Muth shipped to Saratoga Race Course for the Sept. 4 Hopeful Stakes (G1), but he was scratched from that race. He has worked well since then, most recently going five furlongs in :59 1/5 at Santa Anita Oct. 2.

Wine Me Up races for longtime Baffert clients Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. He cost $300,000 at the OBS open 2-year-old sale a few months after Muth went through the auction ring. Wine Me Up is from the first crop of champion Vino Rosso  .

Trainer Keith Desormeaux brings another son of Vino Rosso, Next Level , to the American Pharoah as one of his two entries. Still a maiden after three starts, Next Level is graded stakes-placed, having finished third in the Del Mar Futurity. Desormeaux’s brother, Kent, will ride Next Level, who drew post 3.

Keith Desormeaux also trains El Magnifico , a son of Street Sense   to be ridden by Hector Berrios from post 8. Also a maiden, El Magnifico has started twice, running second to Muth June 18 and second to Rothschild  Aug. 25.

Be You  is the lone shipper in the American Pharoah field, and he brings first-class connections. Todd Pletcher trains the son of Curlin   for owner Repole Stable. Second in his debut Aug. 5 at Saratoga, Be You ran fourth in the Hopeful after being bumped at the start, racing wide, and then having to pause in the stretch when a rival drifted in. Irad Ortiz Jr. rode Be You in New York, but Umberto Rispoli gets the call here from post 6.

Raging Torrent  (Antonio Fresu, post 5) is graded stakes-placed. In three starts he broke his maiden, finished third in the Best Pal, and ran fourth in the Del Mar Futurity. Doug O’Neill trains the son of Maximus Mischief  .

Indispensable  ran third to Rothschild and El Magnifico in his only outing. Trainer John Sadler has named Geovanni Franco to ride from post 7.