Hughes was commanding, and Baffert reached 20 victories in the Del Mar Futurity
- Turf Diario
- hace 11 horas
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The son of Into Mischief extended his unbeaten record to 3 starts with a solid 4 3/4-length victory; the trainer once again captured a race he dominates like no other, having previously won it with icons such as Silver Charm and American Pharoah
DEL MAR, California (Special for Turf Diario).— There are races that seem to have an owner. And few relationships between a trainer and a stakes race are as overwhelming as that of Bob Baffert with the Del Mar Futurity (G1). This Sunday, Hughes extended an extraordinary history by winning with immense authority in the traditional juvenile contest, handing the Hall of Famer his 20th victory in just 31 years.
Yes, twenty. A number that single-handedly illustrates the extent to which Baffert has turned one of the marquee 2-year-old stakes of the California season into his personal domain. Some of his finest colts have passed through this race, and now Hughes adds his name to a roll of honor that includes Silver Charm (Silver Buck), victorious in 1996, and American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), who captured the race in 2014 before becoming the first American Triple Crown winner in 37 seasons the following year.
Hughes is still at the beginning of his journey, of course, but what he continues to show bodes well for a bright future. The son of Into Mischief remains undefeated in three starts, stepping up a rung on the ladder with each appearance.
He debuted with a victory in June at Los Alamitos, then led wire-to-wire in the Best Pal Stakes (G3) during the current Del Mar meet, and has now secured his first G1 victory while displaying a new dimension: this time he rated comfortably off the pace and bided his time.
With Juan Hernández back in the irons, Hughes sat sandwiched between High Pronto (Hightail) and his stablemate Domus (Uncle Mo) through much of the running. The former showed early speed along the inside, while Domus, who entered off a sharp maiden score as the second choice, began to show signs of rankness.
Hughes, by contrast, handled everything with absolute composure.
When the early leaders began to tire, Phone Booth (Pavel) found room inside and attempted to launch a challenge. For a few strides it looked as though he might put up a fight against the heavy favorite, but the moment Hernández gave Hughes his cue, it became instantly clear there was plenty more in the tank.
The colt shifted gears and began to pull away.
Without needing to be fully extended, he crossed the wire with a 4 3/4-length cushion over Phone Booth, while Dang Son (Good Magic) rallied in the closing stages to secure third ahead of Domus.
The winner completed the 1400 meters in 1m22s57/100, a time secondary to the sheer ease of his victory and, most importantly, the impression that he still had plenty left to offer.
"He does most of his running at the end," explained Baffert, particularly pleased that Hughes proved he can relax off other horses—an essential asset heading into tougher tests.
Hernández echoed that impression, noting that he barely needed to use the whip to seal the victory. The jockey only had to give him a reminder to stay focused once the race was well in hand.
Purchased for $675,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September, Hughes is by Into Mischief out of K P Dreamin, by Union Rags, a mare who placed in two G1 events during her 2-year-old campaign. He now boasts three wins from as many starts and places himself firmly among the elite names of his generation.
The next major objective looms naturally on the horizon: the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), to be run on October 30 at Keeneland. His victory also earned him a $30,000 credit through the Dirt Dozen program to help cover expenses associated with that race.
It will be another test and a new chapter. For now, Hughes remains untouched by defeat, and Bob Baffert did once again what he has done so many times at Del Mar.
He won the Futurity. For the twentieth time.
