Today's third race at Santa Anita Park, a one-mile maiden special weight, yielded intriguing results. Three horses were sent off at 2-1, with Stirred Up the narrow favorite over Welter Weight and Bodemeister. The first- and last-mentioned colts are both trained by Bob Baffert, and general opinion leading up to the race seemed to indicate that Stirred Up was the better of the pair.
That was not the case.
In the end, it was Bodemeister who turned in one of the most impressive performances seen along the Triple Crown trail so far, as the three-year-old son of Empire Maker powered home to a unbelievably easy ten length victory.
Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Bodemeister got off to a quick beginning and was sent straight to the lead, rattling off fractions of :23.09 and :45.95 while leading by a length. John Bully's Bob was racing in second, followed by Fleet Eagle, Sea to Sky, and Welter Weight, with Unmarked Bills, Just Tripping, and Stirred Up trailing the field early.
Rounding the far turn Bodemeister began to draw clear of the field, and led by three lengths after running three-quarters of a mile in 1:10.72. Welter Weight and Stirred Up were gamely trying to close from the back of the pack, but no one was going to get anywhere near Bodemeister, who simply powered home through seven furlongs in 1:22.50 before turning in an :11.95 second final eighth of a mile -- while being hand ridden -- to stop the clock in the very good time of 1:34.45.
Welter Weight held off Stirred Up for second by a neck, while Fleet Eagle completed the superfecta. It would appear as though Bodemeister has a very bright future, and I wouldn't be surprised if his next start comes against stakes company.
-Keelerman
No comments:
Post a Comment