DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Bob Baffert may be able to dream about the Kentucky Derby again but as of Saturday morning, he had no set plans as it pertained to Citizen Bull and Gaming, the one-two finishers from Friday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Baffert said Citizen Bull and Gaming, as well as fourth-place finisher Getaway Car “all came back great” out of Friday’s Juvenile in which Citizen Bull led gate to wire, beating Gaming by 1 1/2 lengths. Getaway Car finished fourth after Hill Road rallied from last to edge him out by a neck for third preventing a one-two-three sweep for Baffert, who won his record sixth Juvenile.
“It was exciting, I thought they were coming into the race really well, it was nice to come in under the radar,” Baffert said.
Citizen Bull went off at 15-1, returning $33.80. Gaming was the 6-1 fourth choice.
Citizen Bull capped a juvenile campaign in which he went 3 for 4 with Grade 1 wins in the American Pharoah and Juvenile. He will most likely be crowned the 2-year-old campaign male. Only two horses have won the BC Juvenile and come back the following year to win the Kentucky Derby – Nyquist (2015 Juvenile) and Street Sense (2006 Juvenile).
Citizen Bull, a son of Into Mischief, is a clear front-runner. It remains to be seen if he’ll be able to carry that speed the classic distances. He earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure for the Juvenile victory.
“He came back, he wasn’t even tired,” Baffert said.
Gaming, a son of Game Winner, suffered his first defeat in the Juvenile after winning his maiden and the Del Mar Futurity in the summer. Baffert didn’t think the two-month layoff played any role in Gaming coming up a little short in the stretch.
“No, I think he can a good race yesterday,” Baffert said. “He wants to go further.”
Baffert said he wasn’t sure if he could consider running Gaming in the Grade 2 Los Al Futurity on Dec. 14.
“I don’t know yet,” Baffert said.
Baffert has won the Kentucky Derby six times. He was banned from the race by Churchill Downs after Medina Spirit was disqualified from first in the 2021 Derby for having in his system a regulated substance (Betamethasone) that is not permitted on race day.
That ban was lifted earlier this year and Baffert will be permitted to participate in the Derby beginning next year.
Meanwhile, East Avenue, the 9-5 Juvenile favorite, emerged from the race with a slight grab of his left front quarter after stumbling at the start of the race, trainer Brendan Walsh said Saturday. The impressive winner of the Breeders’ Futurity finished ninth of 10.
“On the left front a slight grab but nothing bad whatsoever,” Walsh said. “I was worried that it was something worse because it looked like he was in a bit of a knot early in the race, but he’s come out of it fine that’s the main thing. We’ll live to fight another day.”
Walsh said East Avenue would return to Kentucky and then he and the team from Godolphin, which owns East Avenue, will discuss where the horse will winter. Walsh will have horses at Fair Grounds in New Orleans and at the Palm Meadows training center in South Florida.
Hill Road, who finished third in the Juvenile for trainer Adrian Murray, will remain in the U.S. and be transferred to trainer Jorge Delgado and be based at Gulfstream Park. He is expected to ship to Florida on Wednesday, Delgado said.
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