Baffert wishes MassCap hadn't drawn a crowd
There are a lot of big races in the United States, but not a lot of fast horses. Competition among the tracks for stakes performers is intense, and management and racing officials work diligently, and far in advance, to attract their connections. So, there are few surprises at entry time for a major event.
But the folks at Suffolk Downs got a bit of a shock Wednesday when prominent trainer Bob Baffert, who wasn't even on the radar screen, told them he would be sending Sarava, winner of the 2002 Belmont Stakes, to tomorrow's $500,000 Massachusetts Handicap.
"Where'd all the horses come from?" asked Baffert when he found out a field of nine had been entered. "You guys hustled too hard up there."
Sarava, who is a legitimate distance horse, has not raced since running fourth in the Alysheba at
"He needs a mile and one-quarter," said Baffert. "He runs at one pace. We thought we'd run him at Suffolk, and that would set him up. He should be a factor for the mile-and-one-quarter races down the road. He needs a fast pace to run at. He just goes out and runs 12-second eighths [of a mile]. He doesn't do much in the morning, he's better in the afternoon. He gets more out of a race than a workout. The MassCap is a get-him-ready type of race so that he moves forward. Maybe he'll come running late and get a piece of the purse."
Sarava, a son of Wild Again, was a nice horse as a 3-year-old when he was trained by Ken McPeek. He won the Sir Barton, a stake on the Preakness undercard, impressively, and McPeek decided to enter him in the Belmont. War Emblem was going for the Triple Crown, and Sarava was not considerd a Grade I horse. He had only been 3-1 in the Sir Barton, but he was sent away at 70-1 in the Belmont. War Emblem nearly fell coming out of the gate, and Sarava prevailed in a stretch drive under Edgar Prado, who rode Birdstone to victory in this year's Belmont and will ride Offlee Wild in the MassCap.
It appeared there was a chance Sarava, who is owned by the New Phoenix Stable and Susan Roy, might develop into a standout, but he was plagued by injury problems, not the least of which were persistent quartercracks (tears in the hoof wall).
Following the Belmont, he did not race again as a 3-year-old.
By the time Sarava commenced his 4-year-old season, he'd been turned over to Baffert. In his first start for the witty, white-haired conditioner, an optional claimer at Del Mar July 23, he bobbled coming out of the gate, and hurt himself again. It was his only race of 2003.
"He's been a really hard-luck horse, but we've finally got him ready," said Baffert, who saddled 1998 Kentucky Derby winner Real Quiet to a third-place finish in the '99 MassCap. "In that race at Del Mar, he stumbled real bad and twisted a tendon. He needed surgery. In his last race, we ran him at Churchill Downs on a wet track, that was hard on him, especially since he'd had quartercracks. He's finally getting right, and we sent him to Belmont because he likes a deeper, sandier track. It's easier on his dukes [feet]."
Sarava, who will be ridden by Javier Castellano, will carry 112 pounds, and has been established at 12-1 in the morning line. He has lost all three starts this year (including two allowance races at Santa Anita during the winter), and he caught a tough group with the likes of handicap standouts Funny Cide and Evening Attire, the speedy Gygistar, and the promising Offlee Wild in the field.
"I fear them all if he doesn't run his race," said Baffert. "I always watch out for up-and-coming horses, and Offlee Wild is an awfully nice horse. Funny Cide will be tough if he regains his form, and Evening Attire is always tough. Sarava is not there yet. He needs to move forward. Hopefully, he'll have a nice showing, and we'll get a piece of the pie."
