Saturday Insights: OBS Record-Setter Debuts For Baffert At Del Mar

[Wandering Eyes]

4th-DMR, 100K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 6:33 p.m.
Amr Zedan went to an eye-watering OBS record $3,000,000 to acquire BRANT (Gun Runner) from consigner Eddie Woods back in March and the colt makes his debut at Del Mar for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Working in an impressive time of :9 3/5, he was a huge pinhook for St. Clair Stables who picked him up for just $200,000 as a yearling at Keeneland last September. Brant is out of a winning Liam's Map half-sister to GSW/GISP and young stallion Pappacap (Gun Runner) and GSW Boppy O (Bolt d'Oro).

Baffert-trained stablemate Balboa (Not This Time), no slouch in the sales ring either as an $875,000 Keeneland grad, is the first runner to the races out of Tap of War (War Front), a full-sister to GI Fourstardave Handicap winner Halladay. TJCIS PPS

1st-DMR, 80K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1mT, 5:00 p.m.
Opening the Del Mar card is Just Resilience (Justify), a gelded son of $1.4m KEENOV grad Satin And Silk (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for Claiborne Farm. The dam, though unraced herself, is a half to GISW Materiality (Afleet Alex) and GSW/MGISP My Miss Sophia (Unbridled's Song), herself the dam of GISW and Claiborne stallion Ananpolis (War Front). Other half-sisters have produced SW/GISP Grand Mo The First (Uncle Mo) and GISW Leslie's Rose (Into Mischief).

This race is also the debut of Jibilian (Quality Road), a gelded son of Canadian champion turf female Theodora B. (Ghostzapper) for Augustin Stables. TJCIS PPS

2nd-SAR, 100K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 1:07 p.m.
In New York, Soldier N Diplomat (Army Mule) was another big OBS March purchase as St. Elias Stable spent $950,000 for the son of the stallion who raced in his own colors before retiring to Hill 'n' Dale. The colt breezed in :10 and is out of a daughter of MGSW/MGISP Miraculous Miss.

Another OBS grad, Further Ado (Gun Runner) sold for $550,000 to Spendthrift Farm in April and is a half-brother to MGSW Kimbear (Twirling Candy). First dam Sky Dreamer, graded stakes-placed herself, is a half-sister to GISW Dream Dancing (Tapit). This is the family of champion older mare Beautiful Pleasure.  TJCIS PPS

4th-SAR, 120K, O/C, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 2:13 p.m.
Race 4 features the return of last year's GI Whitney Stakes winner Arthur's Ride (Tapit) in what will be his first start since coming up empty in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic in November. The now 5-year-old Glassman Racing-owned runner already has two wins at the Spa and has been training locally for Bill Mott. TJCIS PPS

 

Who is ready to see ARTHUR'S RIDE back in action!! The striking Whitney (G1) winner is running Saturday for the first time since the @BreedersCup Classic. #Saratoga pic.twitter.com/EoRy3QKqyt

— NYRA Bets (@NYRABets) July 24, 2025

7th-SAR, 100K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 3:52 p.m.
Three fillies line up on the outside led by Tommy Jo (Into Mischief), a daughter of MSW/MGISP Mother Mother who Spendthrift Farm purchased for $1.8m at FTKNOV in 2020. Mother Mother is a half to GI Kentucky Derby runner up Commanding Curve (Master Command).

Immortalize (Gun Runner) is a Godolphin homebred out of GI Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes winner Dickinson who has already produced MSW Wadsworth (Quality Road).

Chad Brown's Academia (Into Mischief) is out of Chilean Horse of the Year Wow Cat (Chi), who Peter Brant's White Birch Farm purchased for $1.7m at FTKNOV in 2019. TJCIS PPS

5th-ELP, 100K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 2:44 p.m.
In Kentucky, Contrary (Medaglia d'Oro) is another Godolphin homebred out of an unraced Tapit half-sister to MGISW and late sire Scat Daddy (Johannesburg).

She's drawn inside of Love Supreme (Tapit), a Stonestreet homebred out of MGSW/GISP Terra Promessa. Stonestreet bought into the family another generation back, purchasing second dam Missile Bay (Yes It's True) for $700,000 at KEENOV in 2006. TJCIS PPS

6th-WO, 115K, Msw, 2yo, 6fT, 3:40 p.m.
Going north of the border, Star Attraction (Quality Road) is a 2-year-old debuter out of Canadian Horse of the Year Starship Jubilee. This Blue Heaven Farm homebred is her champion dam's first foal and Kevin Attard, who oversaw training for Starship Jubilee, also trains her daughter. TJCIS PPS

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