Baffert Offers Triumvirate in Los Alamitos Futurity

[Wandering Eyes]

In recent years, trainer Bob Baffert has shown an affinity for the GII Los Alamitos Futurity, winning five of 11 editions since the race was moved to Los Alamitos. On Saturday, the Hall of Fame trainer will attempt to add another notch to his belt with a trio of entrants–Litmus Test (Nyquist), Provenance (Into Mischief) and Blacksmith (Liam's Map).

Owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Diane Bashor, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan, Litmus Test will be making his first start since finishing fourth behind undefeated Ted Noffey in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar on Oct. 31. He previously finished third behind the likely juvenile champ in the GI Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland in October. Juan Hernandez lands on the 4-5 morning line favorite.

Spendthrift homebred Provenance, who is out of multiple champion Monomoy Girl, was third behind subsequent GI American Pharoah Stakes winner Intrepido (Maximus Mischief)) in his career debut at Del Mar in August before graduating next out while cutting back to six panels at Santa Anita in September.

Still a maiden, Wathnan Racing's Blacksmith debuted with a runner-up effort at Santa Anita on Oct. 25 and followed-up with a fifth-place effort at Del Mar on Nov. 22.

Formerly the Hollywood Futurity and the CashCall Futurity, the race was first run at Los Alamitos in 2014. Baffert first won at the venue in 2015 with Mor Spirit (2015) and won the next four renewals with Mastery (2016), McKinzie (2017), Improbable (2018) and Thousand Words (2019).

Offering the strongest candidate to best the Baffert triumvirate is the Chief Stipe O'Neill-trained Ackowledgemeplz (Bucchero), campaigned by Purple Rein Racing and Mark Davis. Runner-up in June behind another well-regarded Baffert trainee–Desert Gate–the Florida-bred returned on Oct. 25 to hand Blacksmith a 3/4-length defeat going 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita. Armando Ayuso joins the fray here.

Hronis Racing's Captivator (Charlatan) will attempt to step up in both class and distance here. Runner-up in a sales-restricted 6 1/2-furlong maiden optional claimer at Santa Anita in October, the John Sadler trainee ran off to an eye-catching 10 1/4-length score in a six-furlong test at Del Mar on Nov. 8. The front-running colt will get blinkers off while Hector Berrios returns to ride.

 

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