The Starlet Stakes winner spoiled a huge Bob Baffert weekend at Los Alamitos as the talented filly Abel Tasman prevailed in the $300,000 fixture.
A Grade 1 double for Baffert was thwarted in the Starlet, which is at the same mile and a sixteenth distance of the $300,000 Los Alamitos Futurity. After Mastery took that Futurity, Baffert’s student American Gal was hooked four wide early, gained the advantage in mid-stretch but could not hold off the Starlet Stakes heroine Abel Tasman.
The Starlet Stakes winner, who is a Simon Callahan trainee, was 8-1 on the morning line. She was a troubled fifth in the debut, graduated at a mile at Santa Anita and then proved it was no fluke beating allowance rivals at Del Mar. The youngster also had to race four wide but she prevailed by a length. She got away with slow splits, was clocked in 1:42.25 and earned an 84 Beyer Speed Figure. Her payoff of $27.20 will pay for a lot of Christmas gifts.
Abel Tasman’s pedigree is on the modest side for a Starlet Stakes winner. Her sire was a multiple Grade 1 winner that earned over $2 million but her dam was a non-winner. The dam’s other top sibling was the modest Grade 3 winner Sky Girl.
Last year’s Starlet Stakes winner, Street Fancy, had the Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus in her lineage. In 2014 the Starlet Stakes winner Take Charge Brandi had a classic bloodline. Her winning dam is a sibling to a pair of millionaires, including the near $4 million earner Will Take Charge.
Abel Tasman’s connections have always been high on this filly. She will likely be rested and eventually point for the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks in the spring.
Mastery ran like his name suggests in the Los Alamitos Futurity and the future is bright for this Baffert trainee.
Now recognized as the Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity since the lending company got involved, the Saturday fixture unfolded like it appeared on paper. Bobby Abu Dubai, who had worked well at Los Alamitos, made the lead and proved to be a nice target for Mastery.
Bobby took them along for three-quarters of a mile with splits of :23.37, :45.65 and 1:09.53. By the time they went eight furlongs, Mastery took the lead but the winner, who cost $425,000, also felt a challenge from Irap. It appeared momentarily that Mastery was in a bit of trouble but Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith just asserted himself. He went to the left-handed whip at the top of the lane and Mastery responded. Smith put away the whip and Mastery won under his own power in a clever 1:41.56. The track record for this distance was set by Uncle Lino last April in 1:40.82.
Smith was happy to give Baffert praises for what he has done with Mastery, Smith: “Mastery relaxed great today and I think the key was Bob putting the blinkers back on. He started looking around a little when he made the front in the stretch, but after I gave him a reminder, he re-broke and was strong.”
As far as Mastery’s time is concerned, Dortmund, won the 2014 Los Alamitos Futurity in 1:40.86 and has proven to be a stellar runner. Last year, Mor Spirit won the race but ran much slower, finishing the job in 1:43.54. Mor Spirit earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure in the Los Alamitos Futurity, Dortmund was awarded a 91 Beyer.
Mastery ran his record to three for three and also earned a 91 Beyer.
Distance is not a worry as Mastery is bred to run till the cows come home. His sire Candy Ride won a Grade 1 at the Kentucky Derby distance of a mile and a quarter and was unbeaten in six starts. Mastery’s dam Steady Course won sprinting and routing and the dam also dropped Clear Sailing, a stakes winner and a route winner.
Baffert, what a surprise, is once again loaded for the 2017 Kentucky Derby. He was happy with Mastery’s victory, but hinted after the race that he has a few more in the barn with serious potential.
