ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer swept the first four races at Santa Anita on Sunday, the first time in his career that he could recall saddling four consecutive winners on the same day.
The achievement put him well on his way to the training title at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting, which ends on Sunday. To Baffert, the title would mean little. After Crisis of Spirit had won Sunday's Anoakia Stakes, his third winner of the day, the trainer's focus was fully on the Breeders' Cup races on Friday and Saturday.
"To me, if we don't win the Breeders' Cup, it's all for naught," he said.
Through Sunday, Baffert had won 22 races at Oak Tree, six more than .
Friday in the Breeders' Cup, Baffert starts in the Juvenile Fillies. Saturday, he runs Lookin at Lucky in the Juvenile, in the Sprint, and in the Classic.
"We need a win on Friday and Saturday, all we can get," Baffert said. "I don't forget Gulfstream."
In 1999, Baffert had big hopes at the Breeders' Cup at Gulfstream Park, but lost the Juvenile with Captain Steve and Forest Camp, the Juvenile Fillies with Chilukki, the Classic with General Challenge and River Keen, the Sprint with Forestry, the Distaff with Silverbulletday, and the Mile with Tuzla.
Chilukki, Forest Camp, and Silverbulletday were favored, the rest were 10-1 or less. The best finishes among that group were seconds by Chilukki and Tuzla.
Last weekend, Baffert's second-string 2-year-olds did well. He won Saturday's Jack Goodman Stakes with Macias and Sunday's Anoakia with Crisis of Spirit. They could run in graded stakes at the Hollywood Park fall meeting, which runs from Nov. 13 to Dec. 20, as could Marcello and Excellent News, who were scratched from Saturday and Sunday's 2-year-old stakes. Later this month, Miss Heather Lee will start in the $100,000 Moccasin Stakes at Hollywood.
"They're catching up and there is another group that's right behind them," he said.
Baffert mentioned Take Control, an unraced A.P. Indy colt out of 2002 Horse of the Year Azeri, as a
2-year-old with promise. Take Control is expected to start at the Hollywood Park fall meeting.
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