The Factor’s back to his best in Malibu

The Factor just missed setting another track record on Santa Anita’s opening day (Benoit Photos) Since setting Santa Anita alight with a track record-smashing win on opening day in 2010, George Bolton and Fog City Stable’s The Factor has endured a sophomore year of peaks and valleys. The valleys had been particularly deep of late, with subpar efforts in both the Grade 1 Ancient Title and the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. But back on opening day at the Great Race Place, the Bob Baffert colt celebrated the anniversary of his maiden romp with a peak performance in Monday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Malibu Stakes. The Hall of Fame trainer, who had yet to win the Malibu, dispatched a four-horse squadron in an effort to take home the trophy. The Factor was by far the best of his candidates on merit, and the only question was whether the talented colt would run up to his best. Although he went off as the favorite, his feast-or-famine profile kept his odds at 5-2. The way he ran made that price look overly generous. On the engine every step of the way for Martin Garcia, The Factor drew off by 3 1/2 commanding lengths. His final time for seven furlongs on the fast track, 1:19.89, was just off the track and stakes mark of 1:19.70 established by Twirling Candy last year.

“It is a good feeling,” Baffert said of his first Malibu win after 20
starters. “It’s exciting to win the Malibu. It’s a great race — some great
horses have won it, some great trainers. It was lacking on my resume. I can put
it on my website tonight.

“The Factor, you could tell he was just kicking in gear at the end there.
When The Factor runs his race, it’s going to be tough to really beat him. The
Factor we know showed up today.

“I’m glad for George (owner Bolton) and the connections that The Factor
showed what a great horse he is today.”

Quickest into stride from the far outside post 10, The Factor was traveling
conspicuously well down the backstretch. Centralinteligence hustled up from the
inside to duel with the favorite through a quarter in :22 3/5, with Baffert’s
Hoorayforhollywood trying to keep up between them in third.

Rothko, one of three entrants from the Steve Asmussen barn, bided his time
behind Centralinteligence at the rail. While that started out as a good tactical
spot, it ended up putting him right on the heels of a potential disaster caused
by the wayward Centralinteligence.

Entering the far turn, Centralinteligence appeared to be brushed slightly by
the burly Hoorayforhollywood. Whether in response to that mild contact, or
whether he shied away from something else in view, Centralinteligence suddenly
jumped, lurched, took up beneath Joel Rosario, and dropped back awkwardly
through the field. Rothko had to angle out of the way as Centralinteligence
backpedaled. Judging by Centralinteligence’s subsequent behavior, he didn’t seem
to have broken down, and actually finished the race as a tailed-off last.

The Factor drew off down the stretch (Benoit Photos) Meanwhile, The Factor continued to bowl along on the outside without a straw in his path. The steely gray forged clear through a half in :44 3/5, and had nearly all of his foes beaten already, with the possible exception of Rothko. Now back in the mix after evading Centralinteligence, Rothko was in pursuit at the top of the stretch, but he couldn’t reach the winner. In fact, The Factor kept pouring it on after six furlongs in 1:07 4/5. The farther they went, the more he widened his advantage over Rothko. The Factor repaid his loyalists with $7.20, $4.80 and $3.60. “He was really sharp and was ready to win,” Garcia recapped. “Plus, he really likes this track. I decided to let him run and put me wherever he wanted to put me, and look at what he did. I didn’t want to go to the rail today. I wanted to stay a little bit off and if somebody wanted to go, I just let them go and stayed outside. I don’t think there was a horse that could beat him today, he was really sharp.”

Baffert recounted his pre-race instructions.

“I told Martin (Garcia), ‘Just let him break, ride your own race and if he’s
pulling you out of the saddle, that means The Factor’s back,'” Baffert said. “I
saw that down the backside. Then I was just looking for my other horses, hoping
somebody else would come running late.

“I didn’t know what happened at the three-eighths pole,” Baffert added
regarding the Centralinteligence incident. “I didn’t know if it affected The
Factor or Hoorayforhollywood. I saw that horse (Centralinteligence) take up. I
thought all my horses were going to run big races. Smash, he never really got
going. I was disappointed in his performance, but The Factor, he’s the kind of
horse that when he’s on his game, he’s really a dangerous horse.”

Rothko’s rider Corey Nakatani was proud of his colt’s effort in defeat.

“Considering what happened, I thought we were going to win the race going in
to the far turn, just biding my time,” Nakatani said. “I didn’t want to give up
what was coming easy. Unfortunately we didn’t get the win. I want to thank Steve
(Asmussen) for giving me the opportunity to ride such a nice horse. I went from
being in the catbird spot (to) making sure we don’t fall, and he ends up running
second.”

Rothko was 2 1/4 lengths clear of third-placer Associate, who rallied from
last to pip Luckarack. Baffert’s Racing Aptitude checked in fifth, followed by
stablemates Hoorayforhollywood and Smash. Rothko’s stablemates Wine Police and
Light Up the Score came next, trailed by the inscrutable Centralinteligence. An
inquiry into Centralinteligence’s mishap ensued, but the stewards ruled that he
was the responsible party. El Pocho was scratched.

The Factor is three-for-three at this seven-furlong trip (Benoit Photos) The Factor’s fourth stakes victory, and his second at the Grade 1 level, boosted his bankroll to $652,180 from his 9-5-0-0 record. On December 26, 2010, he broke his maiden by 8 1/4 lengths in a sizzling 1:06 4/5, setting a new track record for six furlongs at Santa Anita. The Triple Crown trail understandably beckoned. After another front-running victory in the Grade 2 San Vicente here at this seven-furlong trip, he stretched out to two turns and dominated the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. His progress was interrupted with a seventh as the 4-5 favorite in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, where he came up with a breathing problem. Ruled out of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, The Factor was later diagnosed with a hairline fracture in a hind ankle. He made a successful comeback against older sprinters in the Grade 1 Pat O’Brien over seven furlongs at Del Mar. That effort earned him 2-5 favoritism in the aforementioned Ancient Title at Santa Anita, but he tired to fourth after a pace war on the rail. He again drew the rail for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs, and got mired down on the inside and wound up an exhausted eighth.

“The Breeders’ Cup, I thought he’d really run well, but he just couldn’t get
untracked on that track that day,” Baffert said. “There were a lot of horses
that were really having trouble with it, especially mine.

“I sent him to Dr. (Larry) Bramlage at Rood and Riddle (Equine Hospital near
Lexington, Kentucky) to check him out. He couldn’t find anything wrong with him
so we kept him there a couple weeks and then brought him here. I really wasn’t
thinking of running him in the Malibu, and all of a sudden he started coming
around. I got him ready in about three weeks.”

Baffert also commented on the advantage of breaking from the outside, as
opposed to the rail, in the Malibu.

“It was a huge advantage,” the trainer said, but added, “the way he was
training, the one hole, he probably would have been OK today. The way he came up
to this race was pretty impressive.”

The Factor, who was bred in Kentucky by H & W Thoroughbreds, has toured the
sales ring three times. The War Front colt fetched $50,000 as a Keeneland
November weanling, $40,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling, and finally
$250,000 as a Barretts May two-year-old in training. The Factor is out of the
winning Miswaki mare Greyciousness, herself a half-sister to 1999 Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile and Grade 1 Champagne runner-up Chief Seattle. This is the same family
as Canadian classic winner and Grade 3-placed Perfect Shower and multiple
Peruvian Group 1-winning Maeto.