Fed Biz provides Baffert with 100th stakes win at Del Mar

Fed Biz (right) returned with a game win and could be heard from this fall (Benoit Photo)

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert won his 100th stakes race at Del Mar Friday
as Kaleem Shah’s Fed Biz, unraced since last February, rallied after being passed in deep stretch to out-game
Jimmy Creed in the $100,000
El Cajon
Stakes.

Fed Biz, considered a top Triple Crown prospect last winter, went to the
sidelines after impressive wins in two starts at Santa Anita. Despite the
layoff, the talented son of Giant’s Causeway, a $950,000 2010 Keeneland yearling
purchase, was made the 6-5 favorite among five three-year-olds in the El Cajon after a series of blazing
workouts under Baffert’s direction.  

Under a rousing ride by jockey Joe Talamo, Fed Biz hit the wire a neck in
front of Jimmy Creed after falling back by as much as a head with less than a
furlong remaining of the one-mile contest over Del Mar’s Polytrack. The bay colt
was sent right to the front from his rail post and established early splits in
:23 2/5, :46 4/5 and 1:10 4/5 while being pressured by Jimmy Creed throughout,
and Fed Biz wound up stopping the teletimer in 1:35 2/5.

Bob Baffert recorded a historic win and is tied for leading training honors with four days remaining in the Del Mar meet (Benoit Photo)

Baffert is the all-time leader in number of stakes victories at Del Mar,
ahead of five fellow Hall of Famers: Ron McAnally (75), who is still active; the
late Charlie Whittingham (74); the late Bobby Frankel (70); and Richard Mandella
(49) and D. Wayne Lukas (48), both still active. Baffert began the current
meeting with 93 stakes triumphs. In addition, Fed Biz gave the trainer his
18th win this summer, moving him into a three-way tie atop the standings with
Doug O’Neill and Peter Miller with four days remaining of the 37-day session.

Fed Biz, scoring his third win in four starts, returned $4.60, $3 and $2.40
while earning $60,000 to increase his career total to $131,100.

With a two-day carryover of $432,260 and $2,082,401 Friday in “new” money for
a total Pick Six pool of $2,514,661, there were five perfect tickets and each
was worth $308,928.40.