Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s record 11 wins in the Del Mar Futurity
have been achieved in bunches. He strung together seven in a row from Silver
Charm in 1996 to Icecoldbeeratreds in 2002. Next came back-to-back wins with
Midshipman and Lookin at Lucky in 2008-09.
Wednesday, Baffert will saddle Can the Man in the Grade 1,
$300,000 traditional closing-day feature hoping to extend a streak started by
Drill in 2011 and continued by Rolling Fog last year.
Baffert submitted 28 names for the Futurity before the June 7 close of
nominations. But Can the Man will be his only representative in the field of 11
for the seven-furlong test which determines the juvenile champion of the
meeting.
“I knew coming into the meeting that I was a little ahead (in readiness) for
my fillies and a little behind in my colts,” Baffert said Monday.
So it’s down to Can the Man, a Kentucky-bred son of Into Mischief who was
purchased for $320,000 at the Barretts sale in May for Kaleem Shah. Can the Man
is named for the longtime pet name of Baffert’s son Canyon, who works out of the
Virginia headquarters of Shah’s CalNet security firm which has a branch in San
Diego.
Can the Man made his racing debut on August 17, winning by 1 1/2 lengths over
5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03 4/5 under Martin Garcia.
“He’s a nice little horse and he’s fast,” Baffert said. “We drew the number 2
hole, and I’d have liked to have had a little better post position — a little
further outside, so he could use his speed more.
“Sometimes when you have a speed horse going from 5 1/2 to 7 (furlongs) it’s
tough on them when they get pressured. There are horses in there that are
getting better and better.”
Trainer Jeff Bonde has a chance of turning the Del Mar Debutante/Futurity
double.
Following up the Saturday victory by She’s a Tiger in the Debutante with one
Wednesday in the Futurity by Skydreamin would be “utopia,” Bonde said Monday.
And while Skydreamin is 15-1 on the morning line and has the generally
undesired number 1 post position, Bonde is the only one with a chance to join a
group accomplishing the feat, since the late 1980s, comprised only of Hall of
Famers.
The names: Baffert, Richard Mandella, Ron McAnally and D. Wayne Lukas.
Baffert has done it four times, most recently last year; Mandella (2003) and
McAnally (1994) once each and Lukas three times. Twice, Lukas won the Debutante
and Futurity with the same horse, Althea in 1983 and Lost Kitty in 1987.
As for Skydreamin, “He’s as big as a buffalo,” Bonde said.
“He won two stakes up north (Lost in the Fog at Golden Gate and Everett Nevin
at Pleasanton). The first time he did everything wrong and still won. The second
time he was a model citizen and ran a big one.
“The other day (last of six in the Best Pal) he was hollering and screaming
at the pony going to the gate, and through the whole race. They were running and
he was screaming.
“He came back and worked (six furlongs in 1:12 3/5) from the gate without a
sound. We’ve checked him out and there’s nothing wrong with him. So we’ll see
what happens.”
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