Bayern romps in Pennsylvania Derby, Cal Chrome sixth

Bayern proved again he’s extremely dangerous when left alone on the lead (Bill Denver/Equi-Photo) In a virtual re-run of his Haskell Invitational victory in July, Bayern was left alone on an uncontested lead over a track that had favored speed most of the day and cruised home the easiest of winners in the Grade 2, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Saturday. Left in his wake, among others, was Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome, who struggled home sixth in the field of eight in his first start since his Triple Crown bid was foiled in the Belmont Stakes on June 7. Setting a leisurely pace of :24 and :47 4/5 while being chased by longshot C J’s Awesome and California Chrome, who raced along the inside, Bayern began to turn up the heat approaching the far turn, expanding his lead to 1 1/2 lengths through six furlongs in 1:10 4/5. Urged along by Victor Espinoza, California Chrome had little to offer passing the quarter pole and Bayern eventually scooted away in the stretch.

Opening up a three-length advantage at the eighth pole, Bayern coasted home
by 5 3/4 lengths under Martin Garcia to take the 1 1/8-mile feature in 1:46 4/5,
shaving one-fifth of a second off a track record set by Selari Spirit in the
1974 Hessian Handicap during the track’s inaugural season.

“That was just a powerful performance,” said winning trainer Bob Baffert via
telephone from California. “He broke well and they let us go and Martin hustled
to get away from California Chrome. When California Chrome was pinned in there I
knew it was going be tough for California Chrome. He was the target — we
weren’t the target. When Bayern runs like that, nobody’s going to beat him.

“If you look at him, he doesn’t look like a horse that’s going to run a mile
and an eighth, a mile and a quarter; he’s sort of a compact horse. He must have
a big heart and a big set of lungs and he carries his speed.”

Tapiture, a three-time graded stakes winner this season including last
month’s West Virginia Derby over Candy Boy, beat that deep-closing rival again
on Saturday, but for second by a head. Longshots Noble Moon and C J’s Awesome
finished a dead heat for fourth, with 9-10 favorite California Chrome sixth.
Protonico and Classic Giacnroll rounded out the order of finish.

Espinoza blamed the riding tactics of other jockeys in part for California
Chrome’s defeat.

“The other riders, they worried about me, they didn’t worry about the one in
the front, and I knew I was in trouble in the first turn,” Espinoza said. “They
were like blocking in front of me, and it was hard to catch the other horse.
Sometimes the other ones don’t ride to win, they ride to beat horses.

“I was really desperate and behind, but there was nothing I could do at that
point. I mean, to see those fractions, and they’re walking, and I knew I was in
trouble as soon as I hit the first turn. The other horses slowed down in front
of me, and everybody slowed down. Some things, you can’t do much at that point.
Hopefully, he can make it in the end, but I noticed in the first turn I was
completely up against it.”

California Chrome’s trainer Art Sherman also felt his colt’s trip compromised
his effectiveness.

Connections were non-committal about a possible next start for their Pennsylvania Derby winner (Bill Denver/Equi-Photo) “I wish he could have gotten him out — the pace was not that fast,” Sherman said. “You know you hate making excuses, but I thought if he could have gone after that horse a little bit earlier, and got out from behind, but the other horse kept him down on the rail which I really didn’t want. He is a lot more comfortable if you can ease him out — it didn’t happen. And he hasn’t run in a long time. He probably needed the race.” California Chrome will continue on to the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 1 at Santa Anita, where a potential showdown for the three-year-old championship looms between him and undefeated champion Shared Belief. The Pennsylvania Derby was the third graded stakes win of the year for Bayern, who preceded his 7 1/4-length win in the July 27 Haskell Invitational with a 7 1/2-length romp in the Woody Stephens at Belmont Park over seven furlongs. The Grade 1-winning Offlee Wild colt debuted on January 4, winning a maiden at Santa Anita by 3 1/4 lengths, and followed up with an allowance score over the same track by 15 lengths.

Third in the Arkansas Derby in his stakes debut, Bayern was next demoted from
first to second in the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs. He’s turned in two major
clunkers this year, finishing ninth in the Preakness after a rough trip and last
of 10 in the August 23 Travers after setting a contested early pace.

“After the Haskell, I was going to wait for this race, but he came back good
and it’s the Travers and he was going to be the speed,” Baffert revealed. “I
wasn’t going to go and afterward I said, ‘Why didn’t I stick to my original
plans?'”

Bayern, who races for Kaleem Shah, improved his career mark to 9-5-1-1,
$1,639,680.

Bred by Helen Alexander in Kentucky, Bayern brought $320,000 as a
two-year-old in training at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May. He was sired by Offlee
Wild from the Thunder Gulch mare Alittlebitearly, herself a half-sister to Group
3-winning sire Bertolini; stakes winner Alchemilla; and stakes heroine Amelia,
who is in turn the dam of Grade 3 scorers Assateague and Kindergarden Kid as
well as He’s Had Enough, runner-up in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Bayern’s second dam, Grade 2 diva Aquilegia, is a full sister to champion and
noted broodmare Althea. Aside from producing four stakes winners, led by
Japanese champion Yamanin Paradise, Althea ranks as the ancestress of Grade
1-winning sire Arch; Grade 1 heroines Balletto and Acoma; and U.A.E. Horse of
the Year Festival of Light, among others. Aquilegia and Althea are also full
sisters to Grade 2 winner Aishah, whose offspring include Grade 1 victress
Aldiza and Grade 2 scorer Atelier, and another descendant is current multiple
Grade 3 victress Aurelia’s Belle.

Bayern’s third dam is Broodmare of the Year Courtly Dee. Her other progeny
include Grade 1 heroes Ali Oop and Ketoh as well as multiple Grade 2 victor
Twining and multiple Grade 3 winner Native Courier. Among her many outstanding
descendants is Group 1 star and influential sire Green Desert.

Interestingly, Bayern hails from the extended family of Kentucky Derby and
Preakness hero California Chrome. Both descend from Judy-Rae, who is Bayern’s
fifth dam and California Chrome’s seventh dam.

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