Getaway Car proved much too fast for his rivals on two earlier occasions during the Del Mar meet. On Sunday, closing day of the summer season at the San Diego-area course, Getaway Car will look to provide trainer Bob Baffert with an 18th success in the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity (G1) over seven furlongs.
A son of Curlin, Getaway Car has the requisite speed and the class to make it three in a row. After a 3 1/4-length maiden tally going five furlongs, Getaway Car was even more impressive in the six-furlong Best Pal (G3), extending his margin to 5 1/2 lengths in the final furlong while asked for little.
Baffert, of course, doesn’t just have a single bullet in the barrel. The Hall of Famer also saddles Gaming, who won on debut by 5 1/2 lengths and seeks to emulate his sire, Game Winner, who won the Futurity in 2018 en route to champion juvenile honors. Another from the Baffert stable is Citizen Bull, a son of Into Mischief who also won at first asking, albeit by three parts of a length.
Can sons of first-crop sire McKinzie win both of the major summer prizes for two-year-olds? McKinzie Street, who made a winning debut on July 27 by more than three lengths for Tim Yakteen, will look to follow on from Chancer McPatrick’s score in the Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga earlier this week.
The Del Mar Futurity field is rounded out by R Heisman, who captured the restricted Graduation S. last month, and the maidens Rank and Brother Tony, both of whom placed behind Gaming last out.
Mischief River, a distant second to Getaway Car in the Best Pal, is among an overflow field entered in the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf (G3) over one mile. Also likely to garner support are Artislas, Show of Force, Ivan the Great, and Tiz Happy, all maiden winners over grass.
