Champion sprinter Drefong was doing well Sunday, one day after dropping jockey Mike Smith at the start of the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Del Mar.
“There’s a million reasons to get beat and that was one of them,” trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday morning. “(Drefong) could just as easily have hit the rail and broken his shoulder. But everybody (including jockey Mike Smith) came out of it fine, and that’s all you can hope for.”
Drefong continued on with the race as if Smith was still aboard, running along with the front runners on the inside. He drifted out on the final turn, carrying eventual runner-up Roy H with him and opening up the inside for Ransom the Moon to rally through for the win.
“I would have liked to have seen (Drefong) relax and rate himself behind horses,” Baffert said. “But he’s pretty light on his feet and he recovered and bulled his way through on the rail. He’s a competitor and he was still trying to win.”
It was the second major loss for Baffert on consecutive Saturdays at Del Mar. Last week, on the opening weekend of the meet, champion Arrogate failed to factor in the San Diego Handicap (G2) in his first start since taking the Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) in late March.
“I don’t have any control of those things,” Baffert said in regards to losing with Drefong and Arrogate two Saturdays in a row. “As long as everybody is OK you just shake it off, laugh it off and go on to the next one.”
The conditioner is now considering the $600,000 Forego Handicap (G1) at Saratoga on August 26 for Drefong’s next start.
Ransom the Moon had 1 1/2 lengths to spare on Roy H when hitting the Bing Crosby wire. While trainer Philip D’Amato celebrated the victory, he also praised the runner-up.
“Hat’s off to Peter Miller’s horse (Roy H) who ran a really good race,” D’Amato said.
The conditioner indicated Ransom the Moon exited the Bing Crosby in good order and will run at Santa Anita Park in the fall. He’ll also take full advantage of the guaranteed spot earned via the Bing Crosby being a part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win & You’re In” Challenge series and line up in the TwinSpires.com Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) on November 4 back at Del Mar.
Trainer Peter Miller said Roy H “got clipped” by Drefong but the injury didn’t appear serious.
“I felt like we were much the best, we just got unlucky,” he said. “With a smooth trip, he wins by two lengths. But that’s racing.”
