Baffert puts Velazquez on top 2-year-olds Eight Rings, Bast

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey John Velazquez has been engaged by Bob Baffert to ride American Pharoah Stakes (G1) contender Eight Rings and likely Chandelier Stakes (G1) favorite Bast on opening Friday at Santa Anita Park.

Velazquez, a 47, leads all jockeys in career purse earnings with $410,561,486 and last weekend tied fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey's record for 660 graded stakes winners.

Johnny V. also will pilot turf sprint specialist Eddie Haskell for trainer Mark Glatt in the Eddie D. Stakes (G2) on opening day.

“I’m flying Johnny V. in to ride because I wasn’t sure Drayden (Van Dyke) would make it back in time to ride my horses,” Baffert said by phone Monday morning.

Van Dyke was injured when unseated by Eight Rings after the start of the Del Mar Futurity (G1) on Sept. 2 but has recovered and is expected to resume riding this meet. Van Dyke had ridden both Eight Rings and Bast in each of their two starts, winning twice.

“I asked Johnny V. to ride," Baffert said, "and he’s doing me a favor and coming in."

Another top east coast jockey, Joel Rosario, will be in to ride Hopeful Stakes (G1) runner-up Shoplifted in the American Pharoah. The Steve Asmussen trainee broke his maiden two starts back at Saratoga.

The American Pharoah, like the Chandelier, is a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Race providing a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, respectively.