Belmont: Baeza 'looks pretty bright' on arrival at Saratoga

Multiple graded stakes-placed Baeza arrived at Saratoga on Thursday evening to prepare for his start in the $2 million Belmont Stakes next Saturday at Saratoga.

Trained by John Shirreffs, the 3-year-old McKinzie colt arrived at 8:45 p.m. EDT from California along with the Doug O’Neill-trained Raging Torrent, who is a top contender in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1), which offers an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar.

“He looks pretty bright coming off the van,” Shirreffs said Thursday evening.

Owned by C R K Stable and Grandview Equine, Baeza graduated at third asking in a one-mile maiden special weight Feb. 14 at Santa Anita. He followed with a three-quarter-length second on April 5 in the nine-furlong Santa Anita Derby (G1), which was won by eventual Preakness Stakes-winner Journalism.

Last out, Baeza exited the outermost post 19 in the Kentucky Derby and closed from 15th and 11 lengths off the pace to finish third after a troubled trip in the classic event won by Sovereignty by 1 1/2 lengths over Journalism, who was a neck better than Baeza. The top three finishers from the Kentucky Derby are at Saratoga and likely to square off once more in the Belmont Stakes.

“I thought he ran really well,” Shirreffs said of the Derby effort. “If you were to run it another time and with a little bit better luck … if he gets an opening a little sooner and gets to make his move a little earlier, it could have been a whole different story.”

Shirreffs said the Belmont Stakes should be an enticing spectacle for racing fans.

“I’ve watched Journalism all winter and we raced against him in the Santa Anita Derby. He’s a very nice horse,” said Shirreffs, who sent out Tiago to a third-place finish in the 2007 Belmont Stakes. “I hadn’t seen Sovereignty until I saw him in the paddock, and he was a very impressive physical presence there. So, I think that’s three really nice horses.”

Shirreffs, who will look for a second classic score after Giacomo’s upset score in the 2005 Kentucky Derby, indicated that after a Friday walk day, Baeza would return to regular training and visit the paddock to get better acquainted with the Spa.

“We’ll give him a chance to see everything, get a feeling for where he is and find his way to the track to develop a little security for him for him to know where he is,” Shirreffs said.

Baeza, out of 2024 broodmare of the year Puca, is a half-brother to last year’s Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch and 2023 Kentucky Derby victor Mage. A $1.2 million purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September yearling sale, he looks to follow in Dornoch’s footsteps to become half-siblings to win consecutive Belmonts, as did Jazil and the filly Rags to Riches in 2006-07. Baeza has banked $648,500 with a 5: 1-2-1 record.