Baffert: Gamine 'just didn't have it' in Kentucky Oaks

For the first time in her brief career, Gamine was beaten across the wire Friday.

Sent off in the 2020 Kentucky Oaks as the 3-5 favorite, Gamine set the pace but couldn’t lead the whole 1 1/8 miles. Down the stretch, winner Shedaresthedevil and runner-up Swiss Skydiver both moved by Gamine, who settled for third.

“She just didn’t have it,” trainer Bob Baffert said.

Gamine, a 3-year-old Into Mischief filly, entered Friday with three official wins in four career starts. Her lone loss, a May 2 allowance optional claiming race at Oaklawn Park, was the result of a post-race disqualification from first to 11th due to a failed drug test.

The Kentucky-bred Gamine aimed to make the Kentucky Oaks a third Grade 1 triumph in as many top-level starts. She earned Grade 1 victories June 20 at Belmont Park in the Acorn Stakes and Aug. 8 in Saratoga’s Test Stakes by a combined 25¾ lengths.

But Gamine faced questions of how she would handle the Kentucky Oaks’ nine furlongs. Both the Acorn and Test were one-turn events, going eight and seven furlongs, respectively.

“She hadn’t gone long, and we can always second guess ourselves,” Baffert said after the race. “Maybe I should have run her longer or whatever. But the winner was tough, you have to give her credit.”

Gamine got away well Friday and set fractions of :23.39, :47.92 and 1:12.12. Shedaresthedevil tracked in second, with Swiss Skydiver close behind in third.

Coming down the stretch, Gamine ran out of steam under jockey John Velazquez. She crossed three lengths behind Shedaresthedevil and 1½ lengths behind Swiss Skydiver.

"Maybe it's a little too much, going two turns,” Velazquez said. “I don't know. She never really got an easy lead, either. She was pressured the whole way. But that's horse racing. You can't let them do it too easy, either."

Swiss Skydiver, the 5-2 second choice, lost for only the second time in her last six starts. The Daredevil filly was much the best going 1¼ miles Aug. 15 at Saratoga in the Alabama (G1), one of four two-turn graded stakes she has won in 2020.

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione kept Swiss Skydiver along the rail before finding running room three-wide coming into the stretch. She fought past Gamine but couldn’t catch Shedaresthedevil.

"She finished up nicely,” Gaffalione said. “She just wasn't good enough today. Huge effort from the winner. Hat's off to the connections.

“I thought there'd be a little more speed. It kind of set up like I thought, but they slowed it down. My filly was tracking in a nice position. She was comfortable where she was. We had every shot turning for home. We had a quarter of a mile to get there. Just second-best today."

Trainer Kenny McPeek expressed interest after the Alabama in Swiss Skydiver potentially running Oct. 3 at Pimlico in the Preakness Stakes. She already faced the boys once this year, running a strong second to Art Collector on July 11 at Keeneland in the Blue Grass Stakes (G2).

Looking toward November, Swiss Skydiver also has a guaranteed spot in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff starting gates thanks to her Alabama victory.

“She ran super,” McPeek said. “That other filly (Shedaresthedevil) has been training extremely well. I’ve been watching her.

“Tyler rode her good. That’s horse racing. There’s no guarantees. She’s been training super. I actually wasn’t as worried about Gamine as I was about another filly running a bang-up race. That’s what happened.”