Los Alamitos: Baffert enters 3 in attempt to extend Starlet streak
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will have three opportunities to win the Grade 2, $200,000 Starlet for a ninth year in a row Saturday at Los Alamitos.
The race for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles is being offered locally for the 12th time after being run as the Hollywood Starlet from 1981 to 2013 at Hollywood Park.
Post time is 13:30 p.m. EST The Starlet is the eighth of nine races and has an approximate post time of 4 p.m.
Click here for Los Alamitos entries and results.
Baffert, whose streak of Starlet victories includes Dream Tree in 2017, Chasing Yesterday in 2018, Bast in 2019, Varda in 2020, Eda in 2021, Faiza in 2022, Nothing Like You in 2023 and Tenma last year, entered Himika, Nimah and Consequent.
Owned by Charles and Susan Chu’s Baoma Corp., Himika is the most accomplished member of the field but enters off a runner-up finish behind Revera as the 1-5 choice in the Desi Arnaz Stakes on Nov. 16.
A daughter of Curlin and the Into Mischief mare Motivated Seller, Himika has won three of six, including the Sorrento (G3), and earned $222,822. She ran poorly in her only attempt at the Starlet distance, finishing fifth of six in the Oak Leaf (G2) on Oct. 4.
If Himika is successful, the win would be the fifth in the Starlet for Baoma and the second in succession. They owned Tenma as well as Bast, Varda and Eda.
Owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Nimah was a first-out winner, leading throughout as the 7-10 favorite going 6 1/2 furlongs Nov. 23. A daughter of Gun Runner and the A.P. Indy mare E.T. Indy, the $550,000 yearling purchase earned $36,000 for the win by 1 3/4 lengths.
An Into Mischief filly out of the Uncle Mo mare Cognitive owned and bred by Juddmonte, Consequent has something her stablemate does not: two-turn experience.
The bay miss debuted at one mile, rallying from off the pace to prevail by a half-length as the 13-10 choice Nov. 14. Consequent also banked $36,000.
Third in the Desi Arnaz, Cosmic Heat will race beyond seven furlongs for the first time for Burns Racing and William Hudock.
Now in the stable of trainer Doug O’Neill, the daughter of Maxfield and the Quality Road mare Five Star Rampage is 1-for-12 with earnings of $33,000. She was an 11-1 upset winner in her Oct. 17 bow.
O’Neill will also be represented by Cashed, a California bred filly by I’ll Have Another and the Shackleford mare Cash Offer owned by breeder J. Paul Reddam’s Reddam Racing.
She will stretch out for the first time after finishing second behind Mohaven in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies on Oct. 31. She has won once in five starts, but has not been worse than third while banking $97,450.
Owned by Michael McMillan and trained by Peter Miller, Jewlz steps up after a narrow win vs. $32,000 maidens in her first venture around two turns.
Stretched to a mile after four unsuccessful tries going short, the Bee Jersey filly out of the Not Bourbon mare Bourbon Gleam held off Can’t Say That by a nose in a contest in which the first two finishers nearly 11 lengths clear of the rest of the field. The victory brought Jewlz’ bankroll to $20,140.