Los Alamitos: Baffert sweeps graded races, Glatt wins trainer title

A 13-1 upset by Wynstock in the Grade 2, $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity completed a graded-stakes sweep for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert during the track's six-day winter Thoroughbred meet, which concluded Sunday.

A son of Solomini and the Flatter mare Timberlea owned by Dr. Edward Allred, owner of Los Alamitos, and F. Jack Liebau, vice president of the Los Alamitos Racing Association, Wynstock, who was ridden by Kyle Frey, led virtually throughout in the Futurity on Saturday, ultimately prevailing by a half-length over Stronghold.

The win was the eighth in 10 years for Baffert in the Los Alamitos Futurity and his 14th overall. He won it six times when it was called the Hollywood Futurity at Hollywood Park, which closed in 2013.

A week earlier in the $200,500 Starlet (G2), Nothing Like You won her third in a row, easily dispatching her five opponents to win by 5 1/4 lengths. Juan Hernandez was aboard the daughter of Malibu Moon for owners Georgia Antley Hunt, Jeff Giglio and John Rogitz. The win was the seventh in a row for Baffert in the Starlet.

Baffert and Hernandez also teamed to capture the $101,000 Bayakoa (G3) on Dec. 15 with even-money favorite Midnight Memories, who outfinished 7-5 second choice Desert Dawn to win by one length. The victory came nine years after Tiz Midnight, the dam of Midnight Memories, won the inaugural running of the Bayakoa at Los Alamitos.

The two other stakes were for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California and both were won by trainer Peter Miller.

Jockey Edwin Maldonado guided 9-1 shot Madison Rae to a gate-to-wire win for owners CYBT, Rafter JR Ranch, STD Racing Stable and Michael Nentwig in the $100,000 Soviet Problem for fillies Dec. 10. 2-1 second choice Last Call London won the $101,000 King Glorious on closing day for Tom London, Eugene Zondlo and breeder Terry Lovingier.

Mark Glatt topped the trainer standings with seven victories, three more than Baffert and Miller. It was the second local training crown for Glatt, who shared the 2016 spring meet title with Doug O’Neill.

Baffert led all trainers with 15 wins during the year at Los Alamitos, combining the winter meet with the september (Sept. 15-24) and Los Angeles County Fair (June 23-July 9) seasons.

Diego Herrera, Edwin Maldonado and Hernandez shared the winter riding title with six wins each.

Hernandez was the leader for the year with 19 victories, one more than Herrera.

Daytime Thoroughbred racing will return to Los Alamitos in 2024. The Los Angeles County Fair meet, the first of three during the year, is scheduled to begin Friday, June 21, and continue through Sunday, July 7.