Nevada Beach wins Los Alamitos Derby; Travers may be next
West Coast parlayed a victory in the 2017 Los Alamitos Derby for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert into another six weeks later in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga.
After heavily favored Nevada Beach gave Baffert his ninth consecutive win in the four-horse Los Al Derby, he indicated the lightly raced colt could be making the same trip to New York this summer to compete in the 1 1/4-mile race.
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Ridden by Juan Hernandez, the 3-year-old son of Omaha Beach and the Yes It’s True mare Morrow Cove tracked stablemate Varney for most of the journey Saturday. Then he asserted his superiority in the final eighth of a mile to win by 4 1/4 lengths.
The win was the second in three starts for Nevada Beach, who is owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.
The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:47.59, the fastest clocking in the race since Baffert-trained Gimme Da Lute won in 1:47.09 in 2015.
A $250,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September sale, Nevada Beach has earned $116,500. He paid $2.80 as the 2-5 favorite. There was no place or show wagering in a field reduced to four starters after Tiz Secure, another Baffert trainee, was scratched Saturday morning.
Varney, the 5-2 second choice after a gate-to-wire win last month at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard, wound up 12 1/2 lengths in front of 9-2 third choice Rank, and 29-1 outsider It’s a Factor completed the order of finish.
The Los Alamitos Derby victory was the third in the last four years for Hernandez and added to his record with his 22nd daytime Thoroughbred stakes score.
“He’s getting better and better,” Hernandez said. “I had to chase after him a little bit over at Santa Anita, but he was aggressive today in a good way. Once he changed leads, he was very strong.”
Baffert has won the Los Alamitos Derby 10 times since daytime racing began in 2014, and it was his fourth exacta in the last six renewals.
“I could tell right away (Nevada Beach) was just bouncing over this surface,” he said. “He got a hold of it immediately. I’ve always liked this surface. This is where I get my 2-year-olds started.
“(Varney) also ran well. Those are two really nice horses. I remember telling his owners after Nevada Beach broke his maiden, he was going to run in the Affirmed (June 8 at Santa Anita), win there, then win the Los Alamitos Derby and then go to the (Aug. 23) Travers.
“After (stablemate and Grade I winner) Gaming beat him in the Affirmed, it was kind of disappointing, but Gaming is a good horse, and he’s starting to circle back to his best form.
“Nevads Beach just flourished over this track, and we know he can get more distance, because he was just getting going there at the end.”