Nevada Beach wins for Baffert in Goodwood at Santa Anita

Nevada Beach, a lightly raced 3-year-old making his graded-stakes debut for trainer Bob Baffert, prevailed over odds-on favorite Full Serrano after a lengthy duel to win Saturday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Goodwood Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita.

With the win, Nevada Beach earned an automatic berth in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

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“This one is really special, because sometimes you have them over a barrel,” Baffert said in the winner’s circle. “I really appreciate a win like this when it’s not expected.”

Full Serrano, breaking from the outside post in the field of six, went to the front under Juan Hernández and soon found company from Nevada Beach’s stablemate Privman (14-1). After an opening quarter-mile in 23.58 seconds, Full Serrano shook off Privman in the first turn. He caught a bit of a breather down the backstretch, completing a half mile in 47.86 seconds, but then he found Nevada Beach at his throat latch entering the second turn. It would be a two-horse race from there.

Nevada Beach, on the outside of Full Serrano, took a half-length lead to the eighth pole and then edged clear to win by 1 1/2 lengths.

“They were running hard. Turning for home I thought, well, this is when you find out what you are really made of,” Baffert said. “He dug in, and Mike Smith rode a beautiful race.”

“Bob told me that he will go every bit of the mile-and-an-eighth so to do what I needed to do,” Smith said. “I was brave enough to go ahead and push at the end there, and the horse responded great.”

Full Serrano finished 3 1/4 lengths clear of third-place Privman.

“My horse is a really nice horse, and he really tried his best,” Hernández said. “He was traveling comfortably, and he picked it up when I asked him. He tried to come back when the other horse came up on the outside. We just fell short.”

First Mission, the 2-1 second choice who shipped in from Kentucky for trainer Brad Cox, was never a factor and checked in fourth.

Nevada Beach is a colt by Omaha Beach out of Yes It’s True mare Morrow Cove. He was purchased by owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman for $260,000 at the September 2023 Keeneland yearling sale. Nevada Beach won his debut going a mile in April at Santa Anita, finished second behind stablemate Gaming in the Affirmed Stakes on June 2 at Santa Anita then won the Los Alamitos Derby at 1 1/8 miles on June 28. With the Goodwood win he increased his total earnings to $296,500.

Nevada Beach paid $19.00, $4.40 and $3.00. Full Serrano, trained by John Sadler, returned $2.40 and $2.10. Privman, with Antonio Fresu up, paid $4.20.

Even though Nevada Beach has only four races and this one graded stakes to his name, Baffert said he would target the Breeders’ Cup Classic in five weeks.

“Oh, you’ve got to keep it on (the table) the way he ran today,” Baffert told FanDuel TV. “As long as he’s fine and healthy, we’ll be there.”