Puglisi Getting a Fresh Start in New Barn
Ignacio Puglisi is getting a new start at age 40. With three wins, four seconds and seven thirds from 53 mounts through 47 racing days, the journeyman jockey, born in Rosario, Argentina, but raised a few furlongs from Santa Anita in Temple City, has been making ends meet in recent times as the go-to rider for trainer Paul Aguirre.
But he recently hired Philadelphian Bill Sadoo as his agent, spurning efforts to fly solo, and has been on the wagon for the last four years.
“Things are going well,” said Puglisi, called “Iggy” by his friends. “I’ve been clean for four years and that helped. I stopped drinking. I’ve picked up an agent, which I haven’t had in a couple of years. He’s really smart, keeps a lot of data on horses and we discuss different options on how we can attack the game and not just be riding for one guy. What’s really given me a shot is riding some horses for (Mike) Puype.
“People really noticed it and it helped out. I don’t want to say by accident, but he put me on one horse and it ran second. He asked me if I could work some horses in the morning at Los Al, and I’ve been going there and he was really tickled about the way the horses were working.
“He said he thought he’d be able to put me on a few horses, and he did. I work a bunch of horses for him and every week he sticks me on three or four, so we’re just bound to get lucky. I think people notice when you ride for a big outfit that the trainer must see something in the rider.”
ALL OPTIONS OPEN FOR AMERICAN PHAROAH
Trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday morning that American Pharoah came out of his front-running 6 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s Rebel Stakes on a sealed but sloppy track at Oaklawn Park “perfect” and that all options are open for the champion male 2-year-old of 2014.
That that would include the Santa Anita Derby on April 4 and the Arkansas Derby on April 11.
“We’ll see how he is when he gets back (from Arkansas),” Baffert said by phone as he was en route to the OBS Sale in Florida. “We’ll see how he’s doing. We’ve got lots of options.”
Baffert’s other monster 3-year-old, unbeaten Dortmund, has had the Santa Anita Derby on his docket since his fifth consecutive victory, a powerful front-running score in the San Felipe Stakes on March 7.
While it would seem illogical to run American Pharoah and Dortmund against each other before the May 2 Kentucky Derby, should each reach that major objective, Baffert said, “We never rule anything out.”
Based on past performances to date, the rest of the Triple Crown aspirants appear to be batting below the Mendoza Line.
Baffert, meanwhile, is sitting in the dugout with Ruth and Gehrig.
Source: Santa Anita Stable Notes