Santa Anita: Richi, Pleasant give Baffert exacta in Las Flores

Making her second start U.S. start., South America Group 1 winner Richi bested odds-on favorite Pleasant in Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Las Flores Stakes for fillies and mares going six furlongs at Santa Anita.

Richi, ridden by Kazushi Kimura, and Pleasant are both trained by Bob Baffert. The win was Baffert’s fourth on the 10-race card. The Hall of Fame conditioner also won the San Vicente (G2) with budding star Barnes ($4.00), the second race with top 3-year-old prospect Rodríguez ($3.00) and the seventh race with Mirahmadi ($6.80).

Baffert holds the Santa Anita record for wins on a single card by a trainer. He saddled five on Dec. 26, 2022.

“It’s nice to have nice horses like this,” Baffert said. “We are blessed to have the clientele. Sometimes it just works out.”

Richi, sent off as the 3-1 second choice, settled in third behind pacesetter Don’t Bring Crazy (15-1) and Pleasant, who came in off a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 2. Pleasant was trying to provide Juan Hernández with his sixth win and second stakes victory on Saturday’s card.

Don’t Bring Crazy set early fractions of 22.70 and 45.01 seconds. Near the quarter pole, Richi was ready to attack the leaders but found herself blocked behind horses. Then the rail opened, and Richi shot through.

“I was comfortable right behind them,” Kimura said. “My horse was ready to go through the gap. When it opened up she just exploded.”

Richi reached the eighth pole with a 1 1/2-length lead over Pleasant, and it remained that margin through the wire. Don’t Bring Crazy, ridden by Antonio Fresu for trainer Doug O’Neill, finished another seven lengths back in third.

“She just cut the corner there and won the race,” Baffert said.

The final time was a sharp 1:09.05.

In her U.S. debut June 2, Richi finished second in the six-furlong Desert Stormer Stakes at Santa Anita. That day she wore blinkers, which were removed for the Las Flores.

“She’s completely changed since she has been here,” Baffert said. “She was really light, and they ran her really long distances (in Chile). Maybe that was all they had there. ... We freshened her up and she was training really well.”

A 5-year-old mare by Practical Joke, Richi won 6 of 9 starts in her native Chile. Owned domestically by Hill ’n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Stud Vendaval, Richi upped her career record to 11: 7-3-0 with $178,424 in earnings.

Richi paid $8.00, $2.40 and $2.10. Pleasant returned $2.10 and $2.10. Don’t Bring Crazy paid $2.40.