Shoemaker Mile: Baffert goes for another Grade 1 with Du Jour

Du Jour will try to make it back-to-back Grade 1 wins Monday when he takes on 10 rivals in a contentious edition of the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile on turf at Santa Anita.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Du Jour earned his first top-level win in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) on March 3 at Santa Anita. He finished two lengths clear of runner-up Easter, who also returns in the Shoemaker.

Flavien Prat rode Du Jour in the Kilroe and again has the call. A 6-year-old gelding by Temple City, Du Jour is 17: 6-3-2 with $1,118,220 in earnings for owners Natalie J. Baffert and Debbie Lanni. Last year, Du Jour won the Del Mar Mile (G2) in September and the restricted Wickerr Stakes at mile in July, also at Del Mar.

Trainer Phil D’Amato entered both Easter and Conclude. Easter’s runner-up finish in the Kilroe snapped a three-race win streak. Prior to that effort, the 6-year-old France-bred gelding by Exosphere won the San Gabriel (G2) in December at Santa Anita, Seabiscuit (G2) at Del Mar in November and the restricted Lure Stakes in October at Santa Anita.

Easter, who will have regular rider Antonio Fresu aboard, received no favors at Friday’s post position draw. He’ll break from the far outside in post no. 11. Including Easter’s eight starts in his native France, he has an overall record of 20: 7-4-3 with $627,910 in earnings. Easter is campaigned by Madaket Stables.

Conclude, a four-time stakes winner, will be making his first start since taking the Del Mar Derby (G2) on Sept. 3. The 4-year-old Collected colt has worked eight times since April 2 for his comeback, which includes a pair of bullet five-furlong drills on Santa Anita’s synthetic training track earlier this month.

Prior to his win in the Del Mar Mile, Conclude won the Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar in July and Desert Code on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course in May. He will be ridden by Hector Berrios, who was aboard for the Del Mar Derby and Oceanside wins.

Owned by Little Red Feather and Madaket Stables, Conclude is 6: 4-1-0 with $359,600 in earnings.

Getting his first crack at a Grade 1 victory is 4-year-old Johannes, who returned from an 11-month layoff with an authoritative 1 3/4-length win in the American (G3) April 4 going a mile on turf at Santa Anita.

Trained by Tim Yakteen, Johannes last year won both the Baffle Stakes sprinting on the hillside turf course in March and the one-mile Pasadena on turf in April at Santa Anita. By Nyquist, Johannes races as a homebred for Cuyathy. He is 8: 4-0-1 with $243,859 in earnings.